Supporting the Local Tire Shop

[Suo Gan]

I went down to the tire shop the other day to beg for the weights. When I was there they said they had just given them to some other guy the day before. He had purchased some tires on the internet, and brought them in to be put on rims. The owner of the store was curious how much he paid for the tires, and he said that he had got a good deal. The owner of the shop did not tell him that he could have gotten him the same tires for less money and provided a warranty and free fix a flat service as well as tire rotation.

He even asked for the wheel weights and they obliged. I guess they felt guilty about charging him $30 to put the tires on and mount them, and they probably want him to come back when he gets a nail for another $20.

So why are people like this? Why are they so willing to pay more for something that they could get from a local mom and pop? Doesn't that end up hurting everyone? I think what my friend said is true about people, they really are oxygen thieves. Apparently even the casters.

[clong]

I priced a set at my local shop a couple of years ago and instead of giving me their best price that quoted me list. So, I bought them from a web site and had the mom and pop install them.

[armyrat1970]

I priced a set at my local shop a couple of years ago and instead of giving me their best price that quoted me list. So, I bought them from a web site and had the mom and pop install them.

It works both ways sometimes. I am all for supporting local but at times you have to shop around and find what is also best for you. I have a corner store about a block from my house that is owned and operated by a Viet family. I shop there often for a quick in and out. I also have a larger chain of stores store that is owned and operated by ragheads. Don't mean to get political here but even when the larger store has cheaper prices on gas I will still buy from the store owned and operated by the Viets. Don't know where your money is going when you buy from the ragheads. In these times you have to do what you think is best for you.

[qajaq59]

I shop here in town when I can. I don't mind a little increase in price, because at least these guys pay taxes here. But lately a lot of what I need is ONLY on the web.

[bullshot]

I buy local unless the difference in price is way out of line. I then will tell the proprietor what I can buy the product for and see if he will negotiate., then make a decision from there. Problem being, if everyone buys on the internet and nobody buys from the local little guy there will be no one to install and do any other services you need. Evey one has to make a profit or they can't exist.

[kelbro]

My truck uses 6 $225 tires. If I can save $30-50 tire, it adds up but I always end up buying them locally anyway. I just counted 36 tires that I maintain. Cars, trailers, ATVs, etc... Discount Tires loves me but they still won't give me WW :).

[oldfart1956]

Wel fellers I'll have to chime in here and say support yer local tire dealer. Here's a brief story; went down to WalMart trying to save on tires and after waiting 3 hours and they still hadn't even pulled my Astro van in, I asked for my keys. I spoke to a woman that'd been sitting there 2 hours before I got there what she was having done. "Getting her tires rotated."..she said. She'd been waiting 5 hours to have 4 tires rotated! I came home and went to Byers Tire Service just 3 mi. away and had 4 new tires installed in 20 minutes. Yup..they cost a little more but my time is worth something. I stop by with a coupl'a dozen donuts every 5000mi. and they rotate them before I can finish a free cup of coffee. Took my truck in last fall and had 4 new Firestones put on that to.... 20min. and I'm done. And I'll bet if I ask for WW's I can walk out with a bucketful. Byers Tire Service, Chambersburg, Pa. Family owned forever. Audie..the Oldfart..

[Shiloh]

I got wheel weight from Tires Plus last time I purchased tires. I have purchased three sets of tires from them in 11 years. They were competitively priced, as well as being passenger car tires. Truck tires or bigger may have required more looking.

Shiloh

[Leadforbrains]

I support a local tire and radiator shop. My wifes family knows the owner. I get my wheel weights free from him all the time.

[wallenba]

Forty years ago my home town was a mile from farmland and we had that small town feel and did all our shopping locally. Now we have been swallowed whole by urban sprawl and traffic is more than I can stand. I do more internet shopping because of it. When I venture out it is is to get OUT, way out. There are things, like tires, that I would never buy online.

[Vance in Ak]

I'm just wishing I could get a set tires mounted & balanced for $30.00!!! Here it's $20 per tire.
I buy my tires at the local shop. By the time I figured freight the local store would be cheaper & driving the 300 mile round trip to the Big City (Anchorage) wouldn't save me enough to pay for the fuel.

[Rockydog]

There is a tire shop/oil change place 2 blocks from my house. I bought a new set of tires for my truck, $900, and had all of my oil changes on 2 vehicles done there also for the last 3 years. It adds up. 40000 miles a year between the two vehicles. Two months ago I asked about WW. "Nope! Never shot a gun, don't see a need for them." Local Chrysler dealer now gets all my business. I get all of his WW. The WW stands for win/win too. RD

[mpmarty]

I deal locally for tires at a locally owned chain. A year ago I bought a set of tires for my wifes Suburban and after a year of listening to her complain about vibration I drove it myself. Took it back and dealer did a rebalance. Took it out and drove it and it still shook at 65mph. Went back to ask what they could suggest and they asked me to bring it in the next morning. Next morning the manager met me when I drove in and took me to a little coffee shop next door. We chatted about the tires on my wifes rig and he told me that they had just taken on a new brand of tires and wanted to put a set on my rig. I asked him the price and he informed me that they would refund the full price of the old tires and install the new dunlops for the same or less cost. Problem solved. Suburban no longer has the DTs. I'm sold on my local tire dealer. He sells me the WWs for the same price he gets from the battery manufacturer who is the major buyer of WWs here locally.

