wjnfirearms

I don't have a chance to get on here as much as I did before since I changed careers this spring. I got offered a management position purely by chance at an Auto Zone branch near my home and accepted it. I've been there for about a month and a half at this juncture and have an observation or two that you fellow Jeepers might find interesting. We have a pretty busy branch and are a sales leading store in our district along with having a loyal customer base considering that we are literally surrounded in close proximity by three Advance branches, one NAPA, one local franchise shop, and two mom & pop operations. Says something, doesn't it?

Out of all the vehicles, domestic and foreign, that we have parts inquiries and sales for, Jeeps seem to be at the lower end of the list. This goes for me and my co-workers. I sell a lot of parts for GM vehicles, especially Chevys with Cavaliers and Impalas being up there in inquiries. I sell a good number of parts for F Series trucks, but mostly normal wear related items. There are a LOT of Ford trucks owned here. There is a large disparity between the sales of Jeep related hard parts and those for many other vehicles. We have a lot of Jeep owners locally between all of the models dating well back into the late '80s. There's a number of XJs here and many Wranglers. You do see a fair number of Grand Cherokees also, more of them being earlier generation models.

There are two Jeep dealers within 30 minutes of my home and another just a bit farther. I live just under 20 away from the store. Just a factoid of the research to take into consideration.

So, what conclusions could one make? As there is a relatively decent Jeep population in this area and not a great deal of parts sold for them, even though we can get and do have on hand many parts for them, this backs up our own conclusions about the reliability and longevity of our cherished vehicles. I have to assume based on my own not exactly scientific research that the other parts stores are experiencing the same lack of sales of Jeep related parts also.

Just thought you guys and gals might find this of some interest.

helmut

I also think that many of older model Jeep owners are more of enthusiasts / light offroaders that might opt to upgrade parts as they wear with aftermarket offroad parts found online. If anything on my Jeep breaks I am automatically online looking for an upgraded part rather then on my way to Napa. That might have a lot to do with it also.

basegrinder

If reading the threads here as taught me anything, it's that every single employee of every single auto parts store is like the mostest dumbest person ever and how dare they ask "GRAND cherokee" when someone asks for cherokee parts because now mr XJ has been damaged for life.

Some might wonder why they are damaged for life. I think it is because all the XJ owners are so smart they know every single part of every single year of every single model of every single car and every single trim level ever made in the entire history of the world and the universe and even before the big bang and not only that they know all the part numbers of all the parts on that space ship that crashed at Roswell.

They also have magical unicorn powers. If someone walks up to them and says I have a 92 mustang, their super powers allow them to know automatically what model, what trim level of the model, which engine, and even what color.

So next time you see a post complaining about being asked "grand cherokee" by someone who is usually posting about how their mom wants them to clean up the driveway ...cut them some slack

emptypockets

i'm so confused

basegrinder

Don't tell me you haven't seen the dozens of posts with people talking about going to ____auto store and how dumb the guy working there is because he asks "is it a grand cherokee" after they say they need "cherokee parts"

And usually followed up by someone else who says how they are also annoyed by how someone would be dumb enough to ask if they have a GC or "regular cherokee"

jomps

honestly at the parts store, if you say cherokee and they want to make sure they get you the right part its smart of them to confirm if its grand or the standard cherokee in effort to not get the wrong part from the back...get the wrong model in the computer, get the wrong part, wastes employees time, your time, and other customers time


and in response to the op, yes i think cherokees and when i say that i include grand cherokees are very solid vehicles

91 limited owner

X2, And if it assures me that I get the right part, I'm all for it. It only annoys me when after going all through that. I still get the wrong part. Because the computer had it listed wrong. I also like both, the Cherokee and The Grand Cherokee. And think they are very solid Vehicals.

Lowrange2

I worked for O'Reilly's for most of 5 years. I agree. I didn't see many Jeeps come thru. (In comparison to all the vehicles that I sold parts for.)

Working for the parts store told me that Ford Cars are the biggest pieces of **** on the planet. Tarus, Contour... Junk.

Working for O'Reilly's was and still is, by far, the most fun job I have ever had. If it wasn't for the lack of pay I'd still be there. I kinda miss it.

Because that's what this thread was about... yeah.

basegrinder

OK back on topic then.... not many parts are sold because so many cherokees are in the junkyards already.

and come to think of it, I haven't seen a 4 runner or dangler the last 5 junk yard trips to pick n pull. it's all cherokee. Some aren't even wrecked.

KJamesJR

It depends on where you live.

I have three yards within a ten mile radius. Making a total of only four Cherokee's (XJ).

Now given there were damn near 3,000,000 produced, I'd say the odds are still in favor of a reliable Cherokee.

wjnfirearms

I totally disagree. I've looked for parts on several occasions within wrecking yards during the last 14 years that we have owned them and the amount of Cherokees in comparison to other utility vehicles is very small. Maybe there's some difference in your area for some unknown reason, but by far. Cherokee salvage parts are harder to find here than any other.

