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Parts people woes

jon f mn

jon f mn

Well-known Member
Needed a bearing for the
combine last night. By the
time I got home Napa was
closed so I had to go to
O'Reily's. I needed a
standard 1" flange type
excentric lock sealed
bearing. Probably the most
common bearing available,
used on everything from lawn
mowers to combines. So I go
in and ask for one, the guy
tinkles away on his puter and
goes back and comes out with
a bearing. I open the box and
it's not 1", not sealed, not
flange type, and not
excentric lock, it's a wheel
bearing. So he tinkles on his
puter some more and clearly
has no idea, so I googled it
and first thing up is the
National bearing number, the
brand they sell, but third is
the orielys number, so I show
it to him. He tinkles some
more and goes back and gets
another, it's 1", sealed,
excentric lock, but not
flange type. I have to show
him that the letters at the
end of the number are wrong.
So more tinkling and back he
goes for another. This time
it's 1", sealed, flange type,
excentric lock, but the last
letter is G for greasable,
not S for sealed, so one more
time tinkling and back for
finally the right one. All
this wouldn't be so
frustrating considering it's
O'Reily's except that the
whole time I'm there both
counter guys are ragging on
Young folks for being so
stupid and not able to learn
how to work or do a good job.
I could only shake my head
and leave hoping I don't have
to go back. Lol
 
Any more I try to look up all the part numbers before I go. The Deere and case dealer both have good people lucky.
 
As sad as it sounds I am amazed you actually got it without having to provide the year, make ,model, engine size, option level and serial number.

I had the same problem at a parts store trying to buy a battery, I asked for a group 78 dual terminal, how hard can that be?

3 tries and 15 minutes later after he finally consulted with another employee he brought the right one to the counter.
 

If they are ragging on others for not doing a good job, it means in that moment they're not doing their jobs--and probably other times besides. Focused on how bad other workers are instead of trying to make themselves better.
 
I am not surprised they had trouble finding such an item in their computer.

I AM SURPRISED they even had any such items and even more surprised in stock a choice of greaseable and not greaseable !
How bad did they soak you for it ?
 
Jon I had that same experience 15 years ago at a CIH dealer that was part of the largest at the time CIH chain in the southwest US. 1" flange type sealed non greasable with locking collar. He asked me what it was for. I told him it was for the finger shaft in a 1010 grain head. He wanted to know the serial #. I told him they are all the same. He told me he couldnt find it without the serial #. I stomped out, went to a Deere dealer I hated because of their holier than thou attitude. Told the parts man what I wanted and he immediately asked me how many do I want. I told him one bearing, he disappeared in the back room and came back with the proper bearing, simple as that!
 
and that is exactly why I am asking about the engine in my grain truck. If you do not know exactly what you need when you go in, you are in trouble.

Now to be fair, I ordered a water pump for the C50 from NAPA and it came in and was the wrong pump. Not even close. The 30'ish young fella behind the counter sat there typing on his computer for a few minutes then went in the back and came out with the dustiest box I have ever seen. Inside was a brand new water pump...exactly the right one. I didn't even have to use the adapters it came with. That was very impressive seeing as I could not even tell him what darn engine is in the truck.
 
I was once working on a Mercruiser outdrive unit on a boat where a bearing had seized and spun in the housing. Part of the number was obliterated. I wondered if it was a standard bearing that I could get faster and cheaper from a local bearing outlet than by ordering it from Mercury.

I went to one local bearing place, hoping they could match it. A stumpy little guy on the counter with a cigar in his face and an attitude took one look at it and said, "It would be a G** D***** waste of time to even try to find it", and handed it back to me.

I went to another bearing place and handed the bearing to a man behind the counter. He took a caliper out of his shirt pocket, took a couple of measurements, reached up on a shelf behind him, and handed me an exact copy of the bearing.

I was steamed! After I got home, I wrote an "interesting" letter to the manager of the first bearing place. As it happened, the company I worked for regularly did business with the first bearing place, and I frequently went there on company business. I never again saw that stumpy little guy with a cigar in his face.
 
