Back when I owned or managed commercial shops, a good parts man was like money in the bank. Of course, when your monthly purchases add up to thousands of dollars, the parts guy has a habit of doing some gymnastics to offer the best price up front. My guy out in California would sometimes buy a part I needed "right now" from his competition, at a break-even price or maybe a small loss, just to accommodate my needs if he was out of stock on a particular item. He knew he would make it up pretty quickly.
Jerry
