I recommend. Make an appt if you can…read more
Car stressors have to be somewhere in the top five life stressors for adults. Even when it's something as simple as tires and not a major mechanical issue, you have the unexpected cost plus the time, and honestly, the time is what gets me the most. Even with an appointment, you can lose a good chunk of your day.
I have to give a shout-out to George. I think that was his name, the front desk employee.
What stood out wasn't just that he was helpful--it was how he managed everything happening around him. Walk-ins, phone calls, customers with questions, people waiting, and a busy Sunday shop. He kept things flowing, communicated with people, and maintained the same cool, friendly, professional demeanor throughout it all--at least from what I observed.
Good help is hard to find, and George understands one of the secrets to dealing with people well: work with one customer at a time.
When you're communicating with someone, give them your undivided attention. It doesn't matter if you've already heard the same tire story from 100 other customers that week. For that customer, it's their problem, their money, their time, and probably their stressful day. Make them feel heard.
That's what I noticed George doing.
There's also a sense of ownership and pride in the way he handles the business--even if it isn't his business. Those are exactly the kinds of people I would always want to hire: people who treat the place like they have a stake in its success. Doing that while working a busy Sunday with customers coming from every direction makes it stand out even more.
So why was I there today?
I was a walk-in on a Sunday, when half the local tire shops are normally closed. I was "lucky" to find an American Tire Depot location within about 15 miles that was open.
I needed two things: a flat repair on one tire and replacement of another that had developed a bubble--something I'd admittedly been putting off for months. I already knew they probably wouldn't have my 21-inch Michelin performance tire in stock, so I expected that replacement would have to wait until the next day. But I absolutely needed the tire with the nail repaired before flying out tomorrow.
So I walked in fully expecting a loooong Sunday wait.
And it was a long wait--but that's not on the business or the employees. I'd call them out if I thought people were slacking off, taking their sweet-ass time talking instead of working. That wasn't what I saw. They kept things flowing so I really can't complain about the wait.
I've been going to another ATD location near me for years--it's literally about 1.5 miles from my house--and I've left them a good review too. They were closed today, which is how I ended up here. One service my usual location doesn't offer, though, is alignment. This location does.
Even though this shop is farther away, I think I want to come back here again. I need an alignment and tire balancing done on one of my Jeeps soon, and after today, I'd rather bring it here.
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One small thing for management: This location supposedly offer free guest Wi-Fi, but the password provided doesn't work. Probably worth fixing and posting the correct password somewhere guests can easily see it, so we're not constantly asking employees for help with it--unless keeping us off the Wi-Fi was the plan.
Overall, a busy Sunday, but a really good example of how much the person managing the front can shape the entire customer experience.
