I still buy most of my stuff from Advance Auto, as they have more selection of oils, OK parts (most of the time) and OK pricing and are more geared for people doing their own work. But, getting waited on is getting to be a pain in the a$$. The poor guys there are spending so much time putting batteries in, and wiper blades for folks and the help there is fewer in number. Even if you get the stuff yourself, you can't get waited on as they don;t have a person dedicated for register anymore. Very frustrating if you are short on time. They seem to be cutting back on stock too. if you do as I do and check their online parts selector, it is not likely they will have a lot of what they show as normal stock. Only had one type of Distributor cap in stock ( a CHEAPO) and poor selection of plugs and so forth. I have no problem with them stocking crap, but they should have better stuff as well without special ordering it. Guess it is a sign of the times, but, their service level is much lower than it used to be. Still better than NAPA( who I use a bit more than I used to) and Autozone, but I wish they would get some freakin help.

I agree with you on checking online for part numbers cause I have had to direst the high scholers behind the counter a few times as to what part I'm actually looking for. But make sure you can get it from your local store first. Just because the part is listed online doesn't mean they can have it or can get it. I needed to replace a wheel sensor on my 95 blazer. Looked the part number up online but there was no pic. The listing didn't say it was a wheel sensor just a speed sensor. So instead of ordering the wrong part I decided to see if they at least had a pic of the part at my local store. Wouldn't you know, they couldn't even order the part. I could get it all day long off the net but the store couldn't order it for me.