Autozone Checkout Fun

[RustyRatRod]

i always look up all my own part #'s before i go get stuff.seems to save a lot of hassle with ignorent parts counter people.whats truely sad is i manage a large shop(16 lifts)and have 5 techs.anytime a car with a carb comes in i normally have to figure out the problems since none of them have worked on carburated cars.these are 30+ year old men with ase (some master)certification.i guess even techs are getting spoiled by technology.:eusa_think:

The ones I love to watch go out in a carbureted car to crank it cold and have it sut down on them 15 or 20 times because they haven't a clue how to keep a carbureted car running when cold. It's a trip.

 

[RustyRatRod]

the last time i went autobone before today, i had a guy come running up to my duster asking me what year my nova was. i just left .

When I had my 65 Valiant, I used to have people all the time tell me "nice Chevy II".

 

[ws27]

Went to the local Ford dealership of an evaporator for an E series van. All the regulars are gone, not sure why, but they were replaced with a few snotty nosed kids. I need an evaporator for an e 250 please. Uh, uh what part do you want? An evaporator please. OH! you want the radiator thing right? Yea, but not the one behind the grill, the one in the heaterbox. OK I know what you want. Comes down with a condenser. No I need the evaporator, it's the thing that makes the cold and it's INSIDE the heater box. OH OH I know what you want, comes back down with a drier... Let me see the computoer screen and I'll show you. Here see that it's this thing here (pointing). OH, well why didn't you tell me you wanted an evaporator. If you told me that in the first place, I would have known.


You can't argue with a stupid person.

 

[ws27]

And then there was Autozone. A long time ago I needed a fuel pump relay for an Astro van. It's an ISO relay, very common. Was told they didn't have it. Can't be, they have to have the most common relay in the world. Can I see the book? I start giving him alternative part numbers and after a few, surprise, he had it. The guy was nice, went back found the box, then went to the register grabbed a sheet of paper from under neath. Came back handed the relay and asked if I'd like to fill out this job application. Politely declined.

I've used a small local guy for years and actually bought out the entire store when they closed. Tool bad, not many replacements of like kind anymore. I have found one now and so far so good.

 

[Sixpack70]

I found a shop in the town near me that has actual speed parts. I can get a lot of stuff like gaskets and bolts right off the shelf. Ford and Mopar stuff too! They have nice holley rebuild kits and all of the jets in stock. The guys that work there own classics, one guy a GTX, another guy a Cyclone and the other a fox body mustang with a 351C. The AZ and advance guys are not too bad, but I have to walk them through finding which parts and I know how to play the computer game. Carquest is the easiest. I just tell them a part I need and they go back and snag it off of the shelf or order it. As long as it is not one of the young kids I get the right parts.

 

[1971RR]

My local Advance Auto is managed by a highschool friend and the commercial accounts by another highschool friend. They can usually find me anything I need, even aftermarket (like my Mallory ingnition system). He will match prices (paid Summit pricesand got to pick it up local). He has trained his counter people ok. Some of the newer ones will tell me a part does not exist if it does not come up in the computer, but he will remind them there is a 5' long set of reference books next to the register, look it up. Look it up, find the part number, enter it into the computer, BAM! There it is. Most of them know me by now, so it is usually 10%-20% off the ticket since I was in there darn near every day last year getting parts for my car that I had dug out of a 19 year hibernation.

 

[1948 santa]

Taking the 63 Sport Fury to Turkey Run in Daytona on the auto train thinking I may have to print instructions for the loaders on how to take it out of park and shift it,has me worried they'll screw it up.

 

[Moparsmitty]

Taking the 63 Sport Fury to Turkey Run in Daytona on the auto train thinking I may have to print instructions for the loaders on how to take it out of park and shift it,has me worried they'll screw it up.

I'd be worried too. Hopefully they won't break your shifter mechanism. If these guys are like most valets, I'm not sure instructions will help.:book1:

 

[joshb1983]

the last time i went autobone before today, i had a guy come running up to my duster asking me what year my nova was. i just left .

nova... id pull away too lol

 

[Diecastdeluxe]

I have a standardized line when I go into Autozone. When the clerk says what can I get you? I always say, "I'm here to see what you don't have in stock today."

 

[Kern Dog]

Some good responses so far. I think that I've seen or lived through almost every scenario.
I USED to work for Chief Auto parts, which later became AutoZone. I made it my goal to give the best advice that I could. MOST employees have minimal knowledge with cars.
Even today, it isn't any better. I skip the Kragen/O Riellys or AutoZone stores if I want quality stuff and good advice. Today at a NAPA store, I was pissed to get a counter guy that admitted to never having worked on a car, EVER! This is pathetic.

 

[Darter6]

My Autozone is walking distance, about 4 blocks from me so I go there alot. I too look up the parts on line before going in.I tell them what it is, and say"This is your part number and you have it in stock". Everytime they go get the manager.I hate to say this but 4 out of 5 of them barely speak english. Anyway the manager is female(not that there is anything wrong with that) And really knows her stuff.
By the way, the last thing I got at AZ were B-Body rear shocks. They are Gabriel Classics, no stickers or markings and are black and look OEM.They are gas charged and were $19 bucks each."And",,,, they were in stock.!

 

[Deleted member 214]

Sometimes the counterperson asks "what brings you in here today?" I'll say "my feet". They don't get it...

Went to Burger King today, ordered two Whoppers, one with extra catsup and no mayo. The cashier yells back "Those two whoppers that just got ordered? Make one extra catsup, no mayo" and the cook yells back "which one?" :iamwithstupid: I'll probably find the cook behind the counter at Autozone in a month or so...