Advance Auto Parts Reviews

Pros

Tons of opportunities to Advance if you want to move up. Company is changing for the good and many people will not change so positions will open up.

Cons

The only down side is some of the customers come in expecting is to work on their cars for free, we are not a shop we are a retail store. If u don't know how to fix it yourself maybe you shouldn't try it.

Advice to Senior Management

The company is going great places keep up the good work. The amount of communication that comes down to store level is great.

Pros

Advance recognizes it's employees and their hard work. When something isn't fair, it will get changed if the team members opinions hold water. Bonus dollars are attainable.

Cons

Some of the typical retail methodology doesn't make sense and never will. The problem with this is that it must be followed. General managers aren't able to see GM% on an item but their bonus is based off of it.

Advice to Senior Management

Give general managers more information and freedom with merchandising. This will optimize sales as per the location and clientel.

Pros

Pay
Benefits
Promotion potential
Friendly work atmosphere
Competitive teamwork

Cons

Hours
Unintelligent customers
Frustrating work environment
And did I mention long hours?!

Advice to Senior Management

Stop burning your people out and maybe they all wouldn't be running to O'Reilleys. Payroll is a controllable expense but not at the expense of your employee's health and your customers satisfaction.

Pros

Fairly easy job.

Inside out of weather most of the time

Friendly co-workers.

If you like cars then it gives you a chance to be around the thing you like

Cons

They really need to pay their employees more money.

Recognize quality work and dedication to the job when it is evaluation time. Raises in pay need to be based on more than just store sale.

Promote from within

CDL!!

You talk about building customers for life what about building employees for life

Learn to recognize a quality employee and leader when you have one in store!! I have 14+ years experience with no customer complaints. I have trained numerous current or past store managers in my time and yet i am still just a RPP.. Have been promised stores time and time again just to have them given to someone else!!!

Advice to Senior Management

Quit being so change oriented!!

I agree that change CAN be a good thing.

But not when it is a constant!!!

Get rid of CDL and understaffing % and key coverage %.

I have worked at the same store for 11 of the 14+ years of my time with the company, a computer can not tell me better than my experience when I need to have more than two people on the clock or have a driver at the store.

Pros

They offer great training have offer real hands on experience both mentally and physically if your up for that type of challenge, would definitely look good on your resume.

Cons

Often had to keep hours down due to slow sales company wide which put a lot of strain on management to get daily task completed in between customers.

Advice to Senior Management

Sometimes you have to spend money to make money. The biggest customer complaints were that there wasn't enough help when needed. Give more hours get more customers.

Pros

Family like atmopshere when I started. The employee discount. Flexible schedule if you remain a drone. If this is a second job or your never wish to climb the ladder you'll be fine.

Cons

Low wages. Becareful of what you do or say, as with most retail it's a petty-gossip entrenched retail chain. Dont expect support from upper district management, unless your friends with your DL. Advance has removed its assistant manager support from many weaker or non-prductive stores, expecting the slack to be absorbed by the GM and the rest of the Team.

Advice to Senior Management

It's too far gone, AAP has become a big time player in the AutoParts Industry, and is accountable to Share Holders.. thus its the all powerful dollar that dictates AAP direction, not its people! In such an era it's all about the money. The company had record profits, as the country went deeper into a recession. Dont fill the pockets of the top excutives with Golden Parachutes and corporate jets remember the TM and backyard mechanic that got the company to were it is today.

Pros

most employees are plesant to work with

Cons

no training and big turnover in management

Advice to Senior Management

start treating people like humans

Pros

Meeting new people every day. Also, self satisfaction (it didn't come from any mgmt. telling you, that you did a good job) that you had helped someone trouble shoot& solve their vehicle's problem.

Cons

As a delivery driver, time was of the essence. Expected to run register, stock, clean bathrooms (had to maintain vehicles also), do plan o grams, answer the phone w/in 3 rings (regardless of going out the door w/a full delivery or waiting on a customer), etc. Store was always short staffed & the hourly pay (for everything you are demanded to do) is horrible.

Advice to Senior Management

Get off your behind & come help your staff. Get to know what we do, get your hands dirty by installing a battery or soaked installing wiper blades in the rain.

Pros

If you have a good SM, and good fellow employees it can be great. You get a discount on parts, that helps when you have a beater like I do.

Cons

Mobile Parts Pro, and Salespersons are severely underpaid, and work less than 30 hrs per week.
Management needs to adjust the pay scale, or risk losing more employees when the economy improves. The CDL should be scrapped, you can't determine how much customer traffic flows at certain times of the day by a computer. It could change at anytime and when it does, you leave yourself open to being seriously understaffed.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay your entry level employees more or risk losing them. $8.00 hr is ridiculous for all the tasks they do. Treat them with more respect, tell them they are doing a good job every now and then, it doesn't hurt. Inform SM's that they can come out the office once in a while to help out when it gets busy.

Pros

good leadership, supportive supervisors, don't expect you to know everything, helpful with questions

Cons

mom and pop operation, outdated resources, lack of training

Advice to Senior Management

update computer network to link stores, provide training days to employees with visual hands-on displays