Post your shop monthly car counts

[autoguy]

Please post your shop's monthly average car counts.

 

Please include:

 

Average monthly count: 180

How many bays: 3

Hours of operation: M-F 8-5 Sat 8-12

[Joe Marconi]

Monthly Car counts: 480 to 525

Bays: 6 (soon to add 4 more)

Hours of operation: Mon-Fri 8-6, Sat 8-3

[Roddor]

Monthly Car counts: 1

Bays: 1

Hours of operation: most weekends some weekdays

Number of employees 1/2 + 1/4

 

this is some slight humor. Good to see what you guys are putting through the doors

[Joe Marconi]

You had me for a second.

[autoguy]

Monthly Car counts: 1

Bays: 1

Hours of operation: most weekends some weekdays

Number of employees 1/2 + 1/4

 

this is some slight humor. Good to see what you guys are putting through the doors

 

 

That was a good one....

[Vegas14]

4 Bays - average 210 cars monthly

Mon - Fri 7:30-5:30

Every other Sat 8:00 - 2:00

[xrac]

Please post your shop's monthly average car counts.We had 379 cars in March.

 

Average monthly count: 350

 

How many bays: 7

 

Hours of operation: M-F 7-5:30 Sat 7-3

[davidlee]

2 bays + alignment bay

167 cars monthly

1 "A" tech

1 "C" tech

 

M-F 8-5

 

Send me cars!!!

Edited May 1, 2009 by davidlee

[autoguy]

2 bays + alignment bay

167 cars monthly

1 "A" tech

1 "C" tech

 

M-F 8-5

 

Send me cars!!!

 

Hey Davidlee, how many cars keep syour guys busy and productive? Did you ever think about Saturdays to increase car count? I always ask this of shops that are open M-F only. Just curious.

[Joe Marconi]

What is your lacation? What type of marketing do you do?

[Jeff Monson]

4 bays + 1 alignment rack

 

4.5 techs

 

322 is our average monthly car count for 2009

 

4 "a" techs

 

M-F

 

8-5:30

[Joe Marconi]

Are sales for 2009 better, worse or the same as 2008?

 

Have you ever openned up Saturdays? Would you consider it to increase sales?

[Jeff Monson]

Are sales for 2009 better, worse or the same as 2008?

 

Have you ever openned up Saturdays? Would you consider it to increase sales?

 

Sales are up 7% over 2008, not great but a nice increase

 

We have never opened on Saturdays and I would never consider it unless I was facing going out of business.

I opened a shop to avoid all the Saturdays that I had to work at a dealership. I wont go back down that road again. Plus I enjoy the outdoors and my family and most of the time 2 days does not seem like enough!!!!

[xrac]

Sales are up 7% over 2008, not great but a nice increase

 

We have never opened on Saturdays and I would never consider it unless I was facing going out of business.

I opened a shop to avoid all the Saturdays that I had to work at a dealership. I wont go back down that road again. Plus I enjoy the outdoors and my family and most of the time 2 days does not seem like enough!!!!

 

Our sales are down less than 1% for the year. We still have hopes of topping last year. May, June, August, and September were soft.

[Joe Marconi]

Do not hope, my good friend. Hope is never a plan for sucess. Look at you sales figures and make it your goal to reach that goal. Less than1%???? You can top that, I know you can.

 

Put together a sales plan to reach a certain sales goal for each job, each day, each week, each month.

 

Don't say hope....Say, "I WILL do better than last year!"

 

Stay positive and positive things will come your way

 

Joe

[xrac]

Our sales are down less than 1% for the year. We still have hopes of topping last year. May, June, August, and September were soft.

 

Thanks I needed that!

[Joe Marconi]

Anytime!

[Southeast Tire Co.]

3 locations-----

 

#1 - Service and Tire sales (new location so I only have October's numbers)

 

Monthly count: 75 (Oct. 09)

How many bays: 4

Hours of operation: M-F 7:30-5:30

1 A Tech

1 Tire tech

 

#2 - Tires Only

 

Monthly Count: 750 (give or take)

2 Bays

8-7M-F, 8-5 Sa

3 Tire Techs

 

#3 - Tires Only

 

Monthly Count: 450 (give or take)

4 Bays

8-7M-F, 8-2 Sa

3 tire Techs

 

Keep in mind that 75% of our tire sales are used tires and we are doing only tires at #2 and #3. Hence the fast turnaround and the high counts.

[Joe Marconi]

Your # 1 location is a different business model?

[xrac]

3 locations-----

 

#1 - Service and Tire sales (new location so I only have October's numbers)

 

Monthly count: 75 (Oct. 09)

How many bays: 4

Hours of operation: M-F 7:30-5:30

1 A Tech

1 Tire tech

 

#2 - Tires Only

 

Monthly Count: 750 (give or take)

2 Bays

8-7M-F, 8-5 Sa

3 Tire Techs

 

#3 - Tires Only

 

Monthly Count: 450 (give or take)

4 Bays

8-7M-F, 8-2 Sa

3 tire Techs

 

Keep in mind that 75% of our tire sales are used tires and we are doing only tires at #2 and #3. Hence the fast turnaround and the high counts.

