Yesterday evening 09/09/2020 at around 5:30pm I had a wonderful experience at this Auto Zone branch…read morehere at 1488 N. Main St, Salinas, CA. . I went in with the intent of buying brake pads for my 2017 GMC Acadia expecting the normal service from a store clerk. What I received from this specific employee was far from normal. Her name is Alma B., and she is a very exceptional worker in my eyes. She greeted me with a very positive attitude as I got to the counter, and from there the customer service was very great the entire time. Not only did she ask me questions about my vehicle and my intent of repairs, but she gave me so much information that I know for a fact I most likely wouldn't have gotten from the average employee at any given auto parts shop. That is because this wonderful woman was far from the average. She informed me about a discount promotion package that would save me money, and she also asked me if I had the accessories needed for the repair job based on her experience of customers with this same type of problem. In my 5-year history of buying brake pads at auto parts stores (and I do buy brake pads more often than the usual customer being that my occupation as a newspaper carrier involves driving nearly 100 miles a day all year round on a stop-and-go basis), I cannot recall once of an auto parts employee EVER asking me if I had the accessories needed for my repair job. That alone shows me that she really CARES for the customers. I also had a check engine light problem, and she gave me the diagnostics reader sanitized and all ( let it be known that employees aren't allowed to do the reading in the car themselves during this time due to COVID-19 precautions) . I went to my car, got the reading, and brought the reader back to her.....there was a glitch in the system, but Ms. Alma B. was very resilient in getting me the meaning of the code and problem by going to another employee computer and getting the reading from there. I can tell you that the average worker would have probably not made that extra effort, but like I said before, Alma B. is far from average. Also, if I am correct, I think I overheard her and her coworker talking about going on their lunch break at the time she was serving me. It sounded like her lunch break had started in the middle of her serving me, and yet she still stayed behind to ensure that I was well taken care of. I tell you, this lady was very professional, very full of productive energy, and very beautiful as well even behind a face mask. I just want to say that if her supervisor and superiors are reading this, let me officially state my strong opinion that this woman well deserves a raise. Ms. Alma B. (I don't know her last name, but that was the name I noticed on her tag). Please please please give her a substantial raise; she literally served me with much perfection, and the most ironic part of it all was that it looked effortless, which tells me that this is her natural self!! No gimmicks and no faking it. That is a person I can truly trust and would come back to make my purchases much more often at this store and yes, this branch. I took the time to write this long review because I don't mind giving credit where credit is due, and it is definitely due here in my experience with Alma B. and this Auto Zone branch. Wonderful job Alma! God bless you and your family during this pandemic and God bless your Auto Zone team!!
-Jason Hollister
Gonzales, CA
