How many times has this happened to you

37 chief

Well-known Member
I go into the local Napa store this evening to buy a dis cap. The part guy is helping me. The phone rings, the parts guy stoppes helping me and starts looking up a part for this guy on the phone, like I'm not there. I told the parts guy to tell the phone person to waite, and get my part first. Maybe I'm getting grouchy as I get older,but this has happened severl times to me in the past, and I don't think it's right. Stan
 
It isn't right! I'm lucky or maybe because I've been seeing the same parts guys almost all my adult life, but they put the caller on hold.
 
Yep,,,,,,,,,I know exactly what yo mean,,,,,,,,,,,,,,A number of years ago when there was a lot more farmers in the country there was a big international dealer in Minot and when you went in there you would pik or get a number and Waite your turn,,,,,,,,That is till the #%@!$# phone rang and that dude was always the next in line,,,,soooooooo one day this guy said ,,,OK,,,,,,,Before the days of cell phones so he just walks across the street and calls his part in,,,,,,,,Waite's about 5 minuets and walks in.........right to the front of the line and piks up his little bag,,,,,hollers,,,charge it and walks out the door and is on his merry ol way....:eek:)
then there was another implement dealer we had up here who refused to put in a phone in the parts shop just because of that,,,,,he said for the guys that drove all the way up there it just wasn't fair to them,,,,so when you did baseness up there you DROVE up there,,,,,,,,,,It was kinda funny but he did a huge amount a business in his day
 
Worked in a parts store several years ago for a few years. Always took care of the customers standing in front of you and let the phone ring. One day, the regional manager was in the store and flipped out, called the manager out in frt of everyone and said that there would be a 3 ring policy on the telephone and noone would be on hold longer than 3 minutes. Not always the counter guy's fault.

Dave
 
Being a mechanic by trade I spend alot of time in my local NAPA looking for parts. I also spend alot of time just shooting the breeze with them so I know alot of what the counter people have to deal with. Looking for and buying so many parts I've been on both sides of this situation and to be honest I don't really mind either if the situation is handled right.

With that said you've got to remember that as long as you are standing in the store your a "guaranteed" customer while the person on the phone is only a potential customer. I once called a "big name" store and asked them to look up a part for me and see if they had it in stock. I wasn't asked to hold, or anything else, I was simply told point blank that they had alot of people in the store and didn't have time for me. At the time I needed that part ASAP to complete a fairely big job. However I knew it was odd and I had already called alot of different places trying to find it because I didn't have time to drive all over everywhere looking for it...that' what the phone is for.....Needless to say whether they had the part or not they didn't care to take two minutes to check so they immediately lost a sale. Since then, having recieved treatment like that, I don't darken their door any time I don't absolutely have to.

By the same token I've been standing in the store when someone else called just needing to check stock or just a price while I needed 20 parts and 45 minutes to find them all. In that case I have no problem with the counterperson taking care of the phone call while I wait a couple of minutes. The way I figure it if they have to spend 45 minutes finding a $3 part for me they have to make that money back somehow, and that 2 minute call that sells the $100 part just about makes us even.

That all said it all comes down to the way the situation is handled. If the person calling can wait a minute for my 2 minute order then the counterperson should ask if that's OK, if I need to wait two minuted for their order the counterpsrson should ask if it's OK. Either way, especially if there is only one person on the counter, you've got to remember they can only do so much......and if your in the store your ALOT less likley to leave than the person on the phone is to hang up.....they just have to play the hand they're given the best they can and hope to beat the odds both ways........
 