 

With the recession and chinese embargo are you having a hard time coming up with enough used tires? The guys around here just about kill to get a hold of 14" and 15".

[Southeast Tire Co.]

With the recession and chinese embargo are you having a hard time coming up with enough used tires? The guys around here just about kill to get a hold of 14" and 15".

 

 

Well, we operate a little differently than most used tires shops. Most of them will get their tires from salvage yards or they pay new tire dealers for their usable take-offs. The larger shops sometimes buy their tires in bulk wholesale loads.

 

We go the wholesale load route but we do it a little differently than most. I am partnered with 7 shops throughout South Louisiana and we pool our resources to purchase bulk loads. We have a processing facility where we sort, clean, test, repair, and distribute according to each shop's inventory. The advantage of this is we are able to have a steady supply of limited quantity, fast-moving sizes (14", 15", some 16" cars). A single shop would have to sell roughly 55% of a bulk load to break even on it and, once they do, all of the good selling sizes are already gone leaving only slower moving tires. We avoid that by spreading that slow moving stuff out amongst the partners so we are able to keep those highly desired sizes (195/70/14. 235/75/15, 215/70/15, 225/60/16, etc.) on hand much more than our competitors.

 

With the implementation of the Chinese tire embargo, we have actually seen an increase in business as more people are bargain hunting. Supply has not been an issue and we don't expect it to be.

[Southeast Tire Co.]

Your # 1 location is a different business model?

 

Well, it is currently being run a dual business model. I took the former owner's service model and put in my tire sales model and haven't really done too much to combine the two yet. To be honest, I am not a mechanic and have taken the cautious route with the management of the service side. I am learning every day with the help of a great manager that I hired but I am still a little weak on the overall model plan.

 

I am currently viewing the operation as a generic business, looking at overall gross profit margin rather than productivity, parts margin, etc. I do intend to use more traditional metrics as soon as I find out what the hell they are and what they mean!!!! That is why I am here. I will have questions to this effect shortly.

[Joe Marconi]

You must be in a different market. There is not a market for used tires when I am. We do pretty good with new, only.

[xrac]

You must be in a different market. There is not a market for used tires when I am. We do pretty good with new, only.

 

Joe it is a totally different market in the deep south. I have only been to northern LA but I once did contracting work in Jackson, MS. It was totally different. A lot of vehicles there would probably not be allowed on the road in NY. Because the weather is warm snow and ice is not an issue and people tend to get by with tires that would get you in toruble in the north.

[Southeast Tire Co.]

Joe it is a totally different market in the deep south. I have only been to northern LA but I once did contracting work in Jackson, MS. It was totally different. A lot of vehicles there would probably not be allowed on the road in NY. Because the weather is warm snow and ice is not an issue and people tend to get by with tires that would get you in toruble in the north.

 

 

It is true. In fact, we buy our used tires from the Northeast. You wouldn't believe what people come in on all the time. It is a very good market for used tires.

[Joe Marconi]

I never considered the use tire market. Do you have major tire stores in the area? Firestone? Goodyear? PepBoys? Etc?

[Southeast Tire Co.]

I never considered the use tire market. Do you have major tire stores in the area? Firestone? Goodyear? PepBoys? Etc?

 

 

Both of my tire-only stores have 3-4 major chain stores with 5 miles of them. In fact, they are a major source of new customer leads. Many of them give out our cards to customers who can't afford or aren't willing to pay new tire prices.

 

It is really a different business and their is some liability risk. In fact, the last issue of Tire Business had an short section from the SEMA show discussing dealerships selling used tires. Many of the dealership owners agree that if it is done right, there is a tremendous upside. As long as you have a good quality control system to screen tires, the risk is relatively low in my opinion.

 

What do you do with your take-offs that are potentially reusable Joe?

[Joe Marconi]

All tires are sent back to my supplier. I don't know what they do with them. My tire supplier is a major wholesaler tire distibutor for new tires in my area.

 

Year ago in the 70's, (when I started in this business) I worked in a gas station in the Bronx, NY. We did save used tires that were later sold. But, since I opened my business in 1980, I have always sold new.

[Southeast Tire Co.]

All tires are sent back to my supplier. I don't know what they do with them. My tire supplier is a major wholesaler tire distibutor for new tires in my area.

 

Year ago in the 70's, (when I started in this business) I worked in a gas station in the Bronx, NY. We did save used tires that were later sold. But, since I opened my business in 1980, I have always sold new.

 

 

So your new tire supplier actually picks up every tire junk tire that you have? I've never heard of that. Is that common practice?

