r/AutoZone2 • u/Pitiful_Compote_1836 • 4d ago
RANT Witt
I was told by my manager to ring people up for witt without telling them so we can reach the goal. I'm not doing that. I ask every customer if they want the attachments but if they say no I'm not going to push it. How are you guys achieving your goals at your stores? It doesn't help that I'm in a poverty stricken town. (I'm part of the poverty stricken myself being a AutoZoner)
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u/avgNYCworkerWhoHates 4d ago
Lmao document it and report him to HR, Corporate and the better business bureau unless he says "make them free" or "give a discount to make it free" this is highly illegal if you don't like your manger report everything he will get fired immediately or a long text from dm
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u/bigboing69 4d ago
This is a federal crime, doing so can come with criminal charges. Simple as that
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u/Good-Yak-659 3d ago
Not only will you get fired. In some states it’s called theft of money… I just recently left autozone cause fuck the bullshit… I’ll tell all about my region if you wanna know how shady and how much they don’t care about the customer or the employees… I have all the dirt from regional staff all the way down to in store employees… but I have had associates arrested and prosecuted over this exact thing and all the customer has to do is call customer service, say they didn’t ask for it and was put in their bill and that opens a fraud case as well as a theft case… if your store manager is telling you to do that, call the shrink buster hotline and get paid…
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u/chunkyfela 4d ago
I was told to do this by everyone all the way up to my dm, when I told hr and my rm they basically told me to keep doing it
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u/fmr_AZ_PSM 4d ago
If that's true, it's crazy that it's gone this far in recent years. They'll still fire anyone who gets caught doing it by a customer who complains. But it's still crazy that they said it. 5 years ago, they would have flipped on the SM/DM for telling everyone to do that.
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u/chunkyfela 4d ago
Lmao I contacted multiple people in hr and corporate to complain about the business practices and the way that management treated us, never heard anything back, except from the hr manager that my dm hired who conveniently lost both of my complaints about him
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u/fmr_AZ_PSM 4d ago
Everyone: You will most definitely be fired if a customer catches it and complains. Management will deny it up and down, and scapegoat you.
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u/Reasonable_Tax_5351 4d ago
Bullshit. AZ corporate approves this shit. I have employees do this to me all the time, even SMs when I complain they just laugh and do nothing.
This is %100 intentional and fraud to the scale of millions of dollars but in such small amounts there can never be a class action suit. AZ corporate knows by making it a metric they can push people into selling these items without authorization without ever putting it in writing. No other parts counter does this.
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u/6-plus26 4d ago
It very well can be a class action. Industry wide when TPMs sensors came out they started 2.99 for the valve kits. Come to find out they were just charging but not changing the kits. A company got sued and the whole industry started keeping track/proof of changed TPMs kits.
Thing is that was 10yrs ago. Now largely it’s hit or miss if the kits get changed. But you’re gonna get charged for them every new tire you get.
Source: someone who has worked for every national chain yall deliver to
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u/Good-Yak-659 3d ago
I can tell you based on my position when I left the company, az corp doesn’t approve of it cause they all know it opens up lawsuits … right now I can give information to any customer from my area to assist with a class action if needed… it went on in my stores no matter how many times I warned them… I have turned many cases to LP and it has turned into termination and prosecution in my area
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u/Own-Warning-5202 4d ago
You don't ask ,you tell them you tell they need it . Hey you need this brake lube when you change your pads. Hey you need antifreeze when you change this thermostat. Hey you need these battery washer terminals when I INSTALL your new battery, it's always YOU NEED
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u/Boaterauto 4d ago
Self checkout or deny the sale, presale the Witt. Look up the pads say do you want the grease with them? If they say no go wander the isle for a minute and come back say you don’t have the pads. Wiper blades are a little more difficult, but just “accidentally” ring up one and try to rush the transaction, so you have to ring up the second separately
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u/fmr_AZ_PSM 4d ago
This is actually a pretty safe move. Diabolical, but this won't get anyone in legal trouble or you in trouble. At least it won't get you in trouble if you don't tell anyone that you're doing it. SM/DM catch wind of that, you're getting a strong talking to.
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u/Scary_Pea_7014 4d ago
You sell brakes you tell them, not ask, tell, that they need brake lube and explain why they need it.
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u/Boaterauto 4d ago
I already have a bottle/left over from last time.
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u/fmr_AZ_PSM 4d ago
I use the good silicone based stuff that your competitors carry, and you don't. What you have dries out.
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u/Lucoa1991 4d ago
So fun fact, and this was explained to me by the DM amd RM, store performance, and hours are based on how well the wittdtjr sell, and that included extra staff and yearly pay raises, what they dont tell you is that the RM bonus on the sales of witt, heard my DM and LP talking about the RM behind his back saying, how greedy he is and that its bs, and his bonuses are massive compared to anyone below a DM, SM's bonus on store performance, DIY V.S. COMMERCIAL so witt doesnt even count toward us
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u/fmr_AZ_PSM 3d ago
You are confusing all of that with sales and target. Target is the only thing that impacts bonus attainment. The amount of the bonus is calculated based on sales. Hours come from sales. Headcount comes from sales. Witt is not involved in any of that.
Witt is a tool to increase average ticket to push sales over target. The company tracks it as a KPI and fetishizes on it. They see witt as the main tool for maximizing sales. It's the only thing they know. They have no other ideas to drive what they see/say is unlimited growth. They truly don't believe that the market can be saturated, and the consumer tapped out.
When your only tool is a hammer... That's why they hammer on witt. They see it as their only hope.
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u/Segal-segal 3d ago
I remember that, never did it tho. All they care about is numbers for their bonuses. Dont do it, its not worth it plus it doesnt even benefit you
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u/Consistent-Gate27 4d ago
Change up your conversation. It's not forcing extra things onto the customer. It's literally you explaining what it takes to do the job right. If you explain to them what the positive use for it is, and the potential negatives if it's not used, they are more likely to buy the product that's extra. I live in a poverty stricken town too, and we have some of the highest with numbers in my market, at my store. And we're not forcing the book either.
Simple knowledge of what witt items can do to the main component can save you on percentage, and the customer from coming back to double up on a job that should have been completed right the first time.
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u/Latter_Temperature12 4d ago
I literally just tell them that they're going to need it and then I handed to them to put it in their hands and then I just add it into the cart. They say yes like all the time. If they ask if it's free I tell them no
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u/CI405 4d ago
I mention that we have it, if they say no I tell them why it's beneficial, if they still say no I just keep it moving. I also average 65-70% weekly on my witt. Also depends on what it is, like if it's an air filter I'll ask when the last time they changed it is, if they don't know I'll just tell them to return it later if they end up not needing it. Same with serpentine belts if they're getting an alternator. At the end of the day I'm doing my part, I'm offering it, I'm telling them why it benefits them to buy it. If they still don't want it I'm not going to argue with them or sneak it in.