Boycott: Advance Auto Parts

[98gtp]

I am calling for a Boycott of Advance Auto Parts. The reasons for this are the fact of their treatment of their employee's.

On Sunday the 5th of August, my Fiance and I's dog got hit by a car at aprox. 9 a.m.. I got a call at the store from my hysterical Fiance and I hurried home. I go to work on Monday and am told I 'abandoned' my job by leaving(I gave full notice as to why I was leaving and stuck around long enough to know a replacement was on their way) I ended up getting demoted and a pay cut of almost $400 a month for this. Needless to say that pay cut will not make my bills so I notified them that they might want to start looking because I won't be around long. The main reason for the demotion I was told was the fact that I left the Store Manager in the store by himself for 15 minutes. This is done on an almost daily basis so the store can conduct deliveries, but when I brought this up it was just brushed aside.

Anyone with any law info, is this considered Discrimination? Is it worth my time to pursue Legal action? I'm not conserned with any actual retribution other than what my legal fee's may be, I am more conserned with the people that are cause for this mistreatment, and helping to get them removed so they can't do this to anyone else that may end up in my position.

Thanks for any help
Cory

[madmatt9471]

I agree you should not of been treated that way.

It was an emergency situation and you notified the Boss to the best of your knowledge and ability.

I would suggest that you talk to Human Resources and or Corperate and explain what has happened.

More than likely you will get back what you lost and if you are a valued employee and have no other situations or marks you could use this to your advantage!

You should also let them know that you value your job as much as you do your Fiance' and family and would do the same thing for the company if an emergency situation as you did for your family.

Explain it was not your intentions to make waves or hurt the Company if that is what it did but that being an emergency family situation it was necessary that you take the actions you did according to the situation!

Then ask what you could have done different and explain that if this should happen again you'd follow through as they wish or instruct you. And you would help to implement it for the Company policy, if there isn't one already! (If there is a POLICY for this then they should have gone over it with you so that you would know what to do and avoid this situation right now!)

Appologize for the situation and not your actions, Ask for another oppurtunity to show your loyalty to the Company as you do your family and all should be good!

If they don't then let them know (Very Nicely in a good tone and calmness, that you will then take your loyalty to the next company and become a valued employee to them - Although you would like to continue with your loyalty to your current job!)

Always remember that "an answer when in mildness turns away rage!" if you do this and conduct yourself in this manner then they will have no other way to go but to keep such a well spoken and VALUABLE Employee!

Let me know how it goes and keep us all up to date! I do not have an Advance Auto nearby but if they don't take care of you and I'm somewhere and need a part I will pass them by and find another store!

You can believe I'll do this! Just ask EC_TUNE if I stand by my word!

Thanks,Matt

[horist]

I don't think there's really anything you can do legally... did the store manager approve you leaving? If so, then you need to make sure the higher ups know you were given express verbal consent to leave early

If you are part time, or don't have any sick/personal time it can get rough though if your manager is unwilling to work w/you

But if you look at it from the business standpoint (again this is assuming the manager didn't give explicit verbal consent) ... a dog getting hit isn't a huge emergency (I have 3 dogs of my own.. so not being unsympathetic, but from the business's perspective....) If permission to leave early was not granted, then they have grounds to take disciplinary actions

From the sound of it, the store manager isn't being very cooperative, and if this was your first infraction and this was the punishment... it doesn't sound like a place I'd like to work for... could be a blessing in disguise as there may be better paying positions out there that match your skillset.

[WS6FirebirdTA00]

I would, but I am already boycotting Auto Zone. They hire absolute morons and ass holes over there lol

Plus Napa is too expensive lol

[bigmur]

i boycott them because they are all the way on other side of town. Even though they are the smartest out of Napa and Autozone. Autozone just complete idiots and Napa too expensive and dumb. Friend bought U joints for his truck there. Sold him two different ones and when we called to see which was front and rear. They said it wasn't listed in the book. WTF? Ended up being right ones. just had to call Smyth who are idiots too.

Goodluck with everything. They definetely treated you wrong and I would appeal if you can.

[Joe6pt0]

Good luck, talking with your district manager may be your only hope but I wouldn't count on anything changing.

When I was in college, I worked at Advance Auto. I finally got fed up with stupid customers and about a month before I was going to quit due to graduation I told someone who had no idea what they wanted to buy to "come back when they know what the f^@k they want".

Yeah I got fired for that

But on the boycott....I still get a discount there for buying so much stuff all the time for my cars and customer cars so I got to stick to it

[whatsstuckk5]

TIME TO GO TO OREILLYS!!

yeah, i made the switch about 2 and a half months ago. advance auto is a hell hole. a complete and TOTAL hell hole. 3/4 of the people at my oreillys worked for advance and/or autozone at some point. Autozone is just too stupid and advance is too worried about making every penny possible.

