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xrac

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Everything posted by xrac

  1. xrac
    Point well taken.
  2. xrac
    Joe your points are well taken. All the things they said in their acquisition of CarQuest was all smoke and mirrors as far as I can tell. A great trusted vendor with a rich history has just vanished as far as I am concerned. Who are you using these days as your first call?
  3. xrac
    This is a classic.
  4. xrac
    Sounds like you will get hooked up. ATD is supposedly the largest independent wholesaler in the nation. TCI is the Michelin warehouse distributor. Let us know if you get hooked up.
  5. xrac
    You should be able to buy tires locally cheaper than you can buy from the TireRack. I do buy some tires from TireRack but not very frequently. I can usually sell tires and 90% of the time beat what some one pays by ordering from TireRack, Our town is only about 120,000 and is some what out in the middle of no where. However, I have seven warehouses that I can purchase from plus the local Firestone and Discount Tire stores wholesale to us. I do not know all the distributors in your market but here are three that I deal with that have warehouses near you: TCI 508-824-1685, ATD 508-613-1000, and Carroll 877-218-4737. Call them and see what they can do.
  6. xrac
    The Car-x franchise model in 1998 when we purchased this franchise was an under car business model. Car-x had us stock a large inventory of Walker mufflers and exhaust pipes, Monroe shocks and struts, and Raybestos brakes. However, what I learned in during 1999 which is the first year that we opened was that we could not do enough business as an undercar shop to pay the bills. We switched to being a full service shop in September of 2001. It took about two more years but we went from losing money to making money. To day we stock no brake or ride control parts and just a few generic mufflers and pipes since we still do a little custom exhaust.
  7. xrac
    People who aren't working are now insured. Many people who are working no longer can afforded insurance and are dropping coverage and paying the penalty. All it was was a Robin Hood move of redistribution of the wealth. I would have to pay $13,500 out of my own pocket before my insurance would pay anything. That is the premium and deductible. Sounds like a great deal doesn't it. Thank you Obama and Democrats. We don't get very many backouts but we are seeing more because I believe the cost of insurance is impacting a lot of consumers. Cash for clunkers hurt us, the ACA has hurt us, the redfining of who is an exempt employee and will have to be paid overtime will hurt us. The government has stolen a lot of money right out of our pockets.
  8. xrac
    I have had it and it will definitely clear your sinuses but the more I drank it the better I liked it. However, a little goes a long way.
  9. xrac
    How about a little lighter poll than the presidential election.
  10. xrac
    Personally through the years I have been more guilty of under selling than overselling. However, I believe we should all do through inspections and advise the customer of recommended maintenance such as spark plugs, timing belts, etc. at the proper mileages. It is not our job to use high pressure, define suggested work as required work, etc. At Car-x we don't oversell and we seem to always have work, referrals, and return customers. Are any of you members of the Motorist Assurance Program | AMRA . Car-x is a member and follows the standards of MAP. It has value in this discussion. http://amra.org/motorist-assurance-program
  11. xrac
    We are glad to have you join us. There is a lot if great help on this forum.
  12. xrac
    We have a Redline machine. ONe of the nice things about Redline is they offer both a trade in/trade up program and a refurbishment program. Our smoke machine is more than ten years old and we had problems with it due to seals and hoses leaking. We sent it off to Redline and had it refurbished last year. It came back like a new machine. We were very pleased.
  13. xrac
    Because Monro is publicly traded the sales numbers are for public consumption. You may find the following to be of interest: Monro sales May -9.7 June -8.1 July -8.8 Aug. -9.0 Sep. -5.6 The numbers for Car-x are better but still down about 4% for the year overall. Our store is down about 3% on the year. If it hadn't been for May we would be up for the year. In May we were more than $30k below 2015 May sales.
  14. xrac
    Guy called me yesterday wanting the price of a fuel pump. Had just replace MAP sensor (his buddy said that was what code was) and now it wouldn't start. Guess what broken ground wire to ECM was no start cause and all the codes in the computer and running issue. All he had done or thought about doing was worseless.
  15. xrac
    So true but it would never happen. If this were the case it would create a totally different Democratic Party. However, it would make the welfare class less than full citizens. However, it would be no different than in past years when women couldn't vote or people who couldn't read couldn't vote. What I think we are headed for is the destruction of our society and perhaps civil war.
  16. xrac
    You can do PCMs and TCMs but I do not think you can reflash BCMs.
  17. xrac
    One of the bigger problem you can have retaining customers is if someone else comes right in behind you and opens up in the old location and siphons off some of your current clientele. You seem to have a good location because it is a destination location. I.E. people stop because of the mall and surrounding retail. If the other location is on a fast moving highway with no reason for people to stop it may not be as attractive as it seems. What is the story on the 6 bay location as far as who was in there, how successful were they, and why did they close? Can you open in both locations and see if the new location will work before you completely pull the plug where you are at?
  18. xrac
    Understanding the customer is sometimes a hard task.
  19. xrac
    I have been told that running two locations is very challenging. That it is actually easier to run three shops than it is two. I think the key will be personnel and process. You must have a proper procedure in operation and then clone it to the second location. You also must have a dependable leader at each location and the ability to bounce between. At least those are my thoughts but I have no experience with multiple locations so take it with a grain of salt.
  20. xrac
    I think the value of this thread is to see how business owners think. What the poll illustrates is that we have become a divided nation with one portion of the population supporting a different portion. What the working middle class has observed over the last several years is the erosion of their income and wages. Much of this has been taken away and given to the other portion of the population that for the most part either lives off of or is heavily subsidized by the government.
  21. xrac
    Glad you found us Brian!
  22. xrac
    Harry you popped a word I didn't know although I think I am fairly good with the English language. Just in case anyone is in the boat with me:
  23. xrac
    I am not gutsy enough to do what HarrytheCarGeek did but I would probably go in six month increments to $105-$110-$115-etc. until it slowed my car count down.
  24. xrac
    I am very afraid for the future of our nation. We are in deep trouble and there is not a perfect candidate in the current mix. One of the biggest problems is I think we have became a lawless nation as far as Washington is concerned. The only time law is followed is when it is in their power to take down the opposition.
  25. xrac
    Good one Gonzo! I loved it!

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