Parts Store Rant, the other side of the story

I believe it goes both ways.

I found most (not all) of the guys working in the part stores around here have no clue about anything they are selling and if they can't find it in the computer, they just say they can't get it even if they do stock it. Luckily an O' Reilly's opened up down the street and they know what they're doing.

I agree though that people need to know what they are working on before they start asking for parts, my uncle worked at the local Advanced about 20 years ago and he had a guy walk in and asked for some spark plugs for a Buick deuce & a quarter, when he asked what year, the guy didn't know, when he asked what engine, the guy didn't know, he said he needed more info, the guy said the car is blue.

gts340 said

That being said, my local AutoZone sucks. I tried about ten years ago to get a part time job there. I had worked as a parts/service writer/tire salesman at two different jobs for a few years, and had also been a GM dealership tech. I knew catalogs and computers. I turned in my application and took the computer based automotive quiz to see if I knew enough abut cars or not. The lady said it would take 45 minutes. Well, it didn't. It took about five it was so easy. They kept the hiring sign up and never hired me...
I figured I knew too much. This was the store tht ALWAYS gave me the wrong parts, and I was one of those guys who happened to know what it was I was working on.

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That's exactly it, the manager at our local Autozome knew cars and even had a few real nice ones himself, but when I asked him about a part time job, he told me they would never hire me unless I acted like I knew nothing about cars because they didn't want people with knowledge behind the counter. From what he said, they figured that a knowledged person would not sell someone parts they knew they wouldn't need but someone who knew nothing of cars would sell them whatever they ask for.