Detore: Most times mom-and-pops know best

Sometimes, conversations around the pool can be just as entertaining as those around a bar. Well, at many industry events, those gathering spots are one in the same.

One such exchange — which occurred poolside in the Dominican Republic on the final day of the recent Gold Trip for Continental dealers — accentuated the importance of the independent tire dealer.

Kerry Gross, the fourth-generation operator of Gross Tire Center in Williamsport, Pa., recounted a story that illustrates just that.

About 20 years ago, Gross and his wife used to frequent a big-box store every Sunday. While his wife shopped for groceries, Gross would peruse the tire department, checking out prices, stock, store cleanliness, etc.

"It was competitive research," Gross said. "I knew the layout of the store, what tires were in what aisles. ... The whole place was laid out in the back of my mind."

While in the shop one day, one of his father's customers drove his recently purchased, late-model Ford van to the store. The customer had bought a studded snow tire at a yard sale, and he wanted to purchase a second from Gross Tire.

One problem: The tire was a private brand label, only sold at that big-box store. Gross told the customer where to buy it, then bring it back to him, and he would stud and mount both tires.

The customer asked Gross to secure the tire so he would get the one he needed.

So Gross called the big-box store and asked for the tire shop. He identified himself and his business, and he explained to the technician that he wanted to purchase this tire, size LT 235/75R15.

"The guy punches some numbers, and says, 'You want P235/75R15?'" Gross said. "I told him, no, I needed an LT 235/75R15."

The technician starts punching in numbers again.

He told Gross he had an LT 235/65R15.

Gross corrected him a second time.

Finally, the technician asked Gross to hold while he checked with the manager. When he returned, he apologized and told Gross the store didn't carry the tire.

"I knew they had it, because I saw it there before," Gross said. "I knew what aisle it was in."

The customer eventually went to the big-box store himself, purchased the tire, and Gross and his crew studded and mounted the tires.

"Many of those workers are inexperienced," Gross said. "It's the difference between a big-box store and a mom-and- pop store."

Customers often call to see if he carries a certain tire size.

"They'll tell me the size, and I'll say, 'Is that for a Ford Escape?' They'll say, 'How did you know that?'" Gross said. "You do it for this long, you just know.

Gross Tire then and now:

"I tell them, 'It's not my first day.'"

It's that know-how, that experience, that institutional knowledge that separates the mom-and-pop independent shops from some of the others.

"If someone calls or comes in, and (the shop technician) can tell what car you drive by the tire size, that has to give you a lot of credibility in their eyes," Gross said. "If my price is $20 higher than (a big-box store), they'll probably buy from me because they think, 'This guy knows what he's doing.'"

In a follow-up conversation from our respective homes, Gross shared two more stories that illustrate the importance of the independent tire dealer.

A lady pulled into Gross Tire for an air pressure check of her tires. She drove an older Chrysler van, he said, and he noticed the tires on the vehicle were not the recommended size for that vehicle.

"She said, 'I never knew that,'" Gross said. "I think showing that kind of knowledge is more valuable than any kind of advertising."

Another time, a customer called the shop irate that a car dealership had told him that Gross Tire had fastened lug nuts incorrectly and that they couldn't be removed.

Gross sent a technician over to the dealership with the proper socket wrench and quickly unlocked the lug nut.

"When you do stuff like that it means a lot to the customer," Gross said. " And it's great for business."

Do some of these stories sound familiar? Do you have any other stories to share that demonstrate the value of the independent tire dealer? If so, email Editor Don Detore at [email protected].