dewaynep > wrote in article
>...
>
> Well, while not illegal, it is in my opinion, a very poor business
> practice. I live in a small town about 30 miles outside of a major city
> (not very major). The local auto parts competition is a NAPA, AutoZone
> and a local independant parts store. I used to go to Autozone for all
> of my parts figuring they were cheaper than NAPA and had a decent
> warrantee even if there parts were inferior.

Yeah....that "decent warrantee" means I'll get to see my customer once a
year to replace that cheapo alternator while I suck up the labor cost....

Of course, HE's not gonna' be too thrilled, and he just might start to
question my professionalism in using such crappy parts......

......but they DO have a "....decent warrantee...."......in SOME people's
minds.


> That is, until I found out
> Autozone has a "city" price and a "local store" price. The "city" price
> being much lower, sometimes less than half the "local price". It seems
> that they base their prices on the local competition, even though I can
> go to any of my local NAPA stores and pay the exact same price at ALL of
> them.

Now, you're talking like a man with a paper asshole.......

More than three-quarters of the NAPA stores are independently owned
franchises.

Unless they are all "company stores" - which I doubt - if they all offered
the exact same price, THAT would be price-fixing and subject them to some
pretty serious penalties.




> Personally, I think it is a scam. The overhead in my Autozone has to be
> less than half that of the "city" store. Not to mention the shrinkage
> (loss to do theft, etc..) is nil in my local store. Plus the help is
> paid considerably less at my local store.


With as much as you know about the business side of the auto parts game,
I'm surprised some smart store owner hasn't taken you out of circulation
and used your knowledge to make him number one in the market.....

......and how did you get the shrinkage numbers for each store?....


.....or are you simply being racist suggesting that there are more blacks in
the city than in the country, therefore there simply HAS to be more
pilferage....?



> From now on, I will buy my
> consumable parts, i.e. brake pads, etc.. at Autozone because of the
> warrantee, but will not buy anything else there until they change their
> pricing practices in my local store. I don't see any reason why i should
> pay a lot more for the exact same parts I can get in the "city" for less
> than half the cost.

Free country gives you freedom to buy when. where you choose.....isn't that
great?

next?



> Do this for some fun: go to Autozone's website and
> punch in a few different zipcodes in your area, be sure to include some
> in the "city" and some outside the "city". Then check the prices, every
> store will be slightly different....
>
>

First of all, any free time I have isn't going to be "invested" in some
sort of witch hunt.....

Secondly, I'm sure you will eventually aprise us all of your own personal
findings and opinions.

Given all your above display of knowledge about how the auto parts
business works, I would have thought you could have come up with an answer
as to why there are such pricing differences.......Yet you seem
baffled!?!?!?!?!?


Here's a hint.....Look into how the company is structured.


> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> dewaynep's Profile:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...?userid=430720
> View this thread:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=616301
>
> http://www.automotiveforums.com
>
>


Yet another know-it-all, half-fast, shade-tree, crossposter from the
automotiveforums website
......