Being in the store isn't always a guaranteed sale. Even a store like Safeway at the bakery counter, I've been standing there waiting for 5 minutes and someone else just walks right up and is served right away. I have no patience for people who cut in line because they think they are more important or for the people working in the store serving people who walk up before serving the people who were waiting. I've seen it too many times to count. What do the people working there think I'm doing standing there at the counter? It should be first come first served unless it is an oddball part that they have to spend a lot of time finding. Customers in the store should have priority over phone calls if they were being helped already. If there is only one person working, then I don't mind if they answer the phone but if the person on the phone needs more than a minute or two, they should be asked to hold. Dave
 
I agree, it all goes to how the counter person haldles the situation. As for standing at a counter where someone else walks up and blatantly cuts in line I hate that also. However I just about bet that if you stand back and watch (especially somewhere like a bakery counter)that there are alot of people that 'window shop' and have no intention of placing an order. So, standing there means nothing to the person behind the counter unless yor speak up and make your intentions clearly known. Along the same lines if you let someone else jump in front of you and don't speak up then you obviously didn't want the product as bad as you thought you did otherwise you would have spoken up and claimed your place. I've been in that position where I was there first, 'still looking', but hadn't said anything, when someone else walked up knowing what they wanted and asked for it. Once again I'm looking and using 'free time', while that person knew what they wanted and were willing and able to speak up and more importantly to pay for it.....but until I spoke up I was just another 'window shopper'...
 
Asa parts counterman, my philosophy was, I answered the phone because it rang...NOT because I wasn't doing anything else important. If there a technician or a customer already in fromt of me, I always asked the person on the phone to hold until I had time to deal with them. Most walk-in customers weren't going to waste their gas if they weren't ready to buy [not including Ford employees on their days off...who would come in, price a list as long as your arm, and not buy or order anything...which is why I started scheduling the Friday after Thanksgiving as one of my vacation days].
 
I get pis sed off to..I was there first.If you don't like me let me know, I'll buy somewhere else.That is the reading I get in a situation like this.It starts at the top the have to devise a system a system to handle a situation like this...
 
Autozone is notorious for this type of service, I guess they figure they have your money because you're standing there. I guess they figured wrong.
They also have commercial accounts people that will stand there and look at you or play slap and tickle with the manager while there are twenty people in the store.
 
So if you were the one calling, and they told you to "hold for a while", "call back later, they are busy waiting on someone that took the time to drive there", or whatever, what would you do and how happy would you be?
 
I have the same experiences at fast food places like Wendy"s and McDonalds. I might pull into a joint and see 6 cars lined up in the drive-through, so I"ll park an go inside. I might be the only customer inside, and they usually take my order right away. It may be an order for 2 burgers. Then I have to stand there waiting and waiting, watching all the workers scrambling to get the drive-through customers" meals together. It seems that all 6 drive-through customers will get their large orders before I get my 2 burgers. The fast food places and their workers prioritize the drive-through customers.
 
It's all about business. The person waiting at the counter has already driven to the store and will probably not leave to drive somewhere else just because the clerk answered the phone.

The person on the phone hasn't gotten in their car yet. If the first store they called doesn't answer, they will call another one, until someone answers. That will be the store they visit.

I've talked to several small business owners who use this method. They don't like it, but they have found that the extra business generated from taking the phone calls far outweighs the business lost by ignoring the instore customer.
 
I owned a Carquest store for 15yrs at one time,our policy was put the phone customer on hold and pass on to another counterman,or if alone leave him on hold and try to finish up the customer at the counter.Yes we lost some,but most of them waited.Right or wrong,it was our policy
 
I find it rude for a salesperson in a store to take a call when you're standing there. I have a
solution I've used many times. While the clerk goes to check something for the phone caller...I simply hang up the phone! It's priceless to see the look on the face of the sales clerk when they
return. I don't say a word.
 
i worked for autozone and this is what they train you to do
their thought process is get the customer on the phone to come to the store
have to answer it by the third ring and say some goofey thing
i now work else selling parts and i will not answer the phone if a customer is standing in front of me and ordering parts
when you have 10, 15, 20 people standing in line they don't want to be put on hold for a phone call
 
Many of the people that come to the store called first, so it is a catch 22. When I worked parts, the guy at the counter had priority. The phone person was put on hold. Some got angry, but as the parts guy it is easier to deal with the mad guy on the phone than the one staring you in the face!
 
being in that trade deal wiith it everyday when order parts etc. I usually always call before going to my connections and if they can talk then thats fine otherwise we talk later and parts are normally laid on counter to be picked up later in day. works for us and time is not wasted while he is looking up the parts for me. i deal with my in place custormers first and have the phone one call back or leave number.
 
