Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/328077
MTD June 2014 Parts inventories all very important. We also like to be partners with our suppliers. We want suppliers that do not sell to the retail public. Knowledgeable counter people are a must, even though with the age of the Internet, that has gone away some. We can go online, click on a part, see what it looks like and order it all at the same time. Ten we've got it in a half hour. We also look at warranty and return policies. In today's market, most national program groups all have pretty much the same return policy. If you're a good customer, they're going to take care of you. Tat's being a partner in the business. Spitale, Parrish-McIntyre: We look at quality but not price. Te brand makes a diference in some instances. Return policies have something to do with it; you want somebody who's going to work with you when you need help. Cochran, Conrad's: Because of our size and the way that we're able to purchase through the one vendor, our costs are very competitive with the marketplace. Te main reason we chose our vendor was consistency of product. Our vendor is probably not known as being a price leader in the marketplace, but they consistently provide a high-quality, high-value product. MTD: How has your parts-buying changed over the years? Stuhldreher, Tire Source: We're buy- ing fewer parts. What we've seen as far as parts buying goes is the normal things that used to break down on vehicles really don't anymore. Te longevity of parts on newer cars has increased signifcantly. We're not buying the same kind of parts. More of our purchasing has gone toward the brakes, front end, suspension and carrying the more wearable items. Spitale, Parrish-McIntyre: It's a totally diferent marketplace today. Ten years ago, a Chevy Impala fve years old and a brand-new Impala would carry the same brake part number. Now, every other year they get a diferent part number, so it's literally impossible to keep every number The parts room at Parrish-McIntyre's east Akron location is stocked with air and oil flters, small bulbs and belts. Five to 10 years ago, it was flled with hard parts. The Tire Source's west Akron store stocks $7,000 to $10,000 worth of inventory in its parts room; fve to 10 years ago, it was between $15,000 and $20,000 in parts inventory that included multiple part lines, suspensions and alternators. 24