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[USER=5464]@Chris Leslie[/USER] pretty much nailed it...you have to do what you have to do to get paid and feed your family.  However, this is something that haunts me constantly as my entrepreneurial side sees so much potential here.


I would love to put some real effort into this at my current dealership, but they are maxed out on techs and bays with little room for growth foreseeable.  I think this is a rampant issue at many dealers right now.  For the others, though, there is blood in the water and the real sharks should be in the middle of it.


Do a few simple searches:  oil change near me, brake repair, where can i get my front end aligned


The usual suspects are all there...WalMart, Sears, etc.  Lately, though, I am starting to see a lot of smaller, more local shops and chains show up in both paid and organic ads.  They get it...and they will kill for that traffic because that's what hungry small business types do.  We have evolved from ZMOT to Micro Moments and the smart guys (and gals [USER=8571]@ChrisH[/USER]!) are figuring out what they need to do to be there when that moment arrives.


Fixed Ops isn't all gloom and doom, either.  Parts departments offer accessories to personalize our whips, give advice and sell parts to weekend warriors and hardcore DIY'ers.  As I type this, I'm looking out my window at a brand new Auto Zone going up in a tiny-ass town that already has an O'Reilly.  You think they don't smell the blood in the water?  41 consecutive quarters of double-digit growth leads me to believe they know what they are doing.  And my parts department is in for a rude awakening...