37 you beat me to this one!!! I have been on both sides. Usually some of us just get upset in the store and pitch a fit that gets things going fast!!! Another one i hate is you are talking to the parts man and some one comes in,he drops you and waits on this fellow. Another pet peeve is a store full of employees and there all two busy to wait on you!!!
 
That reminds me of a situation we encountered at one of our favorite restaurants. We were regulars there, ate there at least once a week, usually twice.

One day my wife and I went in for lunch and sat down. Several minutes passed and a large group of softball players, from out of town came in and sat down near us.

Quite a bit more time passed as the softball players were served drinks, before the same waitress came to ask us for our drink order. They probably made $100 or so on the order for the softball team, but lost probably $1500 or $1600 over the course of the next year and a half that we failed to darken their door way.
 
I've hated that for many years. Fortunately, I deal almost exclusively with Advance now, and they have enough of people working so this scenario doesn't happen.

In the 80's it would happen on every trip to the parts store, while standing 4 deep in line. I don't miss it.
 
Whip out your cell phone and call him yourself.

Before the days of cell phones, I worked with a guy who would see what you are describing - the caller got the attention and the customer, with money in his hand at the counter, was ignored. He'd casually walk over to another counter guy and ask, "May I use your phone?" They always said yes. He'd dial 9 for an outside dial tone and then the number of the same business he was standing in, be it a lumberyard or whatever. The phone beside him would ring, the counter guy would jump to the phone, and he was "moved to the head of the line".

Unfair, I know.

What you're describing is irritating, but not so much now that I'm retired. Now I try to step back so the working man can get his stuff and get back to making a living.

Paul
 
Worked for enough stores to know corporate policy has everything to do with it as others have stated. Most put a high value on phone traffic as the company felt the people there would be content looking at merchandise while they waited for the counter guy.
I remember one time one of my coworkers received a call and arranged to call this fellow back in about fifteen minutes which he did. A few days later the district manager is in the building and pulls this fellow and the store manager into the office. They are getting ready to can this guy over this customer who says the coworker never called him back. The customer had apparently called everybody in the chain of command and had made complaints and threats. Anyways, my coworker pulls out his notebook and found the time he noted when he received the call and returned it. Still, the DM was not satisfied and called him a liar. So the coworker starts to really worry but then it hits him that call was long distance and therefore have a record of time it was placed. Sure enough they look through the current month's phone bill for the store and find that a call lasting 11 minutes was placed to the customer. End of story? NO! A few days later the district manager was being accused of the same thing and was taken off the hook by his phone bill. The DM also found on a visit to a neighboring store this customer was notorious for scams and was banned from a few local businesses in that community. Also had a habit of lining up his tasks for the day but would often meet up with a bottle of Jack Daniels before he left the house.
 
JMOR, you're on the right track. Farm equipment parts counter is not the same as auto parts counter, at least in the 15+ years I did it. We had relationships with our customers that were built up over several years, and we knew what side our bread was buttered on. The Big Operator spent a lot of money with us, and the Little Guy was scrambling to put food on the table. They're both important, and we never forgot that.

It just really never seemed to be a problem, juggling the phone and walk-ins- you kept everything moving forward as best you could. The same people standing in line at the counter would be the ones on the phone next time, and they knew it.