[Shooter6br]

It is like supporting your local gunshop.I call the owner by name . I know the guys working behind the counter. I can order a scope on the internet and save maybe 20 t0 30 bucks.In return I may lose my local gunshop.The guys behind the counter out of work. Who do I B>S with when they are gone. A little added cost I balance with what i would lose. I used to go to a local gunshop with my Dad . Mountain Dew was 10 cents a bottle. Charlie( the owner) would always buy me one.My Dad would pay Charlie alittle each week for a gun he wanted.This way my Mother did not find out about it This was about 1962 to 1968 or so.

[badgeredd]

I went down to the tire shop the other day to beg for the weights. When I was there they said they had just given them to some other guy the day before. He had purchased some tires on the internet, and brought them in to be put on rims. The owner of the store was curious how much he paid for the tires, and he said that he had got a good deal. The owner of the shop did not tell him that he could have gotten him the same tires for less money and provided a warranty and free fix a flat service as well as tire rotation.

He even asked for the wheel weights and they obliged. I guess they felt guilty about charging him $30 to put the tires on and mount them, and they probably want him to come back when he gets a nail for another $20.

So why are people like this? Why are they so willing to pay more for something that they could get from a local mom and pop? Doesn't that end up hurting everyone? I think what my friend said is true about people, they really are oxygen thieves. Apparently even the casters.

I like the line about oxygen thieves. There are those times that I have to remind myself that no deed is ever unrewarded...good or bad.

The local tire store that I get the majority of my WWs from recently sold some of their weights to a "visitor". The manager told me he had 2 buckets and he sold the other fellow one and saved one for me. The "visitor" hadn't done business with them and was only interested in getting WWs. He said he take both buckets, but the manager told him that he had someone who had spoken for them. The fellow asked what the price was for the weights and he was told $.50 a pound. He grumbled, but paid it. I have been paying half that and I always have more than the manager charges me for and on occasion he gives them to me. His attitude as stated to me was that I have been buying my tires there and have had them service other vehicles so he will be loyal to me since I have be loyal to him. He figured that since I regularly get weights from him, he'd sell the others at double if the fellow would pay it. The money from the scrap sales goes to buy the guys in the shop rolls and breakfast on occasion. I have taken different things in for the guys and it has paid off.

Edd

[mtgrs737]

I have said for years that if you don't support your local businesses then don't expect them to be there when you need them. This goes double for any service businesses, as their service may be very hard to find on the net.

[nvbirdman]

Twenty years ago I bought a set of tires for my pickup at a local shop.
After driving about 150 miles I ran over something and one of the tires went flat so I went back to the local shop to get it fixed. The owner dismounted the tire, looked at the inside, threw it away and mounted a new tire, and sent me on my way. Road hazard warranty is included in their price.
Glad I didn't buy those tires online.

[jack19512]

So why are people like this? Why are they so willing to pay more for something that they could get from a local mom and pop?









Although I have always bought stuff like tires locally most of my local so called mom & pop stores are just plain and simple thieves. I live in a very small town and all of them have known and lived by the knowing that they are the only shop in town.

They know by the time you drive somewhere else your time and cost of gas would end up killing any savings you might get. My local hardware store, gun shop, and ATV dealer are three of the worst. For the most part I can get a lot of things cheaper online even after shipping.

When purchasing motorcycles I have never been able to purchase one at my one and only dealer. I can drive two hours and save at least around $500.00-$1000.00 dollars if not more. Like it or not it was much worse before we got a super Walmart and Lowe's. YMMV

[rtracy2001]

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I went looking for WW.

Now I have lived at my current residence for about 10 years and have yet to purchase a complete set of tires for any one vehicle. (I'm not really hard on tires). Well as luck would have it, I have 3 vehicles and 2 ATVs that will be needing tires in the next year. I expect to spend about $250/tire for the truck and the Jeep, (5 each) and at least $150 or more per tire (5 tires) for the wife's rig. the ATVs will both cost about $100-$120/tire. So in the next year I am looking to spend:

$250 x 10 = $2500
$150 x 5 = $750
$100 x 8 = $800
$4050 + tax, mounting and ballancing.

