joe_padavano

Yet another experience with NAPA today that reinforces why I pretty much order all my parts on line anymore.

I'm installing the correct driver's side dual exhaust manifold on my 67 D88 and in the process I figured I MIGHTASWELL pull the passenger side manifold so I could blast them both and paint them. (Yeah, I know...)

The stock passenger side manifold flange was badly pitted (some P.O. had installed gaskets at some time in the past and the gasket had blown out and was leaking). I briefly toyed with the idea of hand sanding and quickly decided to have the manifold machined at a shop. Those shops are few and far between here in NoVA anymore, so I had to drive to a NAPA store that's nearly an hour away from my house. This NAPA still has access to an in-house machine shop. Did a really nice job on the manifold.

Unlike the A-body manifolds, the full size car manifolds use donuts on the outlet ports. Of course, no one lists the donuts for the 425 motors anymore, but I was able to select a Walker P/N 31398 donut as the closest available replacement. Ironically, this donut fits a 1991-94 Bravada.

RockAuto lists them at $9.25 each plus shipping. Just for the heck of it I checked NAPAonline.com. Only $11 and change each, so even with the local sales tax, it was a wash. That NAPA store I took the manifold to showed several in stock per their website. When I picked up the manifold, I asked for a pair of the donuts.

Him: Nope, not in stock.

Me: But, but, your website says you have two...

Him: The website is wrong...

I passed another NAPA on my way back home and tried there. Yup, they have two in stock. Total price came to $33.

Me: But, but... They're only $11 each on line.

Him: You have to order on line and pick up at the store to get that price. Regular price is $15.

Now, previously I've brought this up at NAPA and been given the on-line price. No dice this time. Had I done this with the first store, I would have ordered based on their claim of having them in stock, only to be disappointed. Since I can't trust their data on availability in a given store, I'll pass on that option. RockAuto it is.

RROLDSX

Companies these days are separating into two separate entities. Brick/Morter and on-line. Companies like Target/Walmart will sell everything from soup to nuts on-line but will not necessarily stock the item in store. There are advantages to this. I bought my Grandkids furniture at Walmart.com for example. Got free shipping to their local store and the best price for furniture they would never carry in store.

MDchanic

Of course, the solution is to say "Pardon me," pull out your cell phone, go to the NAPA web site (or app - yes they have one), order the parts online, and then show him the scan code on your screen.

... And then never go back, and tell him why.

- Eric

Olds64

I just bought lower control arms for my Ford Flex from the O'Reilly's website. I saved over $40 with a discount code. Plus, shipping was free. It was even cheaper than RockAuto since I got aftermarket control arms instead of Motorcraft.

joe_padavano

I'm familiar with and have used the WalMart model. NAPA is a little different in that their only on-line offerings that you can pick up in a store are the ones in-stock at that store. Anything else they ship directly to your home, at which point RockAuto is exactly the same delivery time but cheaper.

In this case, the donuts were allegedly in stock at the first store, but "the website was wrong" per the NAPA employee. At the second, there were two prices for the same item paid to the same store. Personally I don't have time for that BS. I'm standing in front of you, give me the best price you offer without making me play games. Some marketing genius has this idea that more people will buy an item if there's an on-line discount or some such hocus pocus. I just want to get my car together for the lowest possible price.

Olds64

x2 if it's one of my daily drivers.

Usually the on-line bonuses don't sway me though (ie. a free pair of mechanic's gloves after spending $500 that wouldn't fit me or OJ anyways).

rustyroger

Same BS over here too.
I first came across this looking for tires, a national chain advertised the ones I wanted online at a good price, but when I phoned to check they were in my nearest store I was told unless I had ordered (and paid) online they were a much higher price.
I passed and got my tires from a local small business at an even better price instead.

I think Big Business Retail wants us to shop online and go to collection points, it will save them the trouble and expense of having to pay staff to work their expensive traditional stores.

Roger.

DewChugr

My son has, or maybe had an account at Oreilly's. It's almost across the street from the shop. One day they had a great deal on an oil change kit or antifreeze I forget which. When he went to pay for it it was way more than the sale price. They told him since he has an account he has to pay the full price minus his discount. They reused to sell it at the advertised price.

I usually order stuff from Advance and use the 30-40% code or rockauto depending on price and how soon I need it.

VI Cutty

Of having to find knowledgable staff to help us find the correct parts for our applications, leaving us holding the bag for incorrect selections...