The times it happened that we had people waiting in line at the counter and the phone rang, we'd pick it up, listen to what the caller needed, and say something like, "okay, let me check that for you. We've got 'em pretty stacked up at the counter right now, but if you can hang on, we'll get you fixed up 'quick as we can" That was said loud enough for the waiters to hear, so they knew you hadn't forgotten them. If the caller didn't seem to understand that and got impatient then we'd offer to call them back. If that wasn't satisfactory then, well, things just seemed to find a way to get even slower for them, and the same for the people waiting. If people choose to be dissatisfied, there's not much you can do about that- may as well keep the happy ones happy.

Auto parts store, I'm sure, is/was different- a few regulars, but mostly people there because they think they're saving a coupla bucks, you don't know them from Adam, and it's a company store with a company policy...
 
While I certainly agree that a bird in hand is worth two in the bush or on the telephone and time is precious to all, I do things a little differently.

When I am being waited on and all of the counter persons are busy I generally tell them to go ahead and answer the phone if they would like to, and they generally do.

By taking the laid back easy going approach and building on that over time they tend to treat me like royalty and will do whatever they possibly can to find what I need during purchasing trips or help in any other way. Even some price breaks on occasion if I ask for them.

You cut them some slack and they will when they can.
 
So lets see- I'm baling at 3 PM, something breaks. I'd prefer to fix the baler, but if part not available, I can mow another field til dark. I live 25 miles from town, so this clown is going to make me drive to town to ask him if he has the part in stock? I can't imagine how he avoided being lynched. I don't remember a single time where I made a special trip to town for a part without calling first to see if they had it.
 
If you've got the time and it's a matter of principle, meet their eyes and walk out the door. Grab a coffee and come back - ask if they're still too busy to help the fellow with cash in hand.
Just a thought.
Jay
 
We have had an independantly owned auto parts store on the main highway, north of
Pittsburgh, Pa. They have been there for many years, and had a large lot of customers, and sold good stuff.
Then Auto-Zone opened up a mile away! The parts business dropped way off, as folks scrambled to A-Z for their cheap parts. But the other parts store just "stayed the course"! Didn't let them run him off. Kept on like before, still sold good parts, etc., gave out free advice, and his loyal customers kept coming in and buying! Now, the store is very profitable, and the help bends over backwards to make the customer feel like he's the most important person who ever came in the place!
Auto-zone?? I've never been in it!
 
napa has policies, i used to work for a carquest and tryed to help the guy who took the trouble to come seem me first, but with some places they look at it as the guy on the phone is probably a shop, they may spend 5,000 a month or more with the store, your in there for a dist, cap..
 
(quoted from post at 01:29:17 01/29/10) I go into the local Napa store this evening to buy a dis cap. The part guy is helping me. The phone rings, the parts guy stoppes helping me and starts looking up a part for this guy on the phone, like I'm not there. I told the parts guy to tell the phone person to waite, and get my part first. Maybe I'm getting grouchy as I get older,but this has happened severl times to me in the past, and I don't think it's right. Stan

Yeah, I can see both sides of this issue.

I call first to see if they have the part, but because I'm seated at my kitchen table listening to whatever radio station they've got me tuned to on hold, I don't mind waiting 5 minutes or so. If they leave me on hold, I'll figure they are REALLY busy or forgot about me and hang up to call again in a few minutes.

What REALLY bugs me is when I'm standing in a HD (or other store) waiting to ask a question of the store worker who is helping another person and someone walks up and says "excuse me, where are the .....". Only once I can remember the worker saying "I'll be with you as soon as I take care of these other customers". THAT was a smart store worker. I do remember one time where the kid stands up and says "they're right over here" and walks to the next aisle leaving the customer he was waiting on shaking his head as he walked out.
 
Happens all the time. Boss asks me a question. In the middle of my explanation his cell phone rings and he takes that call instead (no, not a sales call or a home emergency, but his buddy calling about the basketball game that night). Annoying. But thats the culture we're in now.
 