My asst (soon to be store) manager has a class action lawsuit against the DM of advance around here. i easily could have persued something along the same lines too.

After working for oreillys for a few weeks i knew how much better it is than advance. the discount is so much better, they treat their employees so much better overall (nice incentive program that EVERYONE equally participates in, depending on hours worked), and i know in this area things are growing so fast that if you want to move up, you will VERY quickly. I was told before i was even hired that being a driver/sales was temp for me, id be moving up real quick.

If you like what it is you were doing and theres an oreillys in your area, get a job there. I busted my ass at advance the entire time i was there (abotu 14 months) and at the whopping age of 20, i knew more than all but maybe 2 of the guys there, out of 19 empolyees there, and they were both MUCH older than me. the people that place hires is rediculous. the way they treat their employees is rediculous. turnover rate is insane around here. Mgt doesn't like anyone who could possibly be a threat to their job (store and upper mgt), i guess partly because they know that if someone under them gets moved up, its because the person at the next rank is getting fired...rarely because the rung above gets a raise.

My year end raise was all of $.07. yes, SEVEN CENTS. about .75% increase. between that and at DM that doesn't know when to keep his bigass mouth shut (telling me some of my mothers PRIVATE information, threatening me for stuff i didn't do, etc etc etc) i told them i was leaving shortly after. told them my last day would be whatever friday it was 2 weeks away...they let me work a week, my store manager tried to get me more money (which ended up being a whole dollar more an hr...what i was doing SERIOUSLY was 12$+/hr there, getting paid 8$...) and told me if i stayed id get every weekend off (i had been told multiple times id get every other weekend off...that NEVER happened, i think i had 3 weekends off in 14 months, all were times i told them i COULDN'T work weeks in advance.

i have a whole laundry list of why i hate that place. I do go by there sometimes to chat with my ex asst manager because hes a real cool fella and if i NEED something i cant get through oreillys or carquest or napa.

[98 SS]

HEY NOW!! Lol, some of us work for Autozone! (I start tomorrow) Although the north store here in town is full of a bunch of idiots. I normally go to O'reileys

[BBA]

I'm sure the manager was a dickhead waiting fore a reason to justify better store margins, and paying you less is one of them.
That or he is a dick and didn't like you to start with.

Just quit and then kick his ass (provided you can).

[kustomjs]

Some of you guys are saying is true about advance because I work at advance and they treat you like SHIT BIG TIME I DONT CARE WHAT ANYBODY SAYS ABOUT ADVANCE BECAUSE ADVANCE IS LIVING HELL HOLE PERIOD.

[codename Bil Doe]

My best Kragen story from h.s.? Some of this stuff you couldn't make up if you tried:

me and friend: We need an alternator for a '69 camaro.

Kragen guy: *typing*....

Kragen guy: *more typing*....

(2 minutes later)

Kragen guy: That was a Ford Camaro, right?

[98 SS]

nice. lol

ive had some dumb questions from guys at work, and I just have to step back and scratch my head......and on the flip side......customers who think they know what theyre talking about

[CashDudeHomie]

Forget advance auto. They had just built a new store here in Waco and I needed a fan relay kit. They were the only chain that carries it. They had just unloaded the truck and knew it was on there, and the guy wouldn't go dig it out. It wasn't busy either. I'm in retail, and if someone wants an item that is in the back sitting on a pallet, I'll downstack to the bottom layer if I have to. And out pallets are 7 feet tall. Auto stores pallets are like 3 or 4 feet. 1 lost customer comes to potentially $1000's in lost sales per year. I haven't been back since this incident, and I tell everyone I know not to go there.

[BTLD_LS1]

I would, but I am already boycotting Auto Zone. They hire absolute morons and ass holes over there lol

Plus Napa is too expensive lol

this man tells the truth

[Bill@HPTuners]

We only have autozone & advance to choose out of here its like pick your poison. They must hire from the same gene pool at both stores so I just make sure I know what I want before I go in there & I still end up getting the "What year/make/model is your vehicle?" question eventhough I tell them the stock number lol.

[EC_Tune]

I liked the one about the "Ford Camaro" best... LOL

[BennyHHR]

Heh, the concept of "customer service" and knowledgeable help is just about extinct in our society.

With the notable exception of here, of course!

[Gregory]

Any kind of written counseling - positive or negative?

[gold98Z28]

I liked the one about the "Ford Camaro" best... LOL

I still end up getting the "What year/make/model is your vehicle?" question eventhough I tell them the stock number lol.

the original 305 out of my race car is in a 48 dodge truck. it is on a 77 nova subframe with a 400TH and 12bolt rear. i always loved that question and the look on there face when i answered it.lol

[EC_Tune]

And always: Does it have air conditioning? Like you can really get a car without it today... LOL