went to my local napa today to get a new 6637 filter. The are charging $44.00 and some change. what a joke, well guys I just wanted to vent,

 

I'm not picking on you shovelhead, but there are different areas of the country and different marketing situations that need to be considered. It costs a lot of money to rent a storefront and fill it with merchendise. The owner of the store is in it to make a living, not provide the world with parts at cost. Even fleetfilter is in it for the money, but they don't have an expensive retail outlet to pay for.
If you want it now, walk in ask for it, pay for it and take it home.



Occationally I get someone coming in showing me a price for something that he want's to put on his car and it's maybe 2% more than I can get it locally for wholesale.
At that sort of margin I am losing money because there is overhead to pay for and I would simply be subsidizing the customer's repair costs. I don't even try and compete in that arena and tell them that if they want to get the parts I would be glad to install them. I also inform them if there is a problem with that same part that they handed me, I still get paid for the install. I am not going to assume the warrenty risk in that situation. I tell them if I get the part, (yes they will pay more for it) and it's bad, that it's not thier problem, it's mine and I will cover it no questions asked.
Those situations are few and far between, most people understand that I am there to be the steward of thier transportation needs and are willing to trust (and pay) me to make sure that they have a trouble free vacation trip or daily commute.
It's just business.

 

Amen! Brother!

 

Just tell them you want it cheaper and bring cash. That's what I do at napa. I went in to buy a plastic diaphragm fuel pump for a brigg's, they told me $48. I said WOW, he said hold on... then he said $32 so I looked at the part. It was just a generic pump, no name on it! I got it for $21, and they probably still have 20% margin. Trying to get $48 from some old fella that didn't know better is just wrong.

Put a price on something that is your best price and stick with it (little company called wal-mart does it this way). If he wants 10 of them, sure, drop the price a little.

Fleetfilter.com is the best I have found, but it is still $40 for the filter after shipping because they are charging $14 to ship something that would be $7 for USPS priority mail (and yes, USPS will give you free tape and boxes...). Best bet is to go in on one with a few people. I am trying to find a reasonable 6637 price, will let you know when I find one. ahhhh, just venting......

 

Thats why I say "Now Money"

Sure you can always find something cheaper online, but you have to order it and wait..

If you want it NOW, you have to pay the NOW price. Ordering, stocking, and providing a storefront all cost a retailer money as opposed to most online retailers who can ship direct. When walking in to the local Napa, be prepared to spend some "Now Money"

 

I always find these debates interesting. No matter where you buy something, you will always find it somewhere cheaper. If you don't like the price, shop somewhere else. You are saying he sold you a 48.00 pump for 21.00? Even if he made 20%, which I doubt, that is 4.20. Didn't even pay for his time. I handle a parts department that averages over 3.5 million each year, and I can tell you that on average parts markup is around 33%. Not all parts, that is an average. Each and every store has its unique situation. Like Kwik mentioned, there is overhead, employees, storefront, electricity, insurance, the list goes on and on. If someone comes in and tries to dicker, we let them know that while they may end up paying a little more, our customer service is 2nd to none. We go the extra mile there, and our customers have grown to appreciate that. A buinsess that can only get a max of 20% on his parts will not be around very long, or at least will not be growing.
Yeah, it may be cheaper somewhere else, but how long do you want to wait for it? I would rather pay a few dollars more and have in now.
And Wal-Mart?? Unfortunately they have put out more small town buisnesses, but that is another debate.

 

Yeah... What they said... We're talking about $38 vs. $45 or so. That's the price of a lunch. If you're that concerned about it, PMS is not for you...

 

Oh boy, I stirred the pot on this on! I agree on most of the points, especially that each retailer is different and offers different values. Service is not top shelf at my local parts dealers.....

I pack my lunch, $7 adds up.

And no, I do not shop at wal-mart. They are an out of control monopoly, but a well run $348 Billion dollar company that everyone can learn a little from. Read "Wal-Mart Effect" by Charles Fisher, very interesting.

I am kindly backing out of this one, no blood no foul..... but I will be doing the 6637 mod!!

Here is a good link with pics that I found:
http://www.bigdaddydiesel.com/html/6637_intake.html

 

I order two filters at a time from fleet filter, the shipping is the same for one or two filters so now it's only seven dollars to ship per filter. Just thought i would share this.

 

It is cheaper for me to get the filter from Napa than from FleetFilter. I get one from Napa for $40. If I order 2 from fleet filter the price is $45 BUT I pay $40 in shipping that is using UPS ground. I will stick with the $40 at my local Napa. Now since you are on the mainland Fleet Filter is a great deal $45 for 2 filters and shipping is less than $10.