The biggest problem is that there is very few good parts men left. He's gone now but the guy I always dealt with could continue to get what you needed while handling a phone call. 99% of the time he could tell the caller if part was in stock and that he would have it waiting on him upon arrival, all the while getting your part without using a book.
 
When that happens to me I turn around and walk away. Thats just what I do today. If somebody answers their cell phone while talking to me it p@sses me off. You would be shocked how fast a person can end a cell phone call when the person they wanted to talk to turns around and walks away. It turns into, "hey can I get back with you" WAIT!
 
When my dad is in his lawyer's office he tells the lawyer to take the phone off the hook or he will lose a customer. Does it to the banker too. Jim
 
almost as bad as that i had to special order an oil filter for a tractor. i told them i wouldn't be able to pick it up the day they called and said your filter is here. i said i can't come today but will be there day after tomorrow.
i went to pick it up and they sold it to someone else after i told them i WILL be there to get it as i can't use tractor without filter.
 
It seems to me the real problem is everyone is convinced that they should be everyone else's top priority since they are top priority to themselves. It's the "all about me" mentality, and it is EVERYWHERE.
I'm not picking on you personally, just commenting on the thread in general.
 
It was a different time and a different airer,,,,,,,,,,,,There were no mobile phones and the farms and the towns were closer together,,,,,,,,,,,plus he had a huge stock ,,,,,like i said,,,,,,,,,,the ol boy just said thats the way it was and deal with it or not as the choice was yours,,,,,,,,,,,In dire need there was a phone at the shop that he would call you back on when it was convenient for him,,,,,,,,,,,Like i said,,,,it was a little different but he did a land mark business in his day,,,,,,,,,,,,,,And yes,,things have changed.....
 
Chief
The first thing you want to do is WALK OUT OF THERE i get the same thing myself and it pi##e# me off to. it is all a part of this new age management that exists today . al
 
Twice in two days! Was at a popular retail auto parts store looking for a door handle and the guy behind the counter was looking up the part. Phone rings and the guy answers and starts answering questions. After he was done he ordered my part. I softly repremanded him for taking the call and told him not to do it again. Next day I called to see if my part was in and same guy "Jim" answered but asked me to "please hold". The nerve of some people, I tell ya! lol

Bill
 
If I didn't have to pick up mu grand daughter I may have been a little more tollerant. I still don't think it's right. I have called on a part and the part guy said just a minute, and I waited on hold until he had time. Stan
 
Ok fellas let's back up the wagon here. Being a Farm equipment dealer and of course parts person I appreciate someone who has a part number that I can look up to see if I have it. Now everyone that is posting on here has the ability to visit all the websites that was mentioned and lookup the needed parts including part numbers and even check their inventory to see if they have it. Even a part number speeds things up immensely. Most parts store have made it so easy even a caveman can do it. Now if you just want to pass the time of day with everyone there take it to the coffee shop down the street. I'm with Cheif37 my day is planned out. You can even order what you want on line and it will give you a delivery time most parts stores have 7 day a week delivery and overnite. So as they say in golf either step and hit the ball or step back. Now what I've observed is some people aren't sure that they are ordering the right part number for their vehicle because of a serial number break or in production change. Maybe sometimes we shoot the mailman when we need to just go an extra step and the train your waiting on left the station many years ago.I like NAPA by the way because they seem to have some special stuff like door latches for a 1985 Ford 350 RV on a rack while I'm waiting on some shadetree leaning over the counter trying describe a serpentine belt for a 78 Chevy Caprice and doesn't know if it had AC or not. Sorry guys this is a pet peeve for me thanks Chief! CT
 
I'm with the Chief. Also when I worked in a shop, the man in front of you with the bucks got the service, cause I got paid comission. Dave
 
People go to Walmart to buy an oil filter and they are not sure which one they need, so they call NAPA on their cell phone and ask him to look up the filter number so they can buy it at Walmart, do you think thats right?
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top