Lawrence Buja (southern@ncar.ucar.edu) writes:
> Anne recently started an interior design business and it has been rather
> eduational to see how differently folks bearing a business card and a
> tax license are treated from the retail paying public at large. [...]
>
> Does anyone on the list have experience doing this with auto parts?
Ahem. I have occasionally received the trade price with a little bit of
verbal posturing, etc., on occasions when it seemed financially advan-
tageous.
I call ahead to check that they've got it, and open the phone call with
something like "Hi, it's Andy from Arlington Heights, who's this?" (This
is true; I happen to live there.) The parts guy, if I'm lucky, will assume
I'm calling from a service place of some sort, Arlington Heights Auto
Repair, or some nondescript nonexistent place like that.
Using a _extreme_ verbal shorthand helps: you rattle off the minimum specs
right away: "'82 Buick 3.8 Code A -- need a water pump -- A/C -- " etc.
Having the correct part number ahead of time helps. "You got it? Great,
someone will stop by today." (Namely, you.) No, thanks, you don't need it
delivered, somebody's in the area already...
I wear a boiler suit, one of those all-encompassing zip-up-the-front jobs,
when I work on my cars, and I make sure I'm wearing it when I go to pick
up the parts. I've been thinking of having a bogus company name embroidered
on it, or at least one of those ubiquitous script-name patches. The filthier
you can look, the better. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. Look bored. Do not wander
the aisles sightseeing.
The guys behind the parts counter are really not interested in getting all
the pricing details exactly right, so with the right combination of bluster
and underplaying your part, you can get wholesale prices with no problem.
Worth a try, anyway. :-)
-- Andy
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