Advance Auto parts is closing 700 stores nationwide.

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Back when motorheads worked at parts stores!
What's this "back when" bull-shty?! I have six old Mopars and run a parts store, the service manager in our shop has two As along with a B-body and a '14 Ram 2500, and my counterwoman has a 290/4-speed '68 AMX and a 454 Chevy K3500 dually! :icon_fU:

Seriously, though, I literally just got word that our local Advance is one of the affected. Done, gonzo, kaput. A local wrench is married to the manager, and she apparently got the word yesterday. The only surprising element about this is that it took so long.
 
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.


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.
No Auto Zone?
 
Advanced Auto has over 6500 locations, so trimming off the bottom underperforming 10% of those stores has to be an overall win-win for the corporation.

This is what the new CEO of Edelbrock did when he took over. He cut the 400 lowest selling items of the inventory.

Tom
Probably parts for mopars
 
What's this "back when" bull-shty?! I have six old Mopars and run a parts store, the service manager in our shop has two As along with a B-body and a '14 Ram 2500, and my counterwoman has a 290/4-speed '68 AMX and a 454 Chevy K3500 dually! :icon_fU:
Damn, I wish that was the case around here! The old guy at the O'Reilly's south of me has an old Ford truck that he hasn't worked on in over a decade, but that's about it in my area. The O'Reilly's west of me, the old manager had a Chevy volt, I haven't even seen a customer in an old ride there, except for myself. The older guys get near me, the less I see their cars, too worried about resale value. Glad to hear you folks are still driving the fun cars.
 
Damn, I wish that was the case around here! The old guy at the O'Reilly's south of me has an old Ford truck that he hasn't worked on in over a decade, but that's about it in my area. The O'Reilly's west of me, the old manager had a Chevy volt, I haven't even seen a customer in an old ride there, except for myself. The older guys get near me, the less I see their cars, too worried about resale value. Glad to hear you folks are still driving the fun cars.
My neighbor has a real nice 1967 camaro that I've only seen him drive like six times in the 17 years that we've been neighbors. There's a guy who lives farther down the street that has a 1971 duster and a 1969 camaro and I've only seen those cars twice in all of the years that I've lived here, what a waste. I think why have them if you're not going to enjoy them. It's harder on them sitting then if you drive them.
 
Damn, I wish that was the case around here! The old guy at the O'Reilly's south of me has an old Ford truck that he hasn't worked on in over a decade, but that's about it in my area. The O'Reilly's west of me, the old manager had a Chevy volt, I haven't even seen a customer in an old ride there, except for myself. The older guys get near me, the less I see their cars, too worried about resale value. Glad to hear you folks are still driving the fun cars.
There's not many older cars where I live, I haven't seen many vehicles older than the late '70's. A lot of people think that the older cars are a waste of time and money. There are some rice rockets who's owners probably watched all of the fast and furious stuff and think they have fast car's Lol.
 
My neighbor has a real nice 1967 camaro that I've only seen him drive like six times in the 17 years that we've been neighbors. There's a guy who lives farther down the street that has a 1971 duster and a 1969 camaro and I've only seen those cars twice in all of the years that I've lived here, what a waste. I think why have them if you're not going to enjoy them. It's harder on them sitting then if you drive them.
Go introduce yourself Dan, You never know, he might be willing to part with that Duster.
 
There was a Champion Auto in Sioux Falls, SD. That would have been about 45 minutes away from Rock Rapids. I bought my first AutoMeter tach there. It was called Chuck's Champion Auto. Had a hell of a ring to it!
 
I had a fuel pump spring a leak Nov 3rd. I thought there should be a decent chance there would be one in town so I hit the local stores. Napa was $44.99 with a Nov18 delivery date, Advance Auto was $27.99 out of stock and unavailable to order, Oreilly $19.99 and Nov 19 delivery, Auto Zone $26.99 and Nov 18 delivery. I know small block Mopars are old but I still see a lot of old pickups running around and fuel pumps fail on occasion. I looked on E-bay and there was one for $22.98 with free shipping so I ordered it and had it the 6th. ( And, I didn't have to provide make, model, year, how many liters, if it has A/C, power brakes..........)
 
The manager of our local O'Reilly thinks the hot air pipe from the exhaust manifold to the air cleaner is a turbo. ......and no I ain't kiddin. He's really that danged stupid.
 
The manager of our local O'Reilly thinks the hot air pipe from the exhaust manifold to the air cleaner is a turbo. ......and no I ain't kiddin. He's really that danged stupid.
I heard one guy tell a customer he did not have an air filter since his car was fuel injected.
So i guess those just go on old cars with carbs?
 
I heard one guy tell a customer he did not have an air filter since his car was fuel injected.
So i guess those just go on old cars with carbs?
Yeah that's exactly the level of stupidity we have to deal with. This is why for years I've looked up all my own part numbers, called and ordered them. For one, It'd take the FOREVER to look the part up. They'd ask AT LEAST three times, year make and model and engine size. By that time, they'd have forgotten the part they were tasked with looking up. It keeps my blood pressure down to just do it myself.
 
I heard one guy tell a customer he did not have an air filter since his car was fuel injected.
So i guess those just go on old cars with carbs?
I know that you don't believe that BS. Both of my vehicles are fuel injected and they have air filters.
 
bad news my CA commie pinko avocado toast friends, just got back from Advance and was talking with the manager, said that they were shutting down all the stores in CA.

10~30% basically everything in the store currently and he said that he's gotta lock the doors by march.

bummer if you counted on a local, i know i did and that's great store with good parts people. but scoop the deals if you can y'all.
 
Yeah that's exactly the level of stupidity we have to deal with. This is why for years I've looked up all my own part numbers, called and ordered them. For one, It'd take the FOREVER to look the part up. They'd ask AT LEAST three times, year make and model and engine size. By that time, they'd have forgotten the part they were tasked with looking up. It keeps my blood pressure down to just do it myself.
"we don't have that part for blue cars" :BangHead: :rofl:
 
What goes around comes around. Advance Auto purchased Western Auto and then closed or took over all their stores.


A few years ago Advance bought Carquest. They closed the Carquest retail / warehouse that I could walk to and opened up a couple miles away in a pole building at a coal mine.
The road up to their store is terrible, gravel and full of ruts from the triaxle coal trucks that use it. I refuse to go there.

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