Advance Auto parts is closing 700 stores nationwide.

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harrisonm

harrisonm

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I just read an article online that advanced auto parts is closing 700 stores nationwide. I wonder if that is because more people are going to other places, or is it because newer cars with everything computerized can no longer be worked on by the average person. As the older cars that we CAN work on
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get older and literally die, parts stores supplying parts for those old cars might die also. What do you guys think?
 
Advance Auto Parts bought Car Quest. When the store closed I bought out a bunch of Car Quest. Still have 50-60 Spark Plugs, and 120 oil filters (Long, Med and Short) they fit Mopar Small and BB, lots of Chevy stuff and Ford's.
Wonder where the list is of the locations of the stores that are closing is.
Here thet sell Automotive paint so is a source close by.
 
No list yet on which stores will close. Our walk-in business at the napa I work at, is way down. if it wasn't for the commercial side, it would probably close. the walk in does not even come close to paying the front counter people salaries.
 
rbkt65 said:
No list yet on which stores will close. Our walk-in business at the napa I work at, is way down. if it wasn't for the commercial side, it would probably close. the walk in does not even come close to paying the front counter people salaries.
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Online is not helping. I am guilty of that myself. If I need a part that may need warranty sometime, I will shop locsl. (like a battery or an alternator or the like)
 
rbkt65 said:
No list yet on which stores will close. Our walk-in business at the napa I work at, is way down. if it wasn't for the commercial side, it would probably close. the walk in does not even come close to paying the front counter people salaries.
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When I worked at CarQuest, we had a very slow front end. Mostly the same people too, not many random folks buying parts. They closed when advanced bought the brand. It was the commercial accounts that kept the lights on.
 
They are closing 500 corporate stores, and 200 independent stores out of their 5000 locations. Simply cutting the fat in today's economy. I'm sure online buying is a part of it, but I feel most companies have spread themselves too thin. The Dollar General philosophy doesn't work for every business.
 
LocuMob said:
They are closing 500 corporate stores, and 200 independent stores out of their 5000 locations. Simply cutting the fat in today's economy. I'm sure online buying is a part of it, but I feel most companies have spread themselves too thin. The Dollar General philosophy doesn't work for every business.
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Like coffee shops here. 4 on one intersection. I am afraid the private store will go and it has been around for a decade.
 
Costs. Plain and simple. I did a water pump on a Ferd Five Hundo last week. MY COST at Napa, $142.00. MY COST at the local joint a block away(Auto Value), $182.00. For a fracking water pump!!!!! The same Gates number at **** Auto dot Cum, $82.00, plus tax and shipping. So, $108 to the door. I've been ordering from there A LOT for the last few months. Part of the shop racket is making a couple on parts. Hard to do with the local joints. And that sucks because I'm a firm believer in shop local.
 
408 swinger said:
Costs. Plain and simple. I did a water pump on a Ferd Five Hundo last week. MY COST at Napa, $142.00. MY COST at the local joint a block away(Auto Value), $182.00. For a fracking water pump!!!!! The same Gates number at **** Auto dot Cum, $82.00, plus tax and shipping. So, $108 to the door. I've been ordering from there A LOT for the last few months. Part of the shop racket is making a couple on parts. Hard to do with the local joints. And that sucks because I'm a firm believer in shop local.
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I use RA when I can plan ahead, it's just easier and cheaper for me. At least when I do have to do something quick, the local shop doesn't kill me on prices for parts, normally a small markup from the parts store price I'd pay. I only use them if it requires a lift or is beyond my skills with the newer vehicles. They don't touch my old rides other than tires, but they sure do like them!
 
I hope they close the one in Gray, because it's useless as tits on a boar hog. The OReilly ain't far behind.
 
