Two weeks ago I shopped for tires on the internet. I found that my local tire store has an excellent interactive website. You can search tires by many different criteria. Maybe doesn't mean much to the average person, but I dug it. Tons of specs, too. I had noticed that you could "reserve" tires and make an appointment online to have them installed. So I did. But there was a $20 "shipping and handling" fee FOR EACH TIRE to have them delivered from the warehouse to your local tire store. So now that's MY responsibility? Alternately, you could have them delivered free to your house.
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Last Saturday I was in an extremely bad mood because of the home repair problem I was dealing with. I had to get a part at the local plumbing supply, and the parts counter guy was kind of a jerk. Ooh, you know more about plumbing parts than I do, so you're a big man now. Jerk.
So I stopped by the local tire store on the way home after that to check prices in person. I already knew that if I got any lip from these guys I would go off! So I go to the counter and the guy asks if he can help me.
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Me: "I'd like some prices on tires"
Tire guy: "$74.99, $89.99, $95.99..."
Me: "No, I'd like prices on tires for my car"
TG: "Oh, what kind of car is it then?"
Me: (starts laughing!)
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My point is, his timing and delivery were perfect, and his little joke was exactly how I think most of the time, so it struck me as very funny to have it done to me, especially when I wasn't expecting it and since it wasn't done in a mean tone, just like he was having a little fun.
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So I asked about the online pricing and he outright admitted that the in-store prices were $20 higher for each tire. He said the fee was a ploy to keep the prices low, and yet be able to charge the customer more to cover the increased prices of gas and materials. Wow. His candor was so refreshing that my respect for the guy instantly increased. For once a counter person that told the truth. I had suspected the real reason for the fee, and it made me feel good, one; that I was right, and two; that this guy wasn't trying to BS me about it.
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I mentioned how this fee didn't apply if you had the tires shipped to you home, but that was puzzling to me since most people don't have $10,000 tire mounting and balancing machines. He laughed and agreed, and said that people would have to bring the tires in to have them mounted and balanced anyway, so they just charge more for that. Again, exactly what I figured.
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So my mood was instantly lightened, I suppose by the knowledge that my assumptions were correct, and that at least my local tire guy wasn't going to BS me about it. None of which made the cost of the tires cost any less, unfortunately. Be prepared, the price of tires has gone way up.
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I had the tires put on yesterday, at my appointed time, quickly and without drama. See the nice little nibs? I got Kelly Navigator Golds (ooh, gold), and I am happy with them. I remember I had Kellys on my S10, and got like 70,000 miles from them. I must be easy on equipment or something. I looked up the last time I put tires on the daily-driver and was shocked to discover I got about 70,000 miles from them as well. Nice.
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