Have you ever tried to look up stuff like this online? I have had really good luck finding what I need for almost anything. Usually comes in a couple of days. One exception is for my John Deere stuff. I always go to the dealer. Pretty young blonde in parts really knows her stuff. Gets what I need real fast with a big smile. (;>))
 
I need to laugh a little bit. If you have a smart phone in your pocket get on line and go to the manufacturers web site. Most of them have downloadable PDF files for almost anything under the sun. When I need something the very first thing is pull that file up. There is every number nice and neat. Everything in your pocket. Use your phone!!!
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You have to find the part on their website and print the page before you go to the store. If they have their part number they can tell on their computer if they have it in stock or not and where it's located. Saves a lot of wait time.
 
Should have bought 2 or 3... You know you will need another one on a Sunday morning on a 3 day weekend..,
 
Every business has to focus in on what they do and do that well. For auto parts stores that is parts for late model cars. Going to them for items outside that range is like going to a dairy farmer and asking for wheat. Sure he can raise it the same as the auto parts store can probably get the bearing for a farm implement. It is not what they do. It is not the business they want to be in. You are not their target customer. So if you want to have them find something outside of their core business (parts for late model cars) then help them out. Go in with part numbers. Do your homework before you get their. I even call ahead, tell them what I want and make sure they have it. If they don't I can order it on line as easily as they can.
 
A coupla years ago the Deere dealer hired a parts guy that napa had fired. Couldn't find his rear with his hands tied behind him LOL. Started bringing in part numbers, untill one day was in there and the customer ahead of got tired of the guy. The parts guy asked me to find the part for him. I went around and found the part in about a min. Headquarters sent a guy down to check out the store, the next day he was gone to Oreilly's.
 
All depends in the O'Reilly's store it self and how there trained etc. My local O'Reilly's is good and a whole lot better then the Auto zone we have. Nearest NAPA is a 50 mile round trip and it has people that have no clue so again it depends on the training the people get
 
Even a 55 year old guy unless he was employed in the farm equipment/industrial equipment business is not going to be very knowledgeable about bearings and if the computer is not geared to help them then it is going to be very tough. I doubt that any auto parts store around here is the least bit concerned about having an employee that knows farm and industrial equipment.
 
I am surprised the store had so many choices. Our O'Reily's store about all I would get is, we can have it in the morning. Then hope it's right. Stan
 
We have the same issue here .We are looking for a parts person at our dealership here in eastern Ontario. Nobody interested to work. if anyone knows of a good parts guy, we are looking here at M&P Farm Equipment.
 
More correctly, you want a good parts person that will work for minimum wage. That's what it boils down to these days. "Parts man" isn't a career anymore, and as such you don't get people who stay in the job for the long term, gain experience, and become legendary.

It ain't because nobody wants to work. It's because nobody wants to pay. Years ago both local machinery dealers got rid of their main parts guys because they had been there too long and were earning too much. Both were replaced by local kids earning just over minimum wage, and it's been a disaster ever since. Every once in a while you get someone who knows their arse from a hole in the ground, but they never last long because they're smart enough to know that they could be earning a lot more money doing something else. This was just a stepping stone.
 
I worked at the local John Deere store as a parts man back in '80-'82. We learned to hate farmers just as much as they hated us. I've never forgotten how I was treated while working there and if anything good came of it, it's that I have, since then, always tried to treat those folks behind the counter (at any business) like human beings.
 
I don't think that being a parts person was ever a high paying job from what I saw. Salesman, yes. Lots of guys made good money until the 1980's selling equipment but
then the dealerships reassessed that position. Nobody except the owner and manager (if any) make any money these days.
 
IMO, it's not a people problem totally. The tools they are given at mostly at fault. The computer lookup menu provides no way to search by dimensions or any other characteristic.

In most cases, even if you know the part number, the data base will contain only the OEM fitment, no info on size etc.

But, they can be done differently. Compare Rock Auto's web site with all the others. Much, much more usable and has backup info for most parts.

In a perfect world the parts counter computer would look more like Google and less like it was designed by a person who had never seen a car, truck etc from a mechanical perspective.