The comments about Cherokee vs. Grand Cherokee in parts inquiries are for good reason. As virtually all part look ups are computerized today, the programs ask for specific nomenclature on what is being looked for. I know that within our set up, it occasionally asks for specifics right down to axle type and other picky things in certain classifications of replacement parts. This goes to finding the right part for the right vehicle. There also has been, and likely will be, mid year engineering changes in parts that may require a question of build date. We see this especially in Chevy trucks and once in a while in Ford also.

It pays to know as much about your vehicle(s) as you can. This is an ongoing source of frustration for us. You may be surprised to see that there are people that know virtually nothing about what they own, or maybe you won't be. I've already had people come in and not know what year of car they have! No kidding. So, what happens is that they end up coming back later in the day to return the part and it's our fault that we gave them the wrong thing. Everyone makes mistakes and we are no exception and I've already found an error or two in the database, but in at least 95% of the times that this happens, it's because the customer gave the counter person the wrong info to start with.

So, when you are at the parts counter wherever you prefer to go, or are forced to by circumstance, understand why you are asked the slew of questions you are. It certainly beats getting home and finding out that the part you bought is just plain the wrong one. I won't dispute that some parts counter people probably should look for another job in another industry. Stories from our customer base in their experiences elsewhere bears this out along with my own personal experiences over the years and I'm sure yours do also. If your counter person doesn't ask you the necessary info or won't take the time and effort to find you the right part (unless it's just not available which happens) even if it means pulling out the paper catalogs to special order whatever you need, go elsewhere or ask to talk to the ranking manager and tell him or her about it. We pride ourselves on helping the customer to solve their problem and there is absolutely NOBODY in my store that won't take the time to help any customer regardless of whether it's a $5 part or a $300 part, in stock or vendor direct. My district manager won't stand for anything else and neither will I.

helmut

Yeah, I know that they ask Grand or regular because the computer asks them to. I dont understand why people get so bent out of shape about that. You know how many people come to the store and say I need this and this for a cherokee, and then the guy asks a grand and they reply, oh yeah a grand. Or vice versa. The guy at the counter asks because he is doing his job well not because he is stupid. What do you people want him to say : " I know you probably here this all the time, so please dont get upset but I have to ask, because I dont know if you are a soccer mom that could give a crap about the model you drive or you might be an expert, in which case you will get angry with me, BUT is it a grand cherokee or cherokee?" I mean come on. Answer and be glad he found what you needed for you.

basegrinder

Because they think they are TEH H4RDC0R3 because they have a "regular" cherokee.

And I think because most of them are kids living at home and everything seems dumb to kids because they have no real responsibility yet which means they have nothing better to worry about than the 2 seconds out of their entire lives that someone asked them to clarify something.

Then again... I've talked to all sorts of people in all sorts of situations on the phone --who weren't paying attention in the first place.

For example, I've found police dispatchers are very good at not paying attention. " I'm at the Starbucks on Broadway downtown, some guy is yelling and throwing things at the employees"

"Ok what starbucks are you at?"

wtf

mr white

I buy parts a lot from oreilly, just general wear and tear stuff. I chose oreilly because they are cheaper. So that's why I don't go to autozone or napa. :P

wjnfirearms

Totally true.

Another thing I'm finding talking to people working other stores is that the amount of crap any counter person receives is partially geographical. For example, our customers by far are decent and give info asked for without any real hassle or attitude more often than not. Guys at other stores in other locales get crap on a more regular basis. Still, stupid is pretty much universal.

The reactions to pricing can be interesting. The days of the $50 battery are pretty much over. When I tell someone that a new battery will cost them at least $99, the expressions can be priceless. We do sell a few groups of what I call our Cheapie Industries batteries for as low as $59, but I wouldn't put any in one of my vehicles unless it was for sale. I like the idea that we offer them for those that don't want or can't afford the good ones, but still they are what they are.

The people asking for discounts are also a good source of amusement. We give military discounts gladly to active members. Show me your ID and you get 10%. I'll do that all day with a smile. I'll get people who work for, say, the local school district where they have a commercial account for the district's vehicles and believe they deserve a discount for their personal purchases. I'll get right on that....NOT! Another is the local promotion stuff like for the tourism bureau where they give coupons for specific retailers and come to me with them believing that we should honor the discount when we are not a participating store. Try reading the list, bubba, before you try to use it here.

Then, there are the returns. God, give me strength! We have a corporate policy of allowing liberal returns. I had one guy come in with his hands full of unused brake parts. I looked at the boxes and told him that we didn't sell that brand of part. He started to argue until three of us told him that he needed to go back to Pep Boys. Then there was the guy that wanted to return a set of unused running boards that he received as a gift "a while ago". The boss accepted the return with a merchandise card. It apparently was a vendor direct sale in the first place and the FedEx sticker was still on the box. After the fact, I was curious and looked at the date shipped. It was December 14, 2001!! He had them in his garage for 11 years and decided to try to take them back as he sold the Tahoe they were bought for and didn't want them. I told my boss he was an idiot for taking them back at all. When he realized I was right about the date, I think he felt like one. People never fail to amaze.