"Not sure if AutoZone or Twilight Zone" ::Futurama Fry eye squint::
I was hesitant to write this review because companies like AutoZone don't scream Yelp unless something goes extremely right or extremely wrong. However, this experience was very bizarre and probably worth noting. Overall, it was about a zero star experience, but I decided to show mercy due to the circumstances.
So, as my mom would say, "everybody and dey momma" decided that they needed to visit AutoZone this Saturday around 2PM. It took me a long time to enter the parking lot, so I already knew the inside would be crowded. My issue was not with regard to the crowdedness of the store, but the organization, training, and professionalism of the staff.
There were 3 staffers and they were having a really tough time maintaining the volume of customers. From my observation, it just seemed like every member was trying to do 3 things at once. They were getting visibly frustrated on the phone with folks and abandoning people in the store much to the visible dismay of costumers. I really feel as though if each person concentrated on the customer in front of him/her, then things would have ran much smoother.
When I finally get to the register, I ask to have my check engine light examined, which is a complimentary policy of AutoZone stores. The cashier notifies me that the guy who checks (one of the 3 cashiers) was working with customers and that I would have to wait to get my car examined. Looking at the line, I was understanding and just compromised. Technically, my belief is that if I'm the next customer and that's the service that I am requesting then it should be honored, but I digress. I already had in mind the part I needed and specifically came to that store because I saw online that it was in stock.
So, I tell the girl the part I need is a "starter relay." She searches it in the system and nothing comes up. Ultimately, she had no clue what I was taking about, so I offer to step out of line and pull it up on my phone directly from the AutoZone website. For the record, the part online is labeled "Relay - Starter." I don't know what kind of search engine they use, but they should have been able to pull it up.
By the time the person I let up is done, I found the part on my phone. The cashiers have switched because she was having issues assisting the guy I let up, so now I have a guy cashier. He begins to assist me and out of no where, mid conversation, he just stops and assists the person behind me. I was puzzled. They must have made some sort of eye contact, or maybe he knew the guy, but it was really bizarre. The guy who he started assisting looked over to me and said "thanks, man." I was so perturbed at this point that I just looked at the dude, ignored his thanks, and looked away. He was thanking me as if I had any input in him bussing in front of me. The only thing I could POSSIBLY think of is that he was assisting this dude earlier and the dude came back, but once again, a product of them trying to do 3 things at once. Anyway, after he was done with that guy, the line had actually calmed down and it was quiet enough for him to check my engine light. The rest of the transaction went fairly smoothly.
I hate to beat up on these workers because a Saturday at 2pm is probably the busiest time of the week. Things were not going their way. Computers were locking, receipt tape wasn't printing, etc., but you have to be organized, trained, and prepared for that stuff; not flustered and visibly agitated. The cashiers were relatively nice people having a bad day, so I don't even blame them; I blame management. read more