As a matter of fact, every time I've gone looking for a difficult to locate part at my locals, the counter person logs on to the web, goes to Google and searches. This is after failing to find it with the store 'tools'

A search for 'chevy water pump' or 'onan spark plug' will provide a lot of choices and fitment info for each on Google. Such searches could be a great learning tool for parts people. IF the company management would just provide them.
 
One Lady at the local New Holland dealer could be a model. I have not been there lately so don't know if she moved on ?
 
After reading all of these fun replys there is another thing that crazy old farmers used to do. In a VERY old junkyard many many years ago, I opened the glove box in a 1946 or so Chevy 1/2 ton pickup. Papers and reciets and such and about FIFTEEN serial number plates. Tractors, several implements, couple of power tools, AND the serial plate of that truck. All of them had been chiseled off with some kind of distructive tool. When this guy went to buy parts he just dug through the glove box for the correct information. That junkyard has been gone for at least 20 years now. So sad, they had a lot of neat stuff. Wish I could go back and walk around a little more.
 
Local deere dealer had a parts lady that was right on top of things told her what you need didn't even have to look it just went to the bin and got it.She had several racks of generic pto shafts,yokes and ujoints not anymore they have to young guys that know jack.Broke a chain tightener on the corn planter call up with the part # after 10 minutes he says they have one but it is black and don't know if it will fit the planter.Called another dealer the next town over said what I needed didn't even have to look told me 10 in stock.
 
Parts people will soon become a thing of the past. With online parts catalogs, it will become the equipment owners responsibility to order the needed parts and pay for them. Then the order puller gathers them up, pius them in a box, and then the equipment owner can pick them up or have them shipped to where ever they are needed. The people in parts un load the truck, put them on the shelf or in a box for will call. The parts department will look like an amazon distribution center. Ordered the wrong parts? Pay the 20-30% restock charge, and order them again.
 
Mike. I agree.

The O'Reilly's around here would never have anything like that, even if they did not a chance the counter technician could ever find it! Or would even look for it!

Inch series bearing are even an oddity at the bearing supply.
 


I work in the parts dept. of a farm equipment dealership. They still come in with the serial plate in their hand, not often, but occasionally.

What gets me really frustrated is when you are busy as heck, and some idiot walks in and says they want an oil filter for their tractor.

When I ask what model, I get " I don't know. I bought it here. Look it up!"

Great, now I have to drop the other 17 things I was doing and figure out what you have, because you are too trifling to look before you left home.

Then they say "Let me get a transmission filter, too."

I ask "What transmission do you have?"

No answer, just a blank stare!

Some days, it's enough to make you want to knock their teeth down their throat!
 
Kind of similar with places like TSC. My wife works at the one in Lebanon, MO and runs into guys coming in, "I need a filter for a 1947 JD tractor" Sorry but we wont have one in stock simply because we can't stock every filter for every tractor make and model made since the 1930's. They get pissy and then storm out grousing about what kind of tractor store doesn't carry the filter 'I NEED'. She's been able to help a lot of people find what they need in store or tell them where they might be able to find what they need at another place in town. Basically don't blame the staff for the position the company HQ puts them in.
 
I worked at an auto parts store in the '70's, and had a guy come in and ask me for "a set of rings for a Buick"!. Another guy wanted a "set of plugs for a Ford". How can you go wrong with info like that?
 
I hate when you get the ones that show up with a random v-belt in 3 shredded pieces with no part number off of some random piece of equipment you don't even sell and expect you to measure and match it, plus account for the piece there missing. I even had a guy show up to my house after work expecting me to put a belt I sold him earlier that day at work on his mower deck.
 
I went in to my local deere dealer awhile back and asked for an oil filter for early model 3020. The parts kid looked and looked on his computer and them asked me if it had an Onan engine in it. I just said no its a John Deere engine and let him keep looking. He finally asked somebody else and he just spouted the numbers from memory. I wish he would have shown him how to find them on the computer to help the kid out.
 
When the computer says they have ten in
stock, we ask them to go pull one out of
the bin and set it on the counter for us.

Too many times the computer is wrong once
you drive 2 hours to freightliner for a
part.
 
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