Kind OT, Home Depot is going after autozones stomping grounds

[Bill R.]

Here (http://www.autoserviceworld.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=54753&issue=04122006)

[VentoGT]

AutoZone sucks bagg--hopefully Home Depot and Lowe's can make this happen as at least they will have people that attempt to help you and will have a decent selection--if you go to any AutoZone near my house, they have any part for a crap car--freaking 15 radiators for a 1987 Cavalier in stock [but no euro bulbs/correct oil filters for anything except Fords and Chevys--plenty of neons/fake tint/Taz mud flaps though!] and are wandering around aimlessly instead of actually helping you--it took me almost 45 minutes to get them to go into the stock room to get Mobil 15-50 for my 993 one time. I almost beat someone senseless.

[ryan roopnarine]

someone on bobitheoilguy.com (more than one, actually) said that they had seen gallon jugs of rotella 15w40 at home depot for $6.99, which is strange, since they dont' really sell anything with a diesel motor in it. 6.99/3.78l=1.80=cheaper than walmart. some ppl said that the price had been raised, but either somebody screwed up on the price, or were trying to get people in the door for the stuff.

[Rigmaster]

AutoZone sucks bagg--hopefully Home Depot and Lowe's can make this happen as at least they will have people that attempt to help you and will have a decent selection--if you go to any AutoZone near my house, they have any part for a crap car--freaking 15 radiators for a 1987 Cavalier in stock [but no euro bulbs/correct oil filters for anything except Fords and Chevys--plenty of neons/fake tint/Taz mud flaps though!] and are wandering around aimlessly instead of actually helping you--it took me almost 45 minutes to get them to go into the stock room to get Mobil 15-50 for my 993 one time. I almost beat someone senseless.

I don't see the connection between them NOT having what you need in stock and the employees not being helpful.

Any retail store these days has all sorts of sales statistics available to see what part numbers sell the most- since they have a limited amount of space to keep inventory- they have to draw the line somewhere. I hate to break it to you, but a place like Autozone stocking parts for a 993 or an M5 is just not gonna happen.



Bret.

[Dr. evil]

around here the home depo people are about as smart as rocks. personaly it scares me that they would won't to start a car depo

[DaCan23]

Well maybe they'll carry a useful little item no auto parts store has.... a Tire Tread Depth gauge.... I almost went off on the kid at AutoZone who said why the heck would you want one of those anyways, its stupid.... Found one online for $2 and bought 3 of them... I gave him 3 reasons and he still said its useless item.

AutoZone, Advance, & Sears... none of em sell a tread gauge.

[Ross]

Just what the parts industry needs is another whore to F it up. All the other big box stores have pretty much killed any parts house interested in selling to serious DIYs or small shops.

Unfortunately the big stores cater to the fartpiped sticker boxes and the pimp my ride set. Anyone wno needs hard parts or someone who can look-up a wiper blade without asking engine displacement is going to have to visit the dealer now.

Home Depot,Lowes and their ilk have F'd up the building material business by whoring out some commodity items to get Joe homeowner in the door. I would expect the same in auto parts.

The good part is it will bring price pressure to the existing big box merchants on those commodity goods.

So my thinking is to take full advantage of whatever I can pricewise but never treat them or Auto-Zone,etc. as serious parts sources.

I miss the days when the local parts house was a place you could get advice as well as the parts you needed. Where did all the countermen go?

I have experience with HD and Lowes with regard to special order stuff. They WILL screw it up EVERY time. Perhaps exceptions as some of their people must care and be knowledgeable, I just haven't ancountered them yet.

Load up on the cheap stuff but woe is he who depends on them to keep their car running.

I feel better now.

[califblue]

Hey DanCan23, i hate to tell you but I agree with the KID..total uselss item IMHO ( every here of a penny)

a Tire Tread Depth gauge.... I almost went off on the kid at AutoZone who said why the heck would you want one of those anyways, its stupid.... Found one online for $2 and bought 3 of them... I gave him 3 reasons and he still said its useless item.

[DaCan23]

But I want exact accurate measurements. The gauges I got have markings for 32nds and you could even figure it out to 64ths..

I thought my tires had 1000 miles left on them... rears are exactly 5/32nds and the fronts 9/64ths.... now I can put of the tires till end of June / early July.

