I’m getting old

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SFBay‘72Duster

SFBay‘72Duster

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I went to the parts store today for some radiator hoses for my ‘71 Duster.

The kid at the counter asked for year make and model. I told him 1971 Plymouth Duster. He then asked me two more times for the make. I told him “I said Plymouth”. He said what’s a Plymouth?
 
At least you did not Dodge the question.................................
 
SFBay‘72Duster said:
I went to the parts store today for some radiator hoses for my ‘71 Duster.

The kid at the counter asked for year make and model. I told him 1971 Plymouth Duster. He then asked me two more times for the make. I told him “I said Plymouth”. He said what’s a Plymouth?
Click to expand...

I don't generally get irked with people. But I had a similar deal at Auto Zone a while ago that severely tried my patience. I wanted a drain petcock for the radiator on my Valiant. Off I go, to enjoy the following exchange:

Clerk: How can I help you today?
Me: I need a radiator drain petcock in 1/4 NPT thread.
Clerk: What year, make, and model?
Me: It doesn't make any difference, it's a universal part.
Clerk: I have to have year, make, and model to look it up.
Me: (beginning to stew) It's a 66 Plymouth Valiant.
Clerk: Who makes a Plymouth?
Me: Plymouth makes a Plymouth. They don't make them any more.
Clerk: (searching) It says they don't make that part for your car.
Me: (stew factor ramping up) I know they didn't come with a petcock, just a drain plug. I want to add one.
Clerk: What is a petcock?
Me: It's a plug with a valve to drain the radiator.
Clerk: So you want a plug.
Me: (stewing along nicely) No, I want a drain petcock.
Clerk: Well I can't sell it to you, nobody makes that part for your car.
Me: (fully stewed now and very graciously not dragging this idiot over the counter to administer a richly deserved beating) - Walks out, goes to NAPA, tells the counter guy what I want and five minutes later leave with my petcock. Auto Zone sucks.

My GF tells me I should be gentle with the youngsters of today. In my mind, if you're going to work at the auto parts store, it would be intelligent to know something about autos and parts. Call me crazy, but that sounds like a good idea to me.
 
Blame catagory killers. 80 percent of the profits from 20 percent of the sales. The rest go under chasing scraps.
 
Don't worry. The same will be asked about Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep, pretty soon. And of course, "What's a hemi?"

I don't even remember about what I was remarking. When I had the two kids --who both turned out to be shitheads-- working helping me clean out the house, I had some stuff in the basement with tires to WWII military electronics. I tried to explain some of it in really general terms, one of which was the Berlin Airlift. NO idea about what I was talking about. Hell they didn't even know what East Berlin/ Germany was, much less what it was all about.
 
This is why I order most everything I ever need online anymore because 1. They don't understand what you need, and 2. They won't have it in stock.

I just don't bother going to the auto parts store anymore and trying to find a real true hardware store is a thing of the past around here too.


Several year ago I drove one of my 69 AMC Ramblers to the dragstrip. Some kid tells me nice Nova. I tell him it's not a Nova, so he quickly says, Nice Falcon.

I tell him it's not a Falcon, so then he asks what is it. I tell him it's a Rambler and he says, who makes it. I tell him AMC. So then he asks what's AMC.

I tell him American Motors Corporation. Then he tells me he's never heard of it. I just told him they were out of business before he was born.

It's only going to get worse

Tom
 
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SFBay‘72Duster said:
I went to the parts store today for some radiator hoses for my ‘71 Duster.

The kid at the counter asked for year make and model. I told him 1971 Plymouth Duster. He then asked me two more times for the make. I told him “I said Plymouth”. He said what’s a Plymouth?
Click to expand...
I would have said "Look in the Ps"
 
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SFBay‘72Duster said:
I went to the parts store today for some radiator hoses for my ‘71 Duster.