 

Here in Louisiana, every tire sale must have a $2 disposal fee attached to it. We pay the state monthly and we must use a state designated tire recycling company to haul off the junk tires. We get audited yearly and you darn well better have proof showing that you paid for the number that you disposed of or more. In my case, I pay for about 20% more in disposal fees than than actual tires that I dispose of. This is mostly because many of the tires that I remove on new tire sales are able to be resold so they don't get disposed.

[Joe Marconi]

We also are mandated by the state to charge $2.50 per tire. We keep 25cents of the $2.50. The tire companies do not charge us and will take as many tires as we pruchase. If we get a delivery of 10 tires, they take 10 old tires.

[xrac]

So your new tire supplier actually picks up every tire junk tire that you have? I've never heard of that. Is that common practice?

 

Here in Louisiana, every tire sale must have a $2 disposal fee attached to it. We pay the state monthly and we must use a state designated tire recycling company to haul off the junk tires. We get audited yearly and you darn well better have proof showing that you paid for the number that you disposed of or more. In my case, I pay for about 20% more in disposal fees than than actual tires that I dispose of. This is mostly because many of the tires that I remove on new tire sales are able to be resold so they don't get disposed.

 

We sell mostly new tires but I do save the very best used tires and sell them but I only hang onto popular sizes. The marginal used tires I hang on to and sell to a used tire shop locally for $2-$3 each. Everything else gets disposed of by a licensed recycler for $1.25 per tire. We do have quite a few tires awaiting disposal grabbed by used tire scavengers. The State of Indiana makes us collect a whopping $0.25 per tire as a state fee. We charge our customers $2.00 disposal plus the $0.25.

[Joe Marconi]

We only charge a tire disposal when someone brings us their own tires to dispose of. ($2.50 per tire).

[xrac]

So your new tire supplier actually picks up every tire junk tire that you have? I've never heard of that. Is that common practice?

 

Here in Louisiana, every tire sale must have a $2 disposal fee attached to it. We pay the state monthly and we must use a state designated tire recycling company to haul off the junk tires. We get audited yearly and you darn well better have proof showing that you paid for the number that you disposed of or more. In my case, I pay for about 20% more in disposal fees than than actual tires that I dispose of. This is mostly because many of the tires that I remove on new tire sales are able to be resold so they don't get disposed.

 

I thought of you when I read this:

 

http://www.autoshopowner.com/network/index...7&qpid=5062

 

Used Tire Collector Charged With Laundering

December 09, 2009

 

A Harvey, La., man was arrested for filing false public records after investigators accused him of effectively “laundering” used tires.

 

According to reports, the man was a waste tire transporter who was reimbursed by the state’s waste tire program for collecting used tire for recycling. Investigators said the man took some of the collected tires, cleaned them up and then sold them, and altered his collection records in order to collect state reimbursement.

 

The man primarily operated in the New Orleans area, officials said.

[Joe Marconi]

Of all the business I can think of, an illegal used tire business is not one of them.

[Southeast Tire Co.]

Of all the business I can think of, an illegal used tire business is not one of them.

 

 

It wouldn't surprise me one bit if this is more widespread than just this one guy. I know for a fact that some of guys on the collection trucks "lose" some here and there. That is one thing, but defrauding a state governing body? Not smart.

[Joe Marconi]

Let me tell you, I have been around the block more than a few times and the effort some people put into underhanded things is incredible. If these people focus the same energy in something legitimate, they would be millionaires.

[xrac]

Our sales are down less than 1% for the year. We still have hopes of topping last year. May, June, August, and September were soft.

 

By turning in a strong November and December we managed to barely eck ahead of last years sales. All in all it was a decent year despite the economy. We had to work very hard to accomplish this. The month that hurt us the most was September. We have high hopes for the coming year and are going to work to make this the year we cross the $1,000,000 in sales plateau.

 

As you all can see I am the life of the party. Here I am posting this on New Year'sEve. Happy New Year to all. May we all work to help, support, and encourgae each other. May 2010 be a record year sales and profits wise for all of us. God bless!

[Joe Marconi]

Posting on New Year's Eve...you deserve a medal, you are a trooper!

 

I am glad to see the year ended on a positive note for you. We are not out of the woods yet with respect to the economy, but we have all weathered the storm and have become stronger.

 

Our sales were up significantly due to our expansion. Our challenge for 2010 will be to keep the momentum going.

 

I too wish everyone a healthy, prosperous and joyful New Year!

[xrac]

Posting on New Year's Eve...you deserve a medal, you are a trooper!.......

 

Some people my say that I have no life! Actually I worked today and we had a great day, really busy. Because I couldn't get a reservations at the restaurant I wanted on New Year's Eve I took my wife out an evening early and we enjoyed a nice, relaxing romantic dinner on Wednesday night instead.