Time and a Half
Do your professional customers charge for diagnostic time? Should they? This month, Gary Goms discusses the controversies surrounding what really should be a common industry practice.
Managing a Moving Target
The ever-increasing challenges of inventory management, customer connectivity, advancing technology and never-ending business and logistical demands have made cutting-edge store management systems a necessity for today’s successful distributor.
Made in China
As the Foreign Tire Sales recall shows, distributors can shoulder more than they bargained for in their search for bargain-priced off-shore product.
Pointing the Finger
Your parts store runs like a newly installed engine, right? No hiccups, no leaks, just smooth, quiet humming. Yeah, right! Mistakes happen all the time and more often than not, the blame is misplaced. Why can’t guilty people fess up?
The Bottom Line
Want to improve the industry? An industry advocate discusses how to get involved in grassroots recruitment efforts that benefit everyone.
Breaking Rank
Counterman Publisher Jon Owens discusses the recent break of O’Reilly from program group, the Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance.
An Inconvenient Ban
A proposed California ban on the sale of R-134a to non-certified technicians pits business vs. the environment. Not an easy choice, is it?
Keeping it Clean with Vehicle Filtration
Whether it’s in the engine oil, air, transmission, fuel line or passenger compartment, filtration is all about trapping contaminants.
Keeping Your Independence
In a world of thousands of big box retailers, people tend forget about the independent guy down the street. But it’s that entrepreneurial spirit that has fueled our country’s growth for decades.
Git-R-Done!
Ever hear the motto, “Speed kills?” I guess most haven’t in this multi-tasking world. Why does everybody want to go so fast? Why does everybody think they have to “multi-task” to get ahead? Where is everybody going, and why are they doing so many things at once? Nothing good has ever come from going as