The kid at the counter asked for year make and model. I told him 1971 Plymouth Duster. He then asked me two more times for the make. I told him “I said Plymouth”. He said what’s a Plymouth?
Click to expand...
At least he didn't pronounce it "Plie-mouth". And the "mouth" was pronounced like the mouth on your face. Yes. I did hear that.
halfafish said:
I don't generally get irked with people. But I had a similar deal at Auto Zone a while ago that severely tried my patience. I wanted a drain petcock for the radiator on my Valiant. Off I go, to enjoy the following exchange:

Clerk: How can I help you today?
Me: I need a radiator drain petcock in 1/4 NPT thread.
Clerk: What year, make, and model?
Me: It doesn't make any difference, it's a universal part.
Clerk: I have to have year, make, and model to look it up.
Me: (beginning to stew) It's a 66 Plymouth Valiant.
Clerk: Who makes a Plymouth?
Me: Plymouth makes a Plymouth. They don't make them any more.
Clerk: (searching) It says they don't make that part for your car.
Me: (stew factor ramping up) I know they didn't come with a petcock, just a drain plug. I want to add one.
Clerk: What is a petcock?
Me: It's a plug with a valve to drain the radiator.
Clerk: So you want a plug.
Me: (stewing along nicely) No, I want a drain petcock.
Clerk: Well I can't sell it to you, nobody makes that part for your car.
Me: (fully stewed now and very graciously not dragging this idiot over the counter to administer a richly deserved beating) - Walks out, goes to NAPA, tells the counter guy what I want and five minutes later leave with my petcock. Auto Zone sucks.

My GF tells me I should be gentle with the youngsters of today. In my mind, if you're going to work at the auto parts store, it would be intelligent to know something about autos and parts. Call me crazy, but that sounds like a good idea to me.
Click to expand...
Auto Zone does suck. I truly believe in the golden rule. I believe that you be nice to people until it's time to not be nice. I rarely get upset with people in stores unless really pushed into it. about ten years ago, I had such a horrible experience at an Auto Zone that I swore never to go into another one. Auto Zone built a new store close to me, and I thought I'd give it a visit. NEVER again. I am very happy with the O'Rielly's near me. Most of the guys there are knowledgeable, and the ones who aren't will listen to me when I help them understand what I need. I am guessing the manager (who is a great guy) is a very good team builder.
 
We have a large chain type Autoparts group here in Australia, my daughter who is a trade qualified parts interpreter for Mercedes, ford, Toyota, and Volkswagen, and she applied to this group for a job after having her 3rd child she did not get the job she was over qualified
 
halfafish said:
I don't generally get irked with people. But I had a similar deal at Auto Zone a while ago that severely tried my patience. I wanted a drain petcock for the radiator on my Valiant. Off I go, to enjoy the following exchange:

Clerk: How can I help you today?
Me: I need a radiator drain petcock in 1/4 NPT thread.
Clerk: What year, make, and model?
Me: It doesn't make any difference, it's a universal part.
Clerk: I have to have year, make, and model to look it up.
Me: (beginning to stew) It's a 66 Plymouth Valiant.
Clerk: Who makes a Plymouth?
Me: Plymouth makes a Plymouth. They don't make them any more.
Clerk: (searching) It says they don't make that part for your car.
Me: (stew factor ramping up) I know they didn't come with a petcock, just a drain plug. I want to add one.
Clerk: What is a petcock?
Me: It's a plug with a valve to drain the radiator.
Clerk: So you want a plug.
Me: (stewing along nicely) No, I want a drain petcock.
Clerk: Well I can't sell it to you, nobody makes that part for your car.
Me: (fully stewed now and very graciously not dragging this idiot over the counter to administer a richly deserved beating) - Walks out, goes to NAPA, tells the counter guy what I want and five minutes later leave with my petcock. Auto Zone sucks.

My GF tells me I should be gentle with the youngsters of today. In my mind, if you're going to work at the auto parts store, it would be intelligent to know something about autos and parts. Call me crazy, but that sounds like a good idea to me.
Click to expand...
.
I went ballistic at NAPA a while back over a package of plug wire separators.
In stock, they had one package in blue and one in black which didn’t matter but 2 wire, 3 wire, 4 wire one of each in a package (set of 3)

Problem was I needed 2 of each and the big ape couldn't comprehend my dilemma of matching colors and my frustration. I would have bought 2 packages iF they had them.The ape followed me damn near out the door trying to convince me it would work.

I don't recall my response, cuss words etc but it wasn’t pretty and the irony is the same thing happened months earlier at O'Reilly, 1 of blue 1 of black UGH !!!
 
halfafish said:
Clerk: What year, make, and model?
Me: It doesn't make any difference, it's a universal part.
Click to expand...
I'm surprised at the good luck I've had this year at the local A-Z / A-A stores (NAPA is just a bit farther away, closes at 5pm, and isn't on the way to anywhere I go). I suspect they've had a few problems like the ones you describe. (I've had a few of those as well over the years, but rather than try to drill through the clerk's hardened-steel skull with a dull HSS bit, I've just made up a make and model that I've known would use what I needed).