3 reasons

1 - To find the exact tread left to gauge how much longer till you need tires.

2 - To detect small errors in alignment and uneven tread wear.

3 - To know the exact tread depth on used tires versus what the depth was new, to determine price to value.


Hey DanCan23, i hate to tell you but I agree with the KID..total uselss item IMHO ( every here of a penny)

a Tire Tread Depth gauge.... I almost went off on the kid at AutoZone who said why the heck would you want one of those anyways, its stupid.... Found one online for $2 and bought 3 of them... I gave him 3 reasons and he still said its useless item.

[Bill R.]

tread depth gauge in my entire life.. if you really want to know then buy a 9.99 dial caliper on sale at harbor freight, then you can know it to the .oo1 of an inch using the depth gauge on the end of the caliper and still have the caliper to measure other things.



But I want exact accurate measurements. The gauges I got have markings for 32nds and you could even figure it out to 64ths..

I thought my tires had 1000 miles left on them... rears are exactly 5/32nds and the fronts 9/64ths.... now I can put of the tires till end of June / early July.

3 reasons

1 - To find the exact tread left to gauge how much longer till you need tires.

2 - To detect small errors in alignment and uneven tread wear.

3 - To know the exact tread depth on used tires versus what the depth was new, to determine price to value.

[califblue]

Dan, used tires!:( now that explains it:p
and you bought 3 of them...do you think they read differently?:D

[onewhippedpuppy]

I could rant for hours about Home Depot, Lowes, and the major chain auto parts stores. As the former manager of a small lumberyard, and someone that spent years in construction, it kills me what they've done to the industry. In a way, it's a sad commentary on our society as a whole. Screw quality, buy the cheapest you can find. What was funny was hearing the after, the shock that the item the Joe Homeowner bought for 1/2 our price at Home Depot was total crap. Ya think?! In fact, the cheapness is another mis-conception about those stores, because they're not. It's brilliant marketing, researching which items consumers typically price shop, then keeping them low. In some cases, HD and Lowes actually mark common items below cost to get people in the door. But you do realize, they make it up elsewhere.

An example, they sell Quikrete concrete mix for less than we could ever buy it for. An honest conversation with the Quikrete rep revealed that they often sell it for below cost, and increase the mark-up on other related items. People may price concrete, but will they also price small items like rebar ties, or form boards? My last HD experience had me purchasing a wax bowl ring for a toilet for something like $8. At my old small town store, it would have been $2. But who prices wax rings? People price toilets, and lo and behold, they're very cheap.

The service is a joke as well. I can't count how many times I've overheard HD or Lowe's employees giving blatantly wrong advice. Their empowering commercials are responsible for countless DIY home repairs gone wrong. Trust me, who do you think the homeowner calls when their DIY HD tile backsplash starts falling off the wall? We were the type of place where we knew the answers for most questions, and those that didn't we found out. My boss had done construction for his entire life, everything from custom cabinets to additions, and I had years of experience as well. This only meant that when the morons purchase an item at HD or Lowes, they would come ask us how to install it.

Sorry for the rant, but I just hate what they've done to the little guy. All the HD and Lowes stuff applies to the chain autoparts stores as well. I go to ACE instead of HD or Lowes, and I go to a local chain of autoparts stores for car stuff. Both of which have employees that know what they're doing. Sometimes it's just a shame what people will do to save a buck.

[Derek A.]

its the same as the Wal Mart mentality. The consumer decides with their dollar and where they get it the cheapest - is where they go. I support a local hardware any chance I can get. I do spend a fair amount of $$ at Lowes - butmostly because they have everything.

I don't even think autozone counts as an auto parts store..do they ?? They sell food, toys and all kinds of other crap. If its not in the computer the braniac behind the computer cannot help you.

[Hector]

market with help from BP Solar.

Here in SoCal a handful of HDs have brochures on how to produce electricity from this type of venue.

Go solar...

http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=3050524&contentId=3050758


Here (http://www.autoserviceworld.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=54753&issue=04122006)

[Rustam]

Here (http://www.autoserviceworld.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=54753&issue=04122006)

I think this very much may be a good move for them. Last time I was there I thought to myself that it would have been nice to be able to buy particular something for my car there...

[angrypancake]

heh, i work at home depot. it really sucks, but hey a job is a job. i work in the garden department and most of my co-workers don't know what orchids are...