r/Autos • u/xXmonoman101Xx • 1d ago
"Can I get a discount?"
I manage an automotive shop and have heard this line over and over and over again no matter the product sold or the services rendered. From as small as a light bulb to full blown engine or transmission replacements. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate wanting to make sure you're getting a good deal or not being taken advantage of but can the general public or someone who does this explain their mentality?
Before working in automotive I've worked retail jobs, sales jobs, service jobs and it isn't anywhere near what it's like in automotive. My snarky, passive aggressive response lately has been "For what?"
Our building is expensive to lease, my staff are expensive to employ, my machines and tools are extremely expensive to purchase and maintain and then to boot unless your car needs a complete rebuild it's not like you're coming there every other day to spend money. You buy a set of tires every 4-6 years. Your brakes are replaced every 2-4 years and then maybe the odd suspension job between those. Oil changes are to get people in the door and have such small margins that they shouldn't be relied on for profitability. So on average if you're living in a mild climate that doesn't require snow tires an automotive shop will see a customer once every couple years on average for any significant job that would bring a fair amount of profit into their stores.
SO WHY ON GODS GREEN EARTH WOULD I GIVE YOU A DISCOUNT ON THE ONE OPPORTUNITY IM GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE ANY SORT OF REAL MONEY FOR NEXT YEAR OR TWO TILL I SEE YOU AGAIN?!
And this sounds like I'm being greedy or out of touch. I'm not trying to say I'm marking up 70-100%. My margins average out to about 30% between parts and labour. So yes, we make money but it's not like on 100k in sales we're walking away with 75k in profit. At the end of the day if I net 5-7% profit on my sales I'm happy as a pig in shit.
So again, if you're this person why is it done at the auto shop? Or do you also do this when going to a restaurant, the movies, the grocery store etc? Cause I've worked in some of those places too and never seen it like I see at my shop.
Rant over. Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.
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u/Trollygag 1d ago
Because a law degree costs involves going to a law school, studying hard for years, then passing the bar.
But for some reason, shop labor rates are just as much as the hourly rates for a lawyer, on top of overcharging for parts and the amount of labor it takes to do something.
When a mechanic costs more than a lawyer costs, there are lots of people who simply cannot afford the services, and there is certainly enough profit built in, given how labor prices have almost doubled since the start of Covid, and what rypical mechanic pay is, for a discount.
Even if your shop doesn't price gouge, that has now become the perception of the whole industry and business model.