Everything changes

I mentioned in another post that the old country store near us recently sold. The new owners pissed me off my first time in and now I have to boycott them for the rest of my life.
The local Napa recently sold. A good friend and family owned it from day one. These were good parts people who gave good discounts to those who those who were loyal to them.
Now it’s owned by a 20 maybe 30 something city kid. Same as the old country store all the old long time local help has quit. Now I have to buy everything from Oreilly’s.
I will not support rude business owners. Local rumors say that business has dropped off at both places to the extent of nothing.
Local bakery sold a year or so back. I was in the parking lot picking up a couple workers when the owner came out and asked why we never frequent his business? I told him there are 2 kinds of people here those that eat donuts and those that don’t. I told him those that do are at work by seven. He said that if he opened at seven he’d have to be at work by 5. I told him he’d have to be open way before 7 to catch the donut eaters. I told him to just one time go to the next town over and sit in the Daylight Donuts from 5 am to seven and see how much business they do. Not a chance

Welcome to the wonderful wold of no customer service😾 it seemns that as places started requiring a college degree and computer literacy to work at a parts counter, the day of a parts person having any common sense has passed. I started getting pissed when the standard answer at the local Central Tractor store was “We can order it”. Previously almost anything in the catalog, was there on the shelf. I bagan to answer “I can order it myself” and “You can’t sell what you don’t have”. That business attitude put them out of business.

Tworn't your looks, he just could not comprehend "No Electrical Parts Returned"

Unfortunately things do change and usually not for the better.  It's also why the brick and mortar stores are going down the tubes.  I got so discouraged with the local parts places that if I can wait a few days I just order from Rock Auto.  Daughter needed to have the catalytic replaced on her Toyota so I ordered it with the exhaust manifold gasket as the converter is built into the exhaust manifold and therefore need the gasket also.  Got the part and the gasket was just laying in the box loose with the converter and the converter bouncing up and down on the gasket did a number on it.  Contacted Rock Auto and asked if they could just send me a new gasket.  They said no and said to return both.  I said too much trouble and ordered a new and better gasket on my dime as I didn't like the quality of the included gasket.  They said no problem and we will refund the cost of the gasket you ordered and they did.  So long story short, this is why I usually order my parts from them IF I can wait for it to come.

I cannot get anything from the newbies at our parts supply shops, I do however still frequent them AFTER I look up what I need with a list of p/n's that these kids ask How I could understand those well enough to order them. Hateful little turds do not understand KNOWLEDGE comes with age and having done their job for over 20 years prior.

Couple older guys still get what I ask for, willingly open the old books to find numbers that are still out there just superseded and hard to find on the computers. Local hydraulics shop builds what I request, they are also running on borrowed time as the work load gets heavier by the week, the help gets older and nobody wants to get as dirty anymore so few applicants to replace retirees.

Well said Tbones

Well I'm not going to beat you up for it. 

DMiller wrote: Couple older guys still get what I ask for, willingly open the old books to find numbers that are still out there just superseded and hard to find on the computers. Local hydraulics shop builds what I request, they are also running on borrowed time as the work load gets heavier by the week, the help gets older and nobody wants to get as dirty anymore so few applicants to replace retirees.

Another reason,,,,,,,they have NO work ethic.  Everything was handed to them!  AND, they don't know HOW to do ANYTHING!!
That's why the woman had such a hard time in child labor.......as the baby came out, she (the baby) had both of her hands out....

The auto/truck parts place I usually is on their 3d brand in 15 years.  Now Carquest and for lots of normal stuff they do a good job.  But there are only two people still there from when they were a IH dealer and one of them, a classmate 2 years younger then me is retiring the end of the year.  For most farm equipment parts, I need to drive 25 to 60 miles one way for parts, or order online.  I admit there are a lot of airheads out there but there are a lot of sharp ones out there too, with such low unemployment, the better help is getting better, higher paying jobs and the less qualified get the jobs given up.  I agree college isn't for everyone, but I do believe it is a good stepping stone to maturity, something many High School students haven't had for a long, long time. 

Yes Joe, that old counter man was the BEST!!
I remember going into a plumbing supply place,,,,,,,oh,,,,,,,40 years ago or more,,,,,,an the KID at the counter had the microfiche and couldn't find my part.  It was the guts to a (forgot the brand name) water closet.  Well, the kid poked around for a bit and said that they didn't have one.  Well, just as he's telling me that, this old geezer is walking (shuffling) up to the parts counter and he asks, "What cha looking for?"  An I tell him, "the guts to a 1910 ?? water closet.  He says that he thinks there's a couple back there. So, off he goes........  After a bit, he comes back with the package and sure enough, it's EXACTLY the one I need.  I asked if he wouldn't mind going back and getting me the other one too....so,,,,,,back he goes..  NOW, I'm a happy camper!!

Well fast forward to about 1995,,,,,,,,, One of my co-workers says ,,,,well wait a minute, I gotta lay the foundation for this one,,,,,,,,,,
I've always had a couple of sayings that I live by,,,,,,,,, one is "If I can't fix it, it ain't broke!  And the second one is,,,,,,, If I don't have it, you don't need it.

Well, back to my story,,,,,,,,so Frenchy says, "I bet you don't have one of these!!"  I ask WHAT,,,,,,,,,,,, he says "a 1910 ?? Water closet guts.  Well as we're going out for driver practice anyway, I tell the captain to have Frenchy (he was a newbie then) drive over by my house, I gotta get something.
Imagine the surprise on his face when I come out to the Fire Engine and hand him the guts!!!  HE's tole that story to a hunert people I bet!!

Anyway,,,,,,microfiche or a computer,,,,,,,you CAN'T replace the human brain!!  OR, an old pfart....

Use to be Bearings Inc. you got to them with any bearing, race or seal and they would be able to match it now haven't heard of them in years and no one can match anything if they can't find it in the computer under the machine you have.