A few times lately I've needed something generic – fuel hose, brake line fittings, generic PCV valve, stuff like that – and I've walked up to the clerk, told him/her what I've needed, watched the blank confusion wash over his/her face, and then...
the clerk said, "All that stuff is over here," and brought me back behind the counter to look for myself, where I was able to find what I was looking for.

I think someone somewhere realized that the clerks needed to know when they don't know, and let the customer, who does know, do what he needs to do. May just be the managers right in my local area, but it does make it easier to pick up minor parts that I HAVE to have right now.

– Eric
 
This has to do with us old farts, when I was 20 something I was standing in the gift return line at the department store after Christmas. Had been there for half an hour. I was 2nd from my turn. This old fart about my age now walks up and stands in front of me. So I politely say the end of the line is back there. No response, two more polite calls No response. So I hammered him on the shoulder and at a very loud volume I said the back of the line is there. Everybody in the line behind me just cracked up. This guy just left with his head down. WELL YOU asked for it.
 
MDchanic said:
I'm surprised at the good luck I've had this year at the local A-Z / A-A stores (NAPA is just a bit farther away, closes at 5pm, and isn't on the way to anywhere I go). I suspect they've had a few problems like the ones you describe. (I've had a few of those as well over the years, but rather than try to drill through the clerk's hardened-steel skull with a dull HSS bit, I've just made up a make and model that I've known would use what I needed).

A few times lately I've needed something generic – fuel hose, brake line fittings, generic PCV valve, stuff like that – and I've walked up to the clerk, told him/her what I've needed, watched the blank confusion wash over his/her face, and then...
the clerk said, "All that stuff is over here," and brought me back behind the counter to look for myself, where I was able to find what I was looking for.

I think someone somewhere realized that the clerks needed to know when they don't know, and let the customer, who does know, do what he needs to do. May just be the managers right in my local area, but it does make it easier to pick up minor parts that I HAVE to have right now.

– Eric
Click to expand...
Exactly, I must have upwards of 30 plus cars and trucks in my profile lol
 
It's like @PROSTOCKTOM said. It's best to look up your own parts and be sure. Then just go armed with part numbers. I have a commercial account with O'Reilly. They have their "First Call" online program for commercial accounts. I can go online, order the parts, go get them when they come in and barely ever encounter a person.
 
We would have the same blank stare as a kid in the 70`s, when an old fart walks in and asks for a part for a 20 Moon.
 
mopar head said:
We would have the same blank stare as a kid in the 70`s, when an old fart walks in and asks for a part for a 20 Moon.
Click to expand...
Not A-body related but I was at the dragstrip with my "65 hemi Coronet and the hood was off. A kid with a late model Mustang was pitted next to me. He walked over, took peek in the engine compartment and asked "is that a big block Chevy?" I was stunned.
 
mopar head said:
We would have the same blank stare as a kid in the 70`s, when an old fart walks in and asks for a part for a 20 Moon.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but if he asked for a rotor for a '39 Mercury, or a '37 Lincoln Zephyr, you would have gone over to the book and looked up the number.
Plymouth was discontinued 23 years ago. 23 years before 1975 was 1952.

And if he asked for a 1/4" NPT petcock, you would have walked over to the petcock drawers.

- Eric
 
MDchanic said:
Yeah, but if he asked for a rotor for a '39 Mercury, or a '37 Lincoln Zephyr, you would have gone over to the book and looked up the number.
Plymouth was discontinued 23 years ago. 23 years before 1975 was 1952.

And if he asked for a 1/4" NPT petcock, you would have walked over to the petcock drawers.

- Eric
Click to expand...
My question is who is hiring these guys. I mean what is computer skills from gaming all that’s required. Sure ya got to give the kid a break but at least know what a freaking spark plug is.
 
Ahoey said:
My question is who is hiring these guys. I mean what is computer skills from gaming all that’s required. Sure ya got to give the kid a break but at least know what a freaking spark plug is.
Click to expand...
Yup, but it's more important to know how the computer works than it is to know what a ball joint is.
 
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