Now I did not tell the shop that I was going to be needing tires soon, I just asked for WW. (didn't want to unduly influence their decision.) I made it quite clear that I was willing to pay whatever they considered a fair price, and that I would take whatever quantity they thought they could part with (in case others also asked, or if they had regulars.) Without exception they told me to pack sand. Most were quire rude about it too.

Explain to me why I shouldn't buy on line.

[evan price]

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I went looking for WW.

Now I have lived at my current residence for about 10 years and have yet to purchase a complete set of tires for any one vehicle. (I'm not really hard on tires). Well as luck would have it, I have 3 vehicles and 2 ATVs that will be needing tires in the next year. I expect to spend about $250/tire for the truck and the Jeep, (5 each) and at least $150 or more per tire (5 tires) for the wife's rig. the ATVs will both cost about $100-$120/tire. So in the next year I am looking to spend:

$250 x 10 = $2500
$150 x 5 = $750
$100 x 8 = $800
$4050 + tax, mounting and ballancing.

Now I did not tell the shop that I was going to be needing tires soon, I just asked for WW. (didn't want to unduly influence their decision.) I made it quite clear that I was willing to pay whatever they considered a fair price, and that I would take whatever quantity they thought they could part with (in case others also asked, or if they had regulars.) Without exception they told me to pack sand. Most were quire rude about it too.

Explain to me why I shouldn't buy on line.


Well, with all respect, there's business that you HAVE done, and business you MIGHT do.
Spend $4000 in a shop, then ask for favors, not the other way around.

On the other hand, these guys might just all be @ssholes. You never know.

With the way the economy is nowadays, I KNOW walking into a tire shop that business is down. You can tell by how few techs there are, how few cars in the lot there are, and how few cars on the racks there are. You can get deals if you approach it right and negotiate. I just put a set of 4 16" Goodyears on my neighbor's sister's van for under $320 out the door with mounting, balancing and road hazard, with tax.

I recall when I was a tire tech in a Class A store (we cleared a million$ a month) that we were hopping, 4 tire bays, 2 alignment bays, 2 mechanical bays, and we were busy open to close and usually worked an hour or two after close to get them finished up.

Now 15 years later I drive past that store regularly and if they have 2 cars in the shop and two more in the lot, it's not uncommon. I recall we had the casing room overflowing into the parking lot and the casing truck came every two weeks. Now it's half full after 2 weeks.

We used to have on a normal day, three tire crews, two alignment techs, one lead tire tech who also did shocks & struts, two undercar/brake techs, 3 service writers, a shop manager and a store manager, plus an assistant manager. NOW, there is one tire crew, and an alignment guy/undercar tech, the service manager is doing the ticket writing, and the store manager is doing all the managerial stuff for two stores. And this is a big national chain.

Apart from lead farming I also aggressively look for tire casings for use on trailers or stuff I am selling. You can look at the casing pile to see how bad the economy is. A few years ago it was common to find tires with a lot of tread left on them, people were replacing sets when the fronts wore out on FWDs. Now, they just replace the worst ones when they are totally bald. It took me 2 months to find a set of 14" tires that had enough tread to pass inspection just to put on a trailer.

[rtracy2001]

Well, with all respect, there's business that you HAVE done, and business you MIGHT do.
Spend $4000 in a shop, then ask for favors, not the other way around.

I understand the concept, but I must admit I had a dual purpose. the first was to aquire a source of WW. The second and more important was to find a tire shop. I am still looking for both.

I learned a few things about retail sales when I hawked auto parts for a living:

1. If you don't treat EVERYONE with respect and try to please the customers (even the ones looking to spend $100 or less) then you run the risk of alienating potential customers.

2. A bad experience travels faster and farther than a good experience. From what I remember the ratio is something like 10:1. If a customer has a bad experience they are likely to tell 10 other people. If a customer has a truly outstanding experience they are likely to tell maybe 1 other person. It doesn't take a math degree to see that you just can't afford to upset anyone.

3. Even if you can't help a customer, how you serve them makes a difference. A customer came into my store once looking for a coil wire. I did not have the part he needed (sold out) my store down the road was also sold out. I took the 5 minutes to do a patch job on the customer's coil wire (the end had come off) and I sent him on his way fully expecting to never see him again. Less than two weeks later he came in, asked for me by name and dropped $2000 on a reman engine, and another $1500 on accesories. (I wish I was working on commission.)

In case anyone is wondering yes, my visit to the tires stores was part set-up. I wanted to see if they would help me out with the small stuff first. Well, Les Schwab Tires failed miserably on #1 and #3. Commercial Tire Failed miserably on #3. I guess they both forgot about #2.

Well, there are a few more shops in town, and some in towns round about, so we will see what happens.

[jack19512]

Spend $4000 in a shop, then ask for favors, not the other way around.








I guess I would have to totally disagree with that statement. I would hate to spend $4000.00 at a tire place and then be told to "pack sand" after asking for a few wheel weights. If he wants my business(my money)he needs to show me his willingness to work with me or I'm going some place else.

