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Login to post Forums » Off-topic discussion » Sears Auto Center (job)

Aug. 17, 2010 5:45 p.m. PHeller Dork

Trying to move to Erie, PA to spend more time with this lady of mine.

Job search has been brutal.

Finally got an interview at Sears Auto Center. Manager was very friendly and driven, but I got the feeling of "shady business tactics" in the commission scheme/pay rate of this place. The whole idea that they pay you a crap base rate then want you to sell "flushes" of random assortment is kind of annoying.

I'd love to be a grease monkey again, but in something less corporate...more mom and pop type place. Trouble with that is finding a Mom and Pop Tire Shop that is hiring.

Opinions?
Aug. 17, 2010 5:50 p.m. barnca Reader

didnt sears get in trouble for stuff like this before?
Aug. 17, 2010 5:52 p.m. pete240z Dork

yeah, I bought shocks and put them on my car myself. Then Sears got busted and I showed up with a shock reciept and got money back? This goes back to the late 1980's?
Aug. 17, 2010 7:01 p.m. DrBoost Dork

I'm currently in a mom and pop shop and the techs are getting screwed royally!! But the pay is decent. I went to a Firestone last week. They told me the going rate for a tech with my experience (about 5 years wrenching professionally, 20 total and about 15 of those ASE certified) and 5 of the 8 ASE certs would be.......are you ready for this...............$.................13.50 per hour..........................FLAT RATE!!!
Good lord man, how can you pay the Snap-On man on that?

God I hate wrenching, but not as much as I hated being unemployed.
Aug. 17, 2010 7:13 p.m. Fit_Is_Slo Reader

Make sure you pay attention in lug nut class!
Aug. 17, 2010 7:43 p.m. pigeon HalfDork

The asbestos removal laborer I was talking to today makes $37/hour to do light demolition and carry bags of asbestos-containing debris materials around while wearing a body condom. Get yourself certified and you can probably get this kind of work. Not as much fun as working in the auto world but that's decent money!
Aug. 17, 2010 8:22 p.m. Ranger50 New Reader

DrBoost wrote:

I'm currently in a mom and pop shop and the techs are getting screwed royally!! But the pay is decent. I went to a Firestone last week. They told me the going rate for a tech with my experience (about 5 years wrenching professionally, 20 total and about 15 of those ASE certified) and 5 of the 8 ASE certs would be.......are you ready for this...............$.................13.50 per hour..........................FLAT RATE!!!
Good lord man, how can you pay the Snap-On man on that?

God I hate wrenching, but not as much as I hated being unemployed.

I'm not surprised. I bet they MIGHT be selling labor at $50/hr or less. I have found that the top flat rate is typically 25%-33% of the labor rate. I have 3yrs DCX dealership experience, 20 odd yrs of on and off wrenching at home, plus I have 4 ASE's and was getting $20/hr FR. Only problem I had was I got all the warranty/impossible fixes and didn't make any money at it. I couldn't upsell any services because I always had 4-6 vehicles with my name attached and a service writer wondering when I was going to get those done. If I was given a chance, I easily could have made $ doing bullchit money making services.

Brian
Aug. 17, 2010 8:25 p.m. jamscal Dork

pigeon wrote:

The asbestos removal laborer I was talking to today makes $37/hour to do light demolition and carry bags of asbestos-containing debris materials around while wearing a body condom. Get yourself certified and you can probably get this kind of work. Not as much fun as working in the auto world but that's decent money!

From My Name is Earl:

Randy:

I don't know why people complain about this asbestos stuff. (sniffs the air) it doesn't smell so bad.
Aug. 18, 2010 4:30 p.m. iceracer Dork

I had a dealer tell me that he bases his techs pay at 1/3 of his labor rate. Much like ranger 50 said.
Aug. 18, 2010 6:38 p.m. DrBoost Dork

Man, I wish I got 1/3. Our labor rates start at $95 and go as high as $145. and when you average my hourly and commission I get maybe 21 on a good week.
Aug. 18, 2010 7:01 p.m. Ranger50 New Reader

Our effective labor rate was 70/hr. GM paid right at $77/hr, Chrysler was $72/hr, customer pay was $95/hr for real work and $50/hr for maintenance work.

Now I did work at a different dealer and they had a "hi-tech" labor payscale for techs, which amounted to instead of say, $15/hr, you got double that for $30. That got old because they would find a way to not pay the higher rate, even though there was a posted sheet of what kind of work qualified for that rate.

Brian
Aug. 18, 2010 10:38 p.m. John Brown SuperDork

Some Sears stores have had monstrous employee turn over since the new pay plan hit, there are guys who work with it and cash out like bandits and guys that starve.

What you will need is a good relationship with your Customer Service Rep, you know the guy responsible for selling what you are quoting. Remember Sears is there for 1: BATTERIES 2: TIRES/ALIGNMENTS 3: BRAKES 4: TUNE/MAINTENANCE but that last category has the highest GP off all the rest and will affect your pay more.

Good luck.

I always suggest to people getting into (or back into) auto mechanics to seriously consider being a carny before making that jump. At least with the carnival people will respect you.
Aug. 18, 2010 10:49 p.m. neon4891 SuperDork

John Brown wrote:

I always suggest to people getting into (or back into) auto mechanics to seriously consider being a carny before making that jump. At least with the carnival people will respect you.

I wish I had that advice before I spent 2 years of vocation school an 1 semester of collage in an auto program.
Aug. 18, 2010 11:46 p.m. VanillaSky HalfDork

In reply to John Brown:

Yeah, but carnies creep me the berkeley out.
Aug. 19, 2010 12:25 a.m. neckromacr New Reader

PHeller wrote: Finally got an interview at Sears Auto Center. Manager was very friendly and driven, but I got the feeling of "shady business tactics" in the commission scheme/pay rate of this place. The whole idea that they pay you a crap base rate then want you to sell "flushes" of random assortment is kind of annoying.

Welcome to Corporate chain automotive repair.

Sears has been hovered over for scams for so long they've acted in an overly cautious in most of their policy writing. Its not that they're alone in this, they just keep getting caught with their pants down. It's like they're the BP of automotive repair.

That said they were probably the least crooked of all the places I've worked for, mostly for the reason mentioned above, but take it for what it is. If nothing else use it as a starting point to provide a paycheck until you can find a decent mom and pop place.
Aug. 19, 2010 1:02 a.m. VanillaSky HalfDork

In reply to neckromacr:

And we all know that as soon as he gets this job, he's gonna find one at a Mom and Pop place. I've never had a serious job offer unless I already had a job that I performed well. In hindsight, I should have taken at least one of those offers.
Aug. 19, 2010 7:37 a.m. spitfirebill Dork

I can't say I been treated any worse at Sears that I have at Firestone. Now those guys were thieves. But that was a long time ago.

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