Schucks O'Reillys vent.

[HRH]

I'm sure you're all aware I work at NAPA. Even though it kills me, I sometimes have to or want to go somewhere else. Case in point, today, my day off, I already went to work to get parts I forgot once. The NAPA I work at is about 15 minutes from my house in light traffic.

 

So I'm under the car screwing around with brake line, and find I need a 20" section to bend, not a 30" section. There's a Schmucks/O'Reillys about 2 miles up the road from my place. Quick cost comparison for 3 dollar brake line: 2 miles, or 10 miles?

 

I decide to go to Schmucks even though they're evil and the competition considering it would cost me more in gas/time than the line was worth and brake line is brake line. So I hop in the truck and drive up there.

 

Me: "I need two 20" sections of 3/16 standard flare US thread poly coated brake line if you have it."

 

Schmucks Guy: (Who has worked there for some time, prior to my NAPA days) "Okay." Comes back with two sections.

 

Me: "Great! Wait a minute, this is 10x1.00 thread, it's Japanese."

 

Schmucks Guy: "No, that's regular, it's 3/16."

 

Me: "No, the diameter is 3/16s, but the thread is 10x1, it says Japanese right on the tag."

 

Schmucks Guy: "Oh, let me go look." *Rattling of brake line.* Comes back. "Yeah, they're all metric."

 

Me: "You're kidding? You don't have a single SAE brake line in the store?"

 

Schumcks Guy: "No."

 

I then decided to go to work, instead of explaining to counter dipshit number one that probably 90% of the cars on the road use SAE thread brake line and he probably did have a bin full of SAE, despite only finding the metric lines.

 

And no, he wasn't just being an asshole, he had a completely dumb look on his face. I can only imagine what I would have gotten had I asked for a bubble flare. He probably would have blown a bubble with his chewing gum.

 

So the next time you wonder why NAPA costs more for some things, it because we usually pay better to employ counter people who are smarter than the average bear. :) (Disclaimer: Yes, I have met NAPA countermen who were almost as dumb, but it's much rarer.)

 

End rant.

[ggzilla]

My local NAPA store has quite a few items less expensive than Shuck's -- and yes they know more about parts too. I wish it was closer to my house. I have to pass two Shuck's to get to NAPA.

[moparvwfreak]

the idiots at schmucks love to piss me off. the MANAGER at the one in Monroe likes to argue with me about the vehicles i OWN. my Jeep, an 87 Cherokee, is an AMC. he argued with me that it was a Chrysler since AMC was bought out in 84, when it was bought in December of 87. sorry it just pisses me off. so i try to stay my ass away from them.

 

napa doesn't list my 73 620 so either i go to idiots-r-us, or have to use 74 or later as my model year.