[qajaq59]

Some of them couldn't sell you the wheel weights, even if they wanted to, because of the head office rules. I seem to do better at the small shops. They don't have as much, but at least they don't say no.

[XWrench3]

i have priced tires several times from my local tire store. i can (90%of the time) buy them 4 less at Sam's Club than anywhere else. so, i buy a years membership and off i go. i have NEVER found the internet to be the place to buy automobile tires. the price may be good, but when you add shipping to it, the savings go right out the window. if you could find a place close to you, where you could drive and pick them up, it might be different. don't get me wrong, i am all for supporting the local guy. and if the price is close, i buy from him. but when i can save >$100.00, i can drive the 40 miles!

[WILCO]

I dealt with a well established auto repair shop for several years (8). Their prices were high but the service was good and I felt that I could trust them. When I leased a brand new truck they made some comments about losing alot of my business and I kept going to them for tires and oil changes plus inspections. I asked for ww's once and they said no. Okay, no big deal. When it came time to turn in the lease, I was needing brake pads, but not rotors. When I asked for a price on pads only, the service manager yelled at me on the phone saying I had to do front and back pads/rotors @ $500.00 a pop or I was gonna get "dingged" by the dealer after I surrendered the vehicle. When I explained that I couldn't afford that price and had just returned to work from a lay-off, he responded with "Well, things are tough all over!". I haven't given them a penny since. Bought a new truck a few months ago without doing all the other b.s. on the lease and never heard boo from the dealer otherwise. I now ask for wheel weights when I'm looking to do business with a shop. If they say no, I keep walking. It's all about customer service.

[armyrat1970]

Just this past week I had over $1200 worth of front suspension work done on my 2001 Dodge Caravan at Sears. Didn't even think about asking them for WWS as I never even talked to one of the mechanics and my wife picked up the van when completed. Brought it in last Monday. I was told I would have it back by Wednesday. After a phone call was told I would have it back Thursday. After phone calls was told by 3:00PM Friday. My Mother-in-law got up during a rain storm to bring my daughter there to pick up the van and it still wasn't ready. Was told it would be ready at 4:00pm. Then 5:00pm. Didn't get my van back until after 7:00pm Friday night then had to go through the routine of swapping cars because I am at work Friday night. Mom & Pop stores I find to be reliable and you make friends. The little Viet store about a block from me will let me slide at times if I am a little short because they know me and know I will be back. I have worn my Nam Vet hat there before and they know where I am from and we have discussed their country at a limited basis before. The bigger store like Sears, crap. Support your Mom & Pops as much as you can. The bigger chains, don't give them the time of day if you can find another way.
And saying that I have to say I still shop at WalMart. You just can't beat them in prices. Regardless of what else, I just can't find any better deal than WalMart around me. For most everything I need.

[jack19512]

Just today I needed the front tires on my pickup balanced and went to the place where I get my tires. Cost me $8.00 per tire for the balancing but while there I picked up all of their used weights which were about 3/4 full of a 5 gallon bucket. Worked out good for him and worked out good for me. One of the few places I enjoy doing business with in my small town.

[nonferrous]

It really is getting to be hit or miss regarding picking up WW's. We are all getting to know the shops that can not or will not give them out so we don't go back.
I have a Goodyear Store that is on the way home from the range. I have gotten some there from time to time so I stopped in today.
The Mgr said that thay had been picked up a few days ago but I could have what they had. It was about 35 pounds, I was glad to get them and gave him some cash for the Pizza fund as usual, I really think that that helps.

[SciFiJim]

My wife got two new tires for her Yukon today and asked for WWs. She as given about 40 lbs. I have a great wife.

[canyon-ghost]

I drove trucks so, flats are a given thing. When I asked about wheelweights at one shop, the owner himself gave them to me and had his men load them in the back of my pickup. Now, I buy my tires there too. I go to the tire shop for tires and wheelweights. The owner was great about it, his employees were hunters and shooters, too. Not only did he impress me, he made a loyal friend.

Always remember that 'we take care of our own kind'.

[armyrat1970]

I drove trucks so, flats are a given thing. When I asked about wheelweights at one shop, the owner himself gave them to me and had his men load them in the back of my pickup. Now, I buy my tires there too. I go to the tire shop for tires and wheelweights. The owner was great about it, his employees were hunters and shooters, too. Not only did he impress me, he made a loyal friend.

Always remember that 'we take care of our own kind'.

If I were you I would ask the boys if any shoot any calibers that you cast and load for. Maybe load a few for them and drop them off the next time. You would have a ready supply of WWS from then on. And if any of them handload just cast a few boolits for their caliber. Little things like that go a long way.

[jdowney]

One of my trucks has 9x20's on split rims - got to support the local small guys as places like Discount Tire have no clue what to do with those!