A Changing Customer Focus
You can't blame management at major auto parts retailers for accommodating trends in majority consumer behavior, they're whole existence depends on it. Recent research, retail trade journal articles, and your own observations may explain the drop in service level from the perspective of serious DIY'ers and performance enthusiasts, like us. According to the national auto parts retailer, today's DIY car-care consumer has shifted and most likely what you are doing as a performance Ford enthusiast no longer fits the majority profile. This doesn't mean that retailers don't want your hard parts business, it just means they are concentrating on a simpler kind of DIY'er. One who is performing only light automotive maintenance and has a compulsion for appearance items, accessories, and the occasional mini-bike. You see, in the eyes of retailers, a consumer who uses any one of five new Armor All "Wipes" or tops off their coolant reservoir is also "hands-on". According to reports this class of lightweight DIY'er is showing rapid growth. Trends and growth are what shareholders ultimately care about. Subsequently, national chains are going to hone in on what's hot. Here are a few excerpts from various trade magazines regarding the changing face of today's DIY "auto parts" consumer:

Interesting insights into consumer behavior in DIY automotive maintenance can be found in a study released this year by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association. The study, called "The Aftermarket Consumer," showed that 76% of consumers performed some type of DIY work on their vehicles in the past year. The most common job was adding windshield washer fluid, performed by 65.9% of consumers, then windshield wiper blade replacement (44%) and addition of antifreeze (34.5%).
From DSN Retailing, July 2005

Products that make a vehicle look good rather than run better are leading growth at retail as time-strapped consumers find car care a much easier task than repair, which continues shifting toward the Do-It-For-Me market. Sales of appearance products, including car washes, waxes, cleaners and protectants, grew 5% last year by vendors' estimates. The greatest growth has been in easy-use items, resulting in a flood of innovative new products.
From DSN Retailing, February 2003

While DIY repair is in decline, keeping up a car's appearance remains popular. Meanwhile, technical advancements in interior and exterior materials in vehicles, such as clear coat finishes and synthetic fabrics, have created demand for specialized car-care products. Sales of leather cleaners, for example, grew 30% in 2002 due to the popularity of leather interiors in new vehicles.
From DSN Retailing, December 2003

A clear indicator that chain store marketing departments have acknowledged a "softening" of the average DIY'er is evident by a store's product arrangement. Products on the retail floor represent the demographic a chain store marketing department has deemed most important. These days, you'll most likely find a cleaning product to shine every composite material ever used to make a car part in aisle one. After you have become lightheaded from trying to differentiate the eight options in leather care, be careful not to clip the unanchored pyramid of windshield washer fluid on the way to the cash register.

Unfortunately, serving a simpler DIY'er with yet another cleaning agent may be having an effect on the chain's qualifications for employable counter help. If the rapid growth segment and corporate focus is on appearance items that require little sales support, what's the point of securing technical employees to serve DIY'ers like us? Employees who can't locate a part by number or by matching a used part. Better yet, why make the effort of hiring a well-versed employee who truly understands the DIY'er when that can be handled by a clever set of paper brochures or a PDF on the corporate website. After all, a set of brochures is cheaper than paying a premium for somebody with know-how and the ability to empower themselves behind the counter, right?

So What Are You Going To Do?
The answer. As a hands-on performance Ford enthusiast you may want to stop comparing today's major retailer counter help to the ideal service you once received from the independent stores of yesteryear. The stores that actually smell like lithium grease and machining fluid. If there is still an independent shop like this in your area, that can provide personalized service with an employee who is both aware and empowered, then by all means, help keep them alive. If this cannot be found, your new quality parts counter may be behind the computer. The collective knowledge of members who take the time to help fellow enthusiasts through communities like this one can make up for what can no longer be found within the walls of Kragen, Pep Boys, or AutoZone. By planning your purchases a few days ahead and gathering the information you need online, you may not have to visit today's auto parts stores quite as often. That is, unless you run out of Armor All® Extreme Tire Shine on Saturday evening an hour before you go "rollin' rollin' rollin" to the 50 cent concert.