Despite being a customer to either this or the Autozone in the same area of White Center, and in general having somewhat 'OK' experiences over the years since when I moved into the area back in 1996, the current batch of store clerks' reputations are being dragged down by their training and inability to think outside of the box. I've spent quite some money over the years here as I've restored various rarer vehicles, such as old Land Rovers.
Most recently, yesterday I turned up merely for an O ring for an old MGB which was a specific size, which I could figure out by fitting them in the slot.
The clerk insisting on asking which car it applied to. I responded that this was not a manufacturer part as these are specifically part of a self contained kit of parts, and the original manufacturer specified a cork gasket despite the aftermarket parts places use instead an o ring as an improvement.
So in other words I just needed to fit a generic O ring to a part I brought into the store. The clerk "Derek" couldn't get past their training insisting on the vehicle year and model. Frustration ensued. This is not rocket science, and I didn't have time for the clerk to yield the same results as per their website. These cars are 30 years old and Oreilly carries hardly anything in their stores or from the depot compared to specialists like MossMotors.
After a minute or so or discussion I asked for the manager. The clerk clearly wasn't willing to cooperate. The clerk continued to hound me for information about the vehicle instead of helping me with the box of generic o rings. He became more dismissive and aggressive. I started opening the box of O rings and came threats of " if you open it, you own it ". $6. Big deal. I just need to find one that fits. It's not difficult. I found one and the clerk is losing it at that point, abandons me and services another customer who decides to start backing the Oreilly clerk's. I finally get him back, pay for the O rings and some other items, while the other customer is starting to throw unsavoury comments towards me.
This whole encounter could have been much simpler if the clerk would just listen to the customer. Looking up the vehicle is not always the solution. I spoke with the manager there minutes later. They said they could have sized up the part and selected a specific O ring. So the manager actually had some common sense but this didn't rub off on the staff.
If in doubt, go to Tacoma Screw, or other places for your parts. Oreilly continues to staff their locations with under educated and "by rote" training policy that hurts their staff's ability to actually help solve customer problems.
Really disappointed that this is one example of the ongoing problem with these stores. I have to make a special mention to the Rainier store of Oreilly however. They actually have a couple of smart folks to actually understand what the customer is after. I'll be dealing with them instead if I have to. read more