is knechts and baxter auto parts the same thing?

[shifty]

djjerme: Thanks for clarifying that I wasn't referring to Fry's Electronics.

My gf is from AZ where they have Fry's Food Stores, and she often says that we need to go to Fry's, which gets me excited for about 5 seconds before I realize she means Freddies.

[stamar]

well im from socal, where kroger has um... ralphs and food 4 less. theres smiths food king and like theres just krogers too. Theres a dozen more but the key point is... its all the same crap with a different name.

Freddys is a ralphs with a um gap and a gas station. Which means its expensive and i dont know why oregonians are excited about it. Im serious we californians look at fred meyer and point at you and laugh....

Smiths food king is a ralphs with a food for less or thats what frys is I dont know. But its all the same crap with a name that gives it a friendly local feeling.

[shifty]

There's a Gap? I think that went away a long time ago.

And it's not all that expensive at all. Compared to F4L maybe, but I don't go to F4L all that often because I'm pretty utilitarian, and it's handy to be able to grab a bunch of stuff in one stop rather than make four stops and burn gas.

[stamar]

ya compared to winco or albertsons or safeway.

the clothes and crap are all expensive compared to sears.


Its expensive, and its crowded too. Trust me, in socal at ralphs theres not a full parking lot filled with excited people lol just cause their competitors drove them to death.

yet in oregon that place is packed, almost like a costco.

Im not making this up to be mean, I live like 70 miles from the border and the nearest fred meyer is in brookings. Whenever any locals go through there they say wtf are those oregonians smoking?

As tourists we try to go through there and find something to buy and theres nothing we cant get at half that price.

freddys is definitely a portland orign store, and in that area they have a monopoly, so its almost an urban monopoly sort of thing.

[shifty]

Kinda laughing at how this thread went from talking about auto parts stores to grocery stores, 'cause who cares?

But, I have to disagree with you on a few things. Maybe pricing is different in your region. Maybe Costco is less packed in your region. Maybe it's just different here.

[stamar]

ya it doesnt matter.

Just the same regional retail changes and such.

Well actually in cali I would say costco is more packed because theres a lot fewer of them.


where as its a seattle area based chain and theres a ton more in washington.

[mdlimy]

baxters is much better, they have connection with vibrant so they carry/can get lots of the vibrant goodies. The one local to me always has the good stuff. I hate auto stores but baxters is the only one i somewhat like.

online ftw.

[LuckyHenriksen]

online ftw.

This. I do not like spending my time driving between parts stores. I like to see everything show up at the shop in big boxes ;)


P.S. BluntTech FTMFW

[stamar]

Im getting big on ordering stuff from amazon lately.

You would think auto parts stores would be a shrinking business actually.

When i was in Eugene last year, I ran across baxters and hit some weird sale on spark plug wires, 75% off. so it was 5.99 for a set of 8 for my nissan truck...
Sometimes napa has a crazy sale on filters too or something but they are always out of it.
I dont know why I didnt get more actually.

Well auto part stores are not like that here... thats worth checking out, sort of a doorbuster sale.

I order online more and more. Even stuff i used to get at auto part stores like wax or something. But i still get oil at auto part stores based on whats the biggest sale.

[iansane]

Oil and filter specials seem to be what drive people in the door at my work. (O'Reilly). $35 for 5qts of VR1+bosch/mobil/mann filter isn't that bad, IMO. I think the biggest issue autopart stores face is the fact that stores are no longer staffed with lifelong gearheads but minimum wage know-it-alls. Very few stores have people with a decent knowledge of autos willing to work for such little money. Kind of sucks really. I feel like an absolute genius everyday I work just because 90% of the people O'Reilly hires are mouth-breathing morons.

One thing they do have going for them is the general public is still pretty unsure about diagnosing their own problems and finding the CORRECT replacement part. People still like to be able to place the blame somewhere else if something is wrong.

[stamar]

ya actually oil would be the one thing id always go to the auto part stores. something like a car jack or headlight too.

windshield wipers are definitely costco though. 7.99 for goodyear.

I actually didnt know they had mann filters in oreilly.

Retail has definitely taken a punch to the guy from online sales