Getting my tires rotated is a pain. The tire shop where I bought them offers free rotations, but I prefer not to get my oil changed or get other maintenance there.
In the past, I have actually paid to have them rotated at my mechanic’s shop while he was working on other things. I am tight with my money, so when I say I would rather pay than make an extra trip to the tire shop for a free rotation, that is saying something.
But tonight after work, I made a beeline for the tire shop. I was prepared to leave the car overnight so they could complete the rotation in the morning. My wife was “on standby” to come pick me up after I dropped it off. My plan was beautifully prepared and ready to be executed.
But a funny thing happened when I pulled into the tire shop. I parked right in front because there was not a single other car in the lot. I got out of my car and suspiciously eyeballed the front door to see if they were open. Yep, I could see employees inside.
I walked through the empty lobby and approached the counter. The manager took my name & address. Then…
“How many miles do you have on the car?”
I hemmed and hawed.
“Just give me an estimate. It doesn’t need to be exact. 80,000? 100,000?”
“Less than a million.”
“Good enough. I’ll need your key.”
He took the key and handed it to one of the two men standing next to him, and he raced out to my car to move it inside.
I immediately called my wife to tell her I didn’t think I would need her to pick me up. But she had a crisis going on and couldn’t talk. ”I’ll call you back”, she said.
I sat down and looked around. It was 4:30 and I was the only one in the lobby, and now there were no cars in the parking lot. Glenn Beck was talking to me on the television. I ignored all these distractions and opened up the book I brought. At least I could get a few pages read while I wait.
About this time, the door from the shop opens and the manager tells me my car is ready. Even though he has a big smile on his face, he is actually breathing heavy from his exertion.
It turns out that he had every employee in the shop, including himself, rotating my tires NASCAR-style. ”I haven’t done anything like that in 10 years” he said to one of the mechanics.
They couldn’t have had my car for 3 minutes before they returned it back to me. I pulled out of the parking lot by 4:35.
I am not going to dread my next visit to the tire shop. In fact, I am already looking forward to it.
This story was great. I bet those guys were pretty proud of themselves and their speed.
By: Clarice on March 30, 2011
at 3:23 pm
All three of the guys who worked on the car walked into the lobby together. Every one of them was all smiles. Yes, I think they enjoyed getting the opportunity to do something different. I guess I made their day, too!
By: stevekking on March 30, 2011
at 3:44 pm