OK, Dave...Here's How I See It...

Posted by Buzzman72 on September 03, 2010 at 23:43:47 from (74.129.194.33):

In Reply to: Here's the update to my previous post... posted by 135 Fan on September 03, 2010 at 13:46:48:

I went back and read the first post and all the responses before I replied. So I'm gonna spell out some things that may or may not make sense to you. I'm about to turn 56 years old this month, and I've been working parts counters since I was 8 years old at my family's Farmall garage [we weren't officially an IH dealership, but the franchised dealer used us as a "sub-dealer" for the southern half of the county].

First, the boss is the boss. He can be a jerk if he wants, he can be a crook if he wants, and he can give it all away if he wants...because he's the boss. It's his business, and he can (mis)manage it any way he chooses...because he's the boss. Never forget that.

Second...one dealership I went to work for in '83 had Lincoln-Mercury, Saab, Isuzu, Alfa Romeo, and AMC/Jeep/Renault. Except for "generics" like heater hose and hose clamps and antifreeze, EACH manufacturer's parts had a separate set of bins. No FoMoCo parts were located in the AMC/JEEP bins even if the parts were identical other than the part number. To simplify things even further, each of the shelves in each bin had a separate location on the computer. The first shelf in bin 101 was 101A; the second shelf was 101B, and so on. Each part had ONE bin location.

For generic parts such as 1157 bulbs, we had a chart that listed each manufacturer's part number for each bulb. Since our highest volume for warranty parts was under Ford, all our bulbs were receipted into the system as Ford part numbers...on customer-pay tickets, it didn't matter if we billed out the Ford part number; on warranty tickets, we would fill out a "draw-out" slip for our parts clerk, doing a "minus" for the Ford part number and a "plus" for the other manufacturer part number that was actually billed. That way, our inventory stayed accurate.

All of our parts had a separate bin tray or bin box. That way #194 bulbs and #9004 bulbs weren't in the same box. Made it easier to inventory, easier to sell, and easier to track "shrinkage"...because once in awhile someone would forget to bill a part,and once in awhile someone would steal a part.

If it takes you a month to do inventory, and you don't have $50 million dollars in inventory, then something is wrong with your system. We were running about $5 million in inventory, and our crew could inventory the entire place in a single weekend...including running down variances in the counts...and that was with each bin being counted TWICE by separate teams. Inventory was done by two-person teams, with one person counting and the other person writing down the quantity next to the part number that printed out on the bin sheets. Parts that didn't come up on the bin sheets but that were physically in that bin were added to "write-in" sheets. Any part location errors were usually found by running a multiple bin location report.

I left the multi-line dealership after a few years to pursue another opportunity, and about 5 years later I was back as the parts manager for their then-new Hyundai franchise. Knowing how these people were about giving raises--they usually didn't--I negotiated my best deal going in the door. I didn't get all I wanted for the first six months, but after that I got a raise to what I'd originally asked for, because I was able to produce the results I'd promised. If you have trust issues with the guy, the time to lay them out on the table is BEFORE you agree to go to work for him. Maybe if you sit down and air your grievances--and he might have some grievances with you over your previous tenure there--then you'll each know where the other person stands. If you can work through the grievances and come to an agreement, GET IT IN WRITING...'cause a verbal agreement isn't worth the paper it's NOT written on. And if you can't reach a mutually agreeable employment arrangement, then you can both walk away from the table knowing you'd at least been honest and up-front with one another. You might not get the job, but you might end up with his respect. And you might just walk away with a different perspective on why he does things the way he does.

I worked for a man who was the most brilliant parts department manager I've ever met. He just sucked at being a boss. He was a graduate of the University of Kentucky, and if UK lost a football or basketball game on Saturday, it was a certainty that there'd be hell to pay at work on Monday. This man would throw parts and throw tantrums over the slightest little thing...but usually only on Mondays when UK lost on Saturday, and back then UK's football team was a perennial doormat. After having quit smoking for 5 years, while working for this man I started smoking again. Sometimes I'd have to take a smoke break and walk away, or I'd have probably ended up in a fistfight with him. I finally decided that, despite his mentoring, I was better off working for someone else. He and I have remained professional acquaintances, and I still call and ask him for advice occasionally...but I would never work for him again, because I don't need that level of stress in my life.

That's MY story, and MY advice. Now think about it and do whatever makes YOU happy.

Replies:

• Re: OK, Dave...Here's How I See It... 135 Fan 09:19:46 09/04/10 (0)

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