The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Experience with NAPA Online?

I was thinking about a new water pump so I went to NAPA Online and saw one for $56. Wanting to give my business to the local store, I drove there and the guy said there was one in Texas he could get and it would be $97. The $41 difference was a bit too much for local loyalty so I went back to get it online. The lower price was for a "NAPA Online Promotion."

I put the pump in my online Cart and proceeded to Checkout. I was surprised when I wasn't asked for a credit card. They instead said they'd notify my local NAPA store which they already knew, of course.

A guy from the NAPA store called to verify the order and I explained the situation.

Now I read on the email Order Confirmation that "Prices may vary from store to store and online" in very small print and light gray font. I don't know what the price will actually be but at least I have paid for anything yet.

Has anyone ordered from NAPA Online? Will this turn out as a "bait and switch?"

I have purchased a lot from them online. Most of the time I get 10%off by ordering it online. Just today I ordered the seals for my torque tube ball online and they was cheaper than all the other box stores. Under $9 for the whole set. You will just pay in the store your online price. I always keep my email confirmation on my phone just in case. I find a lot of the parts houses give discounts online.

If I order online I go to Rock Auto which always has the best prices and ships really quick---usually arrives in two days. Water pump for a 261 is $32.79.

....may I comment.
There are differences at NAPA, from store to store. Don't know exactly why but they do. In "My" part of the country the NAPA stores do not store a lot of the kinak knacks that Auto Zone and Advance like to hustle. Here NAPA is hustling the commercial business and doing a good job of it.
As an example of differences.....my nephew, a full time mechanic, has one account in his business name, and one account just in his "real name". Well I'll be darn, sometime his real name account gives us a price cheaper than the business name on the same product. He lives 20 miles from me but at times I can buy it from my commercial guy here in Boiling Springs, cheaper than he can!

I think prices, in my opinion, is based on what segment of the business they are after, in a particular location, and the competition.

I also know that just about ALL the parts houses has a bogus account, or a business account, that they can use to let their daily customers, who are not a business, but yet get great prices. I've been doing this for years! HOWEVER, it is predominantly through the COMMERCIAL guy who is usually at the back or off to the side.
My go to GIRL at Advance, who has handled parts for over 25 years, recently went to NAPA. Guess what, I still get great prices from her on "most" all things. Some not so much and she will tell me.

Accounts like "who nose garage" or "Sunset Repair" are just a couple. A commercial sales person likes to look out for their "favorite" customer so as long as you pay in cash they will bill it through that customer, which in turn shows the customer doing more business with them, and gets the shop a "silver, gold, or platinum discount... In my case, I know some owners at a couple nice garage's and they have gave me their personal OK to buy my stuff through them as long as I pay cash. Works for me in my little town.
It takes time, but if your going to do much work it PAYS to get to know your parts man, or woman, real good.

......oh, and it does not hurt to take them a biscuit from CFA once in a while, or take them a couple hot dogs!

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

Coilover, Boy do I feel stupid (not unusual for me!). I'll let you all know how this turns out.

My experience with Rock Auto the few times I've checked prices with them is while they're usually cheaper base price wise, after adding shipping cost they are actually more expensive than our FLAPS. It pays to price compare.

I located a part/price on Napa online, when I went to the store the part was in stock but they quoted a higher price, I mentioned the on-line price was lower, they looked it up and gave me the on-line price. Recently I located a part/price on-line, went to the store it was not in-stock and they quoted $10.00 each for shipping 2 lifters. I found the lifters on-line for a lower price and 10 bux to ship both. You really do need to shop around and haggle to get the best deal, not being in a hurry helps to.

I didn't mention it in my post above, but I think most of us do the same things as Tiny and Walter. In the end I have bought from "most all" of the suppliers for one reason or the other. Price, availability, and time constraints are part of the equation....even 1A Auto gets some of my business depending on model years available.

....I generally have about 3, maybe 4 places, I usually check and get the best deal from one of them.
What I have found out some time ago is that's not always the case and I can sometimes, beat the best of the four. It sure does help to also have a forum like the Stovebolt with personal experiences when looking for that chicken with teeth.
As we say "knowledge is the Best Resource". Truer words have never been spoken!

I have 2 Napa stores locally which are about 3 miles from me in each direction. One is a corporate store the other is privately owned.
Many times I have seen a wide difference in prices. Some items are lower at the corporate store and others are better at the other one.
It's hard to figure them out. They do charge for shipping if they can't get it locally. However, Auto Zone does not.
As mentioned, you have to shop around.
Fred