Went to a local parts jobber a couple weeks ago looking for a coil spring compressor. He couldn't find one in his system or on the shelves. I managed to find one in the store. He couldn't or wouldn't confirm that it was the right one for A Body springs.

svnt442

I used to work for them and you are never FORCED (or shouldn't be) to purchase using their account. If they don't want to use it they don't have to. I would tell him to complain to the district manager or corporate if that doesn't get it settled. They are there to make sales, and trying to force someone to pay more is wrong. Now if he was calling to have it delivered then they would have to put it on the account, but if he was in the store that is up to him.

oldspackrat

I have an account with the Oreilly that is 5 mins. from my house, they do have those sales that commercial accounts are not eligible for but they just sell them to me as a walk in customer in those instances.

jaunty75

There ARE other auto parts stores besides NAPA. I've done the order-online, pick-up-in-store with both O'Reilly's and Autozone with no trouble, getting the online price and also being able to obtain the part that day.

It's not just NAPA or rockauto. There are other options.

I've found NAPA to be among the most aggravating to work with, and I rarely buy parts from them.

MDchanic

But they are also the most likely to have that clip, screw, seal, plug, or light bulb, in stock, that nobody else has even heard of...

- Eric

zeeke

Let's get to the real problem here. Corporate America cares nothing for a costumer only their money. As a small contractor I've seen it first hand. We did it to ourselves. We didn't support the local stores because we could get it cheeper elsewhere. Now we pay the price. When the local guy knew what we drove and our first name we turned our back on him. Pep-boys, NAPA, Rock Auto, Advanced, Auto Zone... If They even have a machine shop would you trust them to do your work? Not me. Not in my neck of the woods. So all the local guys who would cut drums & rotors, resurface heads and manifolds, basic machine work and so on all gone. Yes, I realize today it's cheeper to replace than resurface since materials aren't what they used to be.

Don't even get me started on NAFTA. NAFTA meant big business moved to Mexico to escape environmental issues not because of the working man. When they left all the small businesses had lost there large costumer base. They closed down and left hundreds of thousands unemployed. Big business continued to sell here tough. Henry Ford build cars the working man, he employed could afford, kept the economy moving. Now they build cars somewhere else that are way overpriced, so CEO's can buy Yachts twice the size of a normal house. We are left struggling. We reap what we sow.

I know, no politics, but America's core is struggling more now than ever. I had a college teacher that said the only difference between a depression & recession is wether or not you lose your job. So when someone tells you America is great they should look outside the big cities and see the rest of the nation is struggling to survive. I see it first hand. I get sent all over this nation to attend training & see how people are struggling. Big business with there minimum wage is not the answer. Does the news ever tell us about this?

If I had the room years ago I would have purchased some of the equipment when the small auto parts supply was closing it's doors, at least we would have the equipment to help each other rather than going to the scrap yard.

PS I din't give Ford credit for the assembly line because I've heard from more than one reliable source Oldsmobile had the first assembly line but never found documentation to back it up. Any insight on the assembly line and Oldsmobile?

Ozzie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransom_E._Olds

Ransom Olds
Ransom Olds created and patented the assembly line in 1901. Switching to this process allowed his car manufacturing company to increase output by 500 percent in one year. The Curved Dash model was able to be produced at an exceptionally high rate of 20 units per day.
The Oldsmobile brand then had the ability to create a vehicle with a low price, simple assembly and stylish features. Their car was the first to be produced in large quantities. Olds’ assembly line method was the first to be used in the automotive industry and served as the model for which Henry Ford created his own.


Henry Ford improved upon the assembly line concept by using the moving platforms of a conveyor system. In this system the chassis of the vehicle was towed by a rope that moved it from station to station in order to allow workers to assemble each part.

allyolds68

I always price a part on-line before I order from NAPA. When I order it for pick up (they almost never stock anything I'm looking for), they usually have it later that day or the next. I always deal with the same guy and it's like bartering at a tourist shop in Mexico to come up with the price that's agreeable to both of us. Usually it's the Rock Auto price plus a 5 or 10% plus I have to pay 8-1/2% sales tax in NY. It's a PIA but they get the local business and I'm happy with the prices and customer service.

Olds64

x2

FWIW, I usually shop at O'Reilly's (I worked at one many years ago). The NAPA near me has good customer service too. In fact, they suggested a local machine shop that resurfaced the heads on my 5.4L engine in my Ford F150 that I recently sold. It was reasonably priced.

joe_padavano

Unfortunately, O'Reilly's hasn't made it to NoVA yet. I've used them a few times recently when in Kingsport for Nationals and on the trip back with my 67 Delta. Excellent service every time and they had what I needed. I wish they had stores here.

MDchanic

Yes, we had no O'Reilly's in Maine a few years ago, and then suddenly they made a deal with a local tire chain / geegaw shop, and opened up in their locations.

The new O'Reilly's is the closest store to my house now, and I have been very satisfied with them for most things (aside from the aforementioned oddball items that NAPA excels in). I usually check on line before buying significant parts, and I find that most of the parts I would actually buy are the same parts at both NAPA and O'Reilly, and the prices are usually nearly identical, and I find that O'Reilly has things in stock much more often than Advance or A-Z, and about as often as NAPA.

