Strategies for parts stores; was Re: IML: EFI plugs

[Elijah Scott <imperial1971@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- Rob P <fristpenny@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I went to Autozone to ask for Autolite 945.  See if
> this sounds familiar:
> Me: Do you have autolite 945s?
> Parts drone: Huh? I don't know.  What car is it for?

Um . . . yeah.  I've discovered two tactics over the
past several years that have saved me no end of
trouble.

1.  Get to know the manager.  I got to know the
manager at a local Advance pretty well, and she would
let me go behind the counter and look up stuff in the
books (imagine!).  She was also really helpful when a
wrong part would get sent.  And, perhaps most
imporantly, she would actually LISTEN to determine
what I was asking for.

2.  Look up the part online first.  AutoZone, NAPA,
Advance, and O'Reilly all have online catalogs that
are fairly easy to use.  I've found it really helps
when I look up the parts I need online and print out
the pages with the store's part numbers, and then just
put the printouts on the counter.  The 16 year old kid
behind the counter can then wander back through the
shelves for 15 minutes (or more!) until he finds where
the part lives, and then wander back to the counter
with it.  Sure beats the heck out of some of the
conversations I've had (i.e., "I'd like a rebuild kit
for a Carter AFB carburetor, please." -- kid, "Uh, is
that a Holley?")

Actually, the third, and probably BEST, strategy is to
find an autoparts store with a bunch of old, crabby,
bald/grey-headed guys.  These guys are MUCH more
likely to throw the right part on the counter.

Good luck!

Elijah

http://www.imperialclub.com/~imperial71/
http://www.imperialclub.com/~imperial71/bookshelf.htm
1965 Imperial LeBaron
1967 Chrysler Newport Custom Sedan
1970 Imperial LeBaron
1971 Imperial LeBaron


		
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