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rbkt65 said:
No list yet on which stores will close. Our walk-in business at the napa I work at, is way down. if it wasn't for the commercial side, it would probably close. the walk in does not even come close to paying the front counter people salaries.
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I agree. Not sure if thet still do but the Chrysler, Jeep, Ram dealer I dealt with got NAPA parts if Mopar was not on self. I used to maintain a few trucks and 2-3 cars at work. NAPA always were fast on getting me parts ASAP. Wix filters and mostly good parts. Counter guys and girls know their stuff.
I ordered some 30wt NAPA oil a and grabbed it Sunday. I have to Generators, one regular mower, 2 commercial mowers, 2 commercial gas edgers, and a 4 stroke weed wakes. I just did oil, filters, plugs, blades not even 2 weeks ago. It was close to 3 bucks a quart. I was the only one in there. Some guy was leaving with a bulb
Side note. I don't care if lot was empty, He parked in the handicapped space and was not. No hang tag or plate.
If my buddy Rodney was still.alive he woukd gave gotten an ear full. Vietnam Vet with one leg. Or my dad for that matter.
Just because the lot is empty does not mean someone won't pull in and need it! Then someone else did same thing at Daisy Dukes Dinner.
Sorry it's my pet peeve.
 
The local Napa and Auto Value typically are decent on prices. This particular instance, I wasn't having it. I didn't raise hell or anything, I simply didn't buy from them. Without sending this to the N&P, hopefully things will get better in the coming months/years.
 
408 swinger said:
The local Napa and Auto Value typically are decent on prices. This particular instance, I wasn't having it. I didn't raise hell or anything, I simply didn't buy from them. Without sending this to the N&P, hopefully things will get better in the coming months/years.
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I never took offense to someone saying our (CarQuest) prices were high, they were. I did work with them on the pricing, until corporate locked us out of looking up our cost, and adding the minimum percent profit they wanted. We sold a lot at that minimum number while we could.

I worked the majority of my time there for lower wages than I might have made elsewhere, but I loved that job. A new manager who didn't know squat about parts, he couldn't even look them up correctly, ruined it and I knew I was done when he showed up. Now I just hang my head when they ask me "what vehicle" when I simply ask for 3/8" rubber fuel hose.
 
LocuMob said:
They are closing 500 corporate stores, and 200 independent stores out of their 5000 locations. Simply cutting the fat in today's economy.
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All corporate stores are Advance while all the privateers are CarQuests. That's how they broke them out in the acquisition.

Why, or even how, they would close the independent stores is something I find questionable. I run an independent parts store (not a CarQuest) and how closing it could be the decision of anyone but the owner is beyond me. Pull the franchise, yes--but if they're paying their bills on time, why? Close the store? Not their decision.

I will not be surprised if our local Advance closes. Great crew when it opened with a complete idiot for a manager (he'd never worked in parts nor had he ever managed anything). They got rid of the good people--the ones worth their salaries--as quickly as possible after the store was established, and have staffed the place with shirt-staining mouth-breathers for the last 18 years.

LocuMob said:
I'm sure online buying is a part of it, but I feel most companies have spread themselves too thin. The Dollar General philosophy doesn't work for every business.
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The Dollar General philosophy ain't gonna work for Dollar General forever either.

Regardless, in an area of roughly 20K people within a 15-mile radius, we have three CarQuests, two Auto Values, a NAPA, an O'Reilly, and the aforementioned Advance. Five of those stores are within a two-mile radius. I was amazed when they built the Advance, and kinda flabbergasted when O'Reilly went up, because there were two other parts stores at the time (that have since closed). It's not sustainable.
 
Honestly, all the big box stores are for chit now. All they push on us is BS chinkesium junk. The only thing I get from them now is shop supplies for the most part.
 
NoCar340 said:
Why, or even how, they would close the independent stores is something I find questionable.
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I thought that was odd myself.

After I left, my CarQuest was instantly full of idiots. They would hire people off the internet, and parts knowledge wasn't a requirement. It was weird going across the street to the O'Reilly's (still want to call it Champion) and hearing the stories of how bad that shop became. Apparently most people who went there, went to the O'Reilly's next.
 
