THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 5, 1995 TAG: 9507010190
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
Don't feel funny asking David Grady to install the battery you just bought for the car that's powerless in the parking lot.
It's all in a day's work for Grady, a sales clerk at the new Advance Auto Parts.
``What other auto parts store will install a new battery or windshield wiper blades for you right in the parking lot?'' says assistant manager Harold Hobgood. ``And that's at no charge to the customer.''
Advance Auto, which opened at 1271 Benns Church Blvd. across from the Smithfield Shopping Center last month, prides itself on going the extra mile to deliver customer service, manager Dallas Ellis says.
``We pride ourselves on being a people-oriented company,'' Ellis says. ``Our employees receive continuous training that lets them better help customers.''
Perhaps the company's best-known service is the much-advertised ``PDQ'' promise - parts delivered quick - Ellis says. Even if the store does not have a part in stock, customers can order it, and it will be delivered to the store by 8 a.m. the next day.
The store has on staff a parts pro - an assistant manager who has specialized mechanical training to help make sure people buy the correct products.
The Smithfield store is part of a massive expansion Advance is undergoing. Ellis says the Roanoke-based company has been opening 125 stores a year - three a week - for the last two years.
Isle of Wight County and Suffolk have both benefited from that expansion, he says.
The Smithfield store is the company's 507th store. The company also opened a store at 1522 N. Main St. in Suffolk in 1992 and is preparing to open a store on Holland Road this month.
Advance Auto's decision to locate in Smithfield stems from the county's rapid growth in recent years, Ellis says.
``This is a do-it-yourself time, . . . when people are trying to save money by working on their own vehicles,'' Hobgood says. ``We came in to offer these people a bigger break in prices and an alternative place to buy auto parts.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by ALLISON WILLIAMS
Dallas Ellis, left, and Harold Hobgood will manage the new Advance
Auto Parts store in Smithfield.
by CNB