Wow online vs store prices

[pfarber]

I can't see how brick and mortar stores are going to survive with the attitudes they have now.

Putting new brakes on all 4 corners on the 2009 Caliber (32k miles) front disk rear drum.

Online new drums and shoes, no core charge, shipped to my home: $95 (Rock Auto Parts)

Advance Auto (you HAVE to order online to get the discount, read below) drums, shoes, CORE CHARGE free shipping, BUT CHARGES SALES TAX!! $175 + tax

Advance auto's policy is that if you want the online price and current discount, you HAVE to order online, then go to the store. I looked up the front brakes on line, and didn't want to use a CC to order, so I went to the local store with the shopping cart printed out showing price, part #s discount and was told that they COULD NOT MATCH THE PRICE!!! The parts were on the shelf, I could see them, but if I bought them right then I would not have gotten the 15% discount. So took out my phone, called the customer service number WHILE I STOOD AT THE COUNTER and ordered the parts. As soon as the confirmation showed up in my email I then got the online price... BUT STILL HAD TO PAY SALES TAX.

I'd happily pay Rock Auto the sales tax ($6.. still saving $75) and not having to play stupid website games to get the price.

Middle management... the retards of the business world.

[retro-roco]

I guess it depends on the salesperson and/or their manager. Night before last I needed and alternator, found that Advanced Auto had one in stock, but only at 2 of their 4 local stores. My favorite was one of them... Didn't want to order on-line and then have to deal with the headaches IF the store which was supposed to have it in stock didn't. I NEEDED it that night, if at all possible! Went to my regular store, had my old one tested (not once but twice, as the machine asked if it was REALLY hooked up after the first test). It was roached, but they had one on the shelf. I mentioned I wanted the one I'd seen online for $168, and he went and grabbed it off the shelf. Range everything up, but before I paid, I asked if they'd give me the same 15% off any purchase over $100 that I'd seen online. Salesman said he thought he could do it and that we'd give it a try. He didn't go through any "Click Here to Match Online discount" button, he selected "Manager Price override", keyed in his password, and selected keyed in a 15% discount... Just like that it deducted the percentage (like $30 or so...) and he finished checking me out.

The manager at the store I frequented before moving here told me that the online web presence for Advance (and many other "brick and mortar" stores) is actually done by a different business unit. I don't recall for sure, but I think he even hinted that it was a different company altogether. I dont know what the profit margins are for an in store sale, versus an online purchase/in store pickup, but I know that he was less than happy with the relationship between his store and the on-line web site. They ended up dealing with all of the problems, which resulted from people ordering parts, and ordering the wrong thing, or wanting to return it for no reason, etc.. while at the same time have the profit margin whacked because the part came in "pre-sold" via the website.

My fear is that the very website that can be so handy may ultimately result in the brick and mortar stores closing because they can't compete. Then where will we pick up those parts we ordered online, and who will we check with to make sure the new part matches the old one, that the old one really doesn't work, etc. etc.??

[pfarber]

The parts I ordered while on the phone were wrong. Although I did state my car/engine/model/year, they did not account for the different brake combination (front disc - rear drum w/ABS, front/rear disk w/ABS, front disc - rear drum w/o ABS) so the customer service guy 'sold' me the 11 inch rotors vs the proper 10 inch rotors... and also the wrong pads... so this sale was fubar from the get go.

I know about the 10% override.. I got it a few times before, but the web site is giving 15% off, and now if you order (web only) $100+ you get $50 off your next order of $100 (web only). That's 50% off if you buy $101 and redeem the $50 coupon. I didn't check my second receipt to see if the counter guy did give me a discount, but at this point I really don't care... the first order was wrong, the second order didn't give me the 15% discount, there will not be a third one.

Why they give such premium discounts away via the web is completely ridiculous. Rock Auto completely smashes their prices by AT LEAST 30% even though you have to pay shipping. I am not a huge fan of Rock Auto.. I just go where the best prices are.

If I *NEED* a part then of course you have to suck it up and go where the part is.. but my 'go to' parts store is NAPA. And they have a horrific online shopping catalog. If, like the rear brakes I ordered, I don't need the part ASAP then its off to Rock Auto, AutoPartsWarehouse, etc etc.

You CAN run a successful brick and Mortar store in spite of the Internet... only problem is now that all the 'money' is being spent on the online side because management can make good numbers because typically most web stores were never a primary concern. So while the cash get thrown at anything online (like massive discounts) the stores are under staffed, the inventory is half of what it used to be, and the depth of the products is very narrow because the shift is to get you to order online, not talk to the parts guy (used loosely) at the counter.

Large companies that sell commodity products can shift to the web with little effort. They REQUIRE that you know what you want.... and not rely on trained parts staff to know. Problem is that anyone can sell front brake rotors.. but the one you go back to will sell you THE RIGHT ONES. If I need to replace the hardware (springs, pins, lock plates etc) as long as I know what it is, I can find in online for $9. But a place like Advance/Autozone/Pep Boys will never have the inventory depth to carry that, nor the staff to even comprehend what you are looking for (yes, the guy I spoke to on the phone was foreign... I bet he knew ALL ABOUT 2009 Dodge Caliber brake setups).