Anytime I get a parts person (sometimes they are girls now) who is adamant they they can't get something, or don't know how to look it up, I educate them. Usually, I already know what I'm after, and either have the numbers, or already have looked it up and know they carry it and can either order it, or they have it in stock. My favorite is when I go to the store with that information, but ask them to look it up anyway. More than one time, I'd already looked up the part and knew they had it in stock..... Them: "We can't get that." Me: "Really? You sure?" Them: "Yes, I'm sure." Me: "Funny, I already looked it up and you have it in stock." Them: Blank stare... Then the education starts. It usually winds up with me making them look stupid, and informing them that they shouldn't tell people they can't get something unless they know for certain that they can't. Once the part comes out that they had.... they usually feel pretty stupid without me saying too much. Oh... I do have fun with stupid parts people.
My wife was with me once. She said I wasn't very nice. I told her that if the parts person can't look up and sell parts, especially when they stock them, that they shouldn't be allowed to work there. They deserve to get their feathers ruffled by an informed customer. I gave one new girl a really, really hard time the first time around. Next time I dealt with her, she asked right away if I already had the numbers. I did. Much easier to deal with the second time around. Actually,,, that girl has since become much better at her job.
BUT,,,,, on another subject. What irritates me even more than stupid parts people who can't look up parts, is that so many parts places (Advance, O'Reilly's, Autozone) ADVERTISE that they will diagnose your cars issues and sell you the parts you need!! These young kids have NO DEGREE in auto mechanics, can BARELY play parts people and the unwitting general public goes to the store thinking they are getting real help!!!!
How on earth can they diagnose an issue with a very involved computer controlled engine, when they don't even know what it is that an oxygen sensor does, let alone what other issue can cause the computer to say the oxygen sensor isn't working???? OOOOOOHHHHHHH that pisses me off. I was in a store one day and a guy came in and wanted his check engine light diagnosed. I turned to the guy and said, "You came to the wrong place!!" Guy: "What?" Me: "Yeah, you came to a parts store. These guys are parts salesmen, not mechanics. You need to go to a mechanic shop, not a parts store!!" I said it really loud too. And I've listened in on these conversations with customers and these wannabe parts people playing mechanic. It's entertaining to say the least. Outside of laughing at the advice out loud, I try to stay out of it. I don't have time to play mechanic for free in the parts store. It was this kind of stuff that made owning a shop harder and harder. The very stores that sold me my parts, worked against me trying to be the shop. REALLY pisses me off.