Just wait until EV sales kick into overdrive.

toolmanmike said:
Like coffee shops here. 4 on one intersection. I am afraid the private store will go and it has been around for a decade.
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I've been to places in Seattle where you can stand in one spot and see four Starbucks. I get it. This economy is not on solid footing.
 
toolmanmike said:
Like coffee shops here. 4 on one intersection. I am afraid the private store will go and it has been around for a decade.
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they closed up all the carquest's around here (some converted to private joints), but there are 6 Advance stores, 5 O'Reilly's and there are nine, yes nine vato zones within a 5mi radius of me.

need a rotor turned, some bearing races pressed in or a flywheel surfaced? good F'N luck, man. there's like two joints.
 
There were 2 Car Quests on my way home from work.
One closed right before the buy out, which was a couple of years ago.
The other is still open.

Interestingly, around that same time, Auto Zone built a new store on the same road as the Car Quest that closed.
...and just last year built another new store on that same road.
That one road has three Discount/Advance, four Auto Zone, and three O'reily's.
It also used to have a NAPA, but that closed before the Car Quest did.

Interestingly, the NAPA franchise in the next city over was for sale about the same time the Car Quest closed.
I looked up the fees, and surprisingly it was only $75,000.
I'm sure the inventory and building were not factored in, but I don't know how all that works.
I was tempted.
It did sell, and is still open.
 
LocuMob said:
I thought that was odd myself.

After I left, my CarQuest was instantly full of idiots. They would hire people off the internet, and parts knowledge wasn't a requirement. It was weird going across the street to the O'Reilly's (still want to call it Champion) and hearing the stories of how bad that shop became. Apparently most people who went there, went to the O'Reilly's next.
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Did Champion sell out. I know they used to be big up there in the Cities. A couple of the managers here ended up with a store there after ours closed.
 
I just hang my head when they ask me "what vehicle" when I simply ask for 3/8" rubber fuel hose.
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This right here. This has gone on for decades already. Like has been said, hires that couldn't tell you the difference between an air freshener or lug nut. Another occupation where all the old guys, the true knowledge, has gone away. And nobody took the time to learn from them.
 
408 swinger said:
Costs. Plain and simple. I did a water pump on a Ferd Five Hundo last week. MY COST at Napa, $142.00. MY COST at the local joint a block away(Auto Value), $182.00. For a fracking water pump!!!!! The same Gates number at **** Auto dot Cum, $82.00, plus tax and shipping. So, $108 to the door. I've been ordering from there A LOT for the last few months. Part of the shop racket is making a couple on parts. Hard to do with the local joints. And that sucks because I'm a firm believer in shop local.
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I have to respectfully disagree. Hang with me for a minute here....

Back when I worked at NAPA (early 90's) we were considered to be "The" go-to for OEM equivalent parts. Heck, even the Big Three dealerships called us up for parts they didn't have in-stock.

But then in the 2,000's somewhere NAPA started picking-up second, "Value" lines, to compete with the likes of O'Reilly's, Car Quest (et al.) for their walk-in business.

That sucked, but it got even worse.

Eventually NAPA (at least locally) started offering a Price Match Guarantee, and what this meant (for us) was that we had to deal with every Tom, Dick, and Harry who thought their AutoZone **** was the same as our Premium stuff. Hard to make money when you have to edju-ma-cate every damn fool who walks through the door and thinks he can turn a wrench.

And you can't argue with the people, as that's a lose/lose proposition.

In my opinion, right now we seem to be in some sort of "death spiral" and/or "race to the bottom" when it comes to auto parts, as a lot of Good People only buy based on price.

And then they come on these forums and ***** about Chinesium parts. (Please note I'm talking about people in-general here, not about anyone specific.)

And I just shake my head at the irony of it all.

I've been meaning to say this somewhere on this site for some time now, and I guess this thread is as good as any: As auto parts consumers, we all got what we deserved, and what (we thought) we wanted.
 
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408 swinger said:
This right here. This has gone on for decades already. Like has been said, hires that couldn't tell you the difference between an air freshener or lug nut. Another occupation where all the old guys, the true knowledge, has gone away. And nobody took the time to learn from them.
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Same thing here every time I go in it seems like I’ve been in there an hour and never come out with anything go across the street to auto zone and come out with what I need 75% of the time
 
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