Pros
- People usually do not come in to browse, they need something; wether it is parts or advice. I loved helping people solve their issues with their vehicles, and most of the customers were grateful for our assistance. - Flexible hours when given enough advance notice.
Cons
- The pay is not commensurate for the experience required for the job, which is why I left after 11 (on and off, part-time) years. I could not make ends meet with full-time employment there. Management touts about being ASE certified, which I did, along with five others, but there was no incentive other than "good job", here's another pin for your collar. - Customers taking advantage of our generosity, and expecting the counter help to do it for them (free labor). Wipers (older vehicles), batteries (in most cases), and a headlight or a dozen is all in a days work. Taking the fan blade off the fan clutch (especially without a vise) is a big pain in the back side. Most of the time I was willing, sometimes especially after the sun goes down, the counter help could not go out to the customers vehicles out of safety concerns, which the customers do not understand. - Plan-o-grams constantly being changed. Customers complain about it, we upchannel their concerns to management, and it falls upon deaf ears, it's a "corporate thing".