Just An Oil Change?
Faithful readers may remember that I was particularly impressed with a distant Baltimore suburb auto care service several weeks back, and I published a positive Google review, which seems to have favorably impressed other prospective customers. (I've not written product reviews on Amazon, etc. The business did not solicit the review.)The basic circumstances were that I couldn't shift out of park one morning preparing to drive to work; it wasn't that I couldn't move the gear shift, but it wouldn't lock into reverse, drive, or whatever. I called my auto club service (which I include in my auto insurance policy), and they towed my car to said auto care center. It turned out to be a broken shift cable. The problem: my Government Motors car brand was retired within 5 years of purchase. I've barely topped 100K miles over 17 years; I've had a few major repairs over the years, probably the most annoying having about 6 power window repairs, including each of the 4 at least once. But at least twice over the past 3 years, I've run into two major parts replacement issues, including a Charleston car dealership turning away the business after several days. (In other ways, the dealership had focused on making the waiting customer more comfortable; it even offered a free popcorn machine, free bottled water or soda dispensers. Free WIFI. I've noticed even the various oil change places these days have Keurig (single-serve coffee) machines and/or soda can refrigerators and WIFI.)
The shift cable replacement turned out to be an issue as they couldn't find it retail anywhere in their usual channels. Well, there was one at a dealership in Puerto Rico, but this was after their recent hurricane. So now they were down to calling salvage yards hoping to find a usable replacement part from my car's make. I was trying to figure out what I would do if they couldn't find one.They finally located one, but it wasn't like the salvage yard had a delivery option. So the local manager went on his lunch break to get the part. That really impressed me for going beyond the call of duty. About 2.5 hours later, they were done, and I was able to salvage half the day to work hours (I had to take 4 hours of PTO). The repair still cost a few hundred dollars, although the manager pointed out a new part would have cost even more. I was impressed with their professionalism.
So inevitably one has to do routine maintenance like oil changes; I hadn't done one since just before leaving Arizona around the start of summer last year (I towed the car to my UHaul, and other than a brief trip to CT for my aunt's funeral, I've done mostly light area driving). Of course, I get a number of coupons in the mail for local business oil changes, but given my positive experience, I wanted to give the same business the opportunity to do it.
I have to say I was impressed from the get-go. The manager instantly recognized me, even though it had been several weeks since the repair, he even remembered little things like I was new to the area. Even the mechanic who installed my replacement part stopped by to say hello. I knew they were busy with a full garage, but he assured me he could fit me in. I had to wait a while, but an NCAA basketball tournament game was on, and I had a cup of Keurig-brewed breakfast blend coffee so the time went by pleasantly and quickly, and they even beat the original time estimate. This is the kind of customer experience that drives repeat business!
My Love/Hate Relationship With Walmart/Sam's Club
My last trip to Sam's Club in suburban Baltimore had some disappointments: they didn't have the $4 trays of rotisserie chicken parts I had seen on my last 2 visits, they weren't carrying grass-fed ground beef (although Walmart carries comparable single-pound bricks), I couldn't find their chickpea pasta or their own brand protein bars. (Interestingly, they compare their latter to Quest bars, which to the best of my knowledge they've never stocked.) I understand these decisions may be based, say, on sluggish sales (or maybe in the case of the chicken, a limited supply that sells out).Just to give an example, I love traditional pasta, but there are too many carbs a serving. I had bought a couple of boxes in AZ, but it wasn't until a few weeks back that I tried it. (Of course, beans are a great source of fiber) I went on their website, and they confirmed my local club didn't stock it. Presumably others do. There didn't seem to be an option for local pickup or delivery (like, say, Amazon).
Walmart, on the other hand, has more variety, fewer bulk items. One thing that astounds me is they don't stock, even in their frozen aisles, Ezekiel bread (Food For Life). And despite more coverage of natural/organic foods et al., I really didn't see variety in pasta items over traditional ones, say beyond 100% whole wheat.
Still, as I mentioned above, my local Walmart has a decent selection of grass-fed beef items with ground maybe $6/lb, some nice roasts at a buck more, and a variety of steaks (iron and sirloin) in the $10-12/lb range. And if I fail to pickup a pound of KerryGold butter at Sam's Club, I know where Walmart stocks the 1/2 lb. package. And I'm pleased to see Walmart stock my favorite brand of Wild Planet canned tuna, salmon, and sardines at good prices.
Don't forget to check out the occasional clearance section. I found a leftover 10 oz. Starbucks holiday blend selling for $2 on my last trip.