- Eric

pogo69

for newer car stuff I don't squabble on the price, I normally just use amazon and its here in one or 2 days and prices are fair..I just dont want to deal with going out getting stuck in traffic,waiting in line while the parts store guy answers the phone and talks to the guy on the phone about parts while I am waiting with cash in my hand

rustyroger

You might want to go back a little further than the birth of the Auto Industry, the Springfield Rifle was possibly one the first products made by assembling collections of precision made interchangeable parts, with tasks simplified and broken down so it could be done with a relatively unskilled workforce.

Roger.

DewChugr

I agree. He has had good luck with them matching rockauto prices as long as the item is identical, so that's a plus.

That's what he thought, but the guy there wouldn't. He has a day job and does freelance auto repairs and performance work and he ain't got no time for that.

One day he was in there and the manager said I haven't seen you in here in a while. He explained to him that he could bring in a huge stack of receipts for things he has bought there. and that that he's had some problems with things like that. He mentioned that the manager and Advance was eager to work with him and gave him good discounts and he's been buying a lot of stuff there.

Your right. IMO it's a combination of a couple of things. We had a carquest that had a good machine shop. Advance or autozone bought them out and they closed it. We have like one machine shop in a town of 125k people.

First, the stock market. Corporations have to squeeze every penny of profit out to satisfy wallstreet/investors or their stock will take a dump and they will be worth less. In turn investors will not buy their stock as aggressively. This leads to cutting staff, decreasing benefits, raising prices, decreasing quality or quantity of product.

Example, I quit buying Levis because lately they are thin cheaply made junk. I went to Kohls to buy some t-shirts and I couldn't find a single one in the entire store (where every single item is always on sale). Every shirt they has was as thin as an old concert shirt.

Second, consumers. Consumers have become cheap and lazy. Everyone wants things now, easier and cheaper. See the vast number of fast food restaurants, proliferation of walmart and dollar type stores. People now have a lot of other things they spend their money on that they didn't used to have, cell phones, internet, cable, satellite radio, daycare, etc, etc. Now practically every household has to be a two income family to make ends meet.

Another issue is kids today, this doesn't apply to all kids. I know a lot of people that have businesses or hire people and they all tell me they can't find people to hire. Nearly everyone they talk to doesn't want to work and just expects things.

MDchanic

Advance.

Here, too.

- Eric

1970-W30

"You might want to go back a little further than the birth of the Auto Industry, the Springfield Rifle was possibly one the first products made by assembling collections of precision made interchangeable parts, with tasks simplified and broken down so it could be done with a relatively unskilled workforce."


You might want to go back even further then the Springfield rifle, The Waltham Watch Co. on the banks of the Charles river in Waltham Mass was using the interchangeable parts and the assembly line process to manufacture the Waltham pocket watches as early as the late 1850s.
To tie this into the auto industry, Henry Ford was also a watchmaker.

jpc647

Yup. That's what I would have done. But I'm cheap.

Aron Nance

I work for a major chain Auto Parts supplier, delivering parts, after being retired for 10 years. Huge changes have been going on since I entered the Aftermarket 50 something years go. Mainly, bigger companies bought smaller companies (over and over and over again), and the Bottom Line has become the driving force behind any thinking (it seems to apply to ANY industry, by the way). Having said that, the younger folks that work the counter are great as using the computer, but God forbid they might have to use a CATALOG.....which are available and up to date UNDER the counter - sadly, companies are beginning to discontinue issuing catalogs; too expensive; once again,, that Bottom Line gets in the way). They don't know how to use them. My advice is to find the older/oldest counterperson in the store to assist you in finding WHAT part your need, and in fact SOURCING it, also. The Automotive Aftermarket has changed, drastically, in my time, and yours.

don71

I can relate to a lot of things in this discussion. Yes, things have really changed in the retail parts world.

My community has the big four as I call them. AutoZone, Oriellys, Advance and Napa. We have one exception or holdout. Its called Crow-Burlingame and goes back to 1919 owned by Replacement Parts Inc. I know nothing about...surprised that Oriellys hasn't gotten to them yet.

The green light, and of course the Western Auto which and about three names in just a couple of years, yep all gone. Like Aron said previously, one fish was eaten by a bigger fish and then again. Here we are.

The best advice today is look it up yourself. If its in stock and really need it, you go get it. Well, you hope the inventory is really there. Or, you simply just have it delivered to your door. Which isn't so bad.

fleming442

Not all Carquest were bought by Advance. There are something like 1400 individual owners left, IIRC what my guy said. My local Carquest is the old, local parts store with a fancy sign. The owner has 2 franchises. I don't know what I'll do if they close; I hate "air freshener & cheesy accessory" stores.

oldcutlass

We have the usual brand name franchised parts stores and some privately owned. I have not run into these problems locally here in Mayberry but agree it can be frustrating.

rustyroger

Fair enough. I wonder where and when what might be recognised as mass production was practiced and what was being made?.

Roger.