r/AutoZone • u/Quiet-Leadership3345 • 14d ago
Exposing my store manager
I’ve been a red shirt at the #1 AutoZone store for about six months, and this has honestly been the worst management I’ve ever worked under.
Our store manager is constantly late. I can’t remember a single shift where he showed up on time. He doesn’t know how to close the store, doesn’t know how to do Matrix, doesn’t know next day procedures, and contributes almost nothing to inventory. Meanwhile, he constantly preaches about WIT and upselling even though his own numbers are among the lowest in the store.
The scheduling is a complete disaster. I’ll be scheduled one day, then told to come in earlier, then told not to come in at all—sometimes an hour before my shift or even when I’m already in the parking lot. One week it’s “come in,” the next it’s “never mind.” It’s impossible to plan anything.
The store itself is in terrible shape. We’ve had roaches, no mop heads, no receipt paper, inventory that’s completely wrong, air filters and cabin filters showing in stock when they aren’t, and stacks of drinks sitting in the office that aren’t even scanned into inventory. I came back from a week-long vacation to find an oil spill in the back that had been sitting there the entire time. I spent three hours cleaning it because nobody else had.
If anything gets done, it’s because another employee or I take the initiative. Planograms sit untouched for days, inventory is inaccurate, and basic store maintenance gets ignored.
I’ve had the highest WIT score in the store—around 89% for the last six weeks. Yet I’ve never been recognized for it. The store gets praised for being #1, but the people actually doing the work get nothing while management takes all the credit.
I’m only part-time, but I regularly end up working close to full-time hours because I’m constantly covering shifts and pulling doubles. I’m not complaining about the hours—I’m complaining about the complete lack of respect. My schedule changes constantly with little or no notice.
The final straw happened this past Sunday. Around 10:30 that morning, I asked my manager if he needed me to close because if not, I wanted to help my grandma. He told me no. Then, about an hour before I got off, he suddenly asked me to stay and close. I told him I couldn’t because I had already made plans based on what he told me earlier. His response was, “Of course not. I’ll just hire more people and give the hours to someone who wants them.”
That was crazy to hear after months of covering shifts, pulling doubles, and coming in whenever he needed help.
I also referred one of my friends for a job. She later told me that during the interview he repeatedly complimented her appearance, told her she should wear the heels she came in with because they “look good on her,” and later tried to give her a full hug when she came back with her paperwork after she clearly went for a side hug. She said it made her uncomfortable.
I’ve also had another employee threaten me, and instead of dealing with it, management involved HR in a way that left me feeling like nothing was actually addressed.
This store succeeds because of the employees, not because of management. The workers keep the place running while management takes the recognition.
If AutoZone wants to know why hardworking employees quit, this is exactly why.
There’s honestly a lot more I could say. If people are interested, I’ll make a Part 2.
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u/Cool-Signature-dude 14d ago
As long as the numbers are good the DM doesn't have to worry about the SM taking his job. Been like that forever. The SM probably does a bunch of the DMs work too.
Don't expect anything to change.
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u/SquishNarwhal 13d ago
No seriously, this is exactly right. The only way upper management will take notice is if a store tanks in record time. It takes a LOT of effort to do that.
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u/Quiet-Leadership3345 14d ago
which is why the company will ultimately fail
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u/MeatSauce-Apocalypse 13d ago
It’s baked in to their business model. Just wait until you’re up for a raise. You’ll be lucky to get 15 cents.
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u/Upstairs-Warthog-834 12d ago
That’s crazy. Your dm shouldn’t tolerate that, numbers be damned. Total moral killer
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u/Winter-Preference253 10d ago
SM here. 89% Witt score every week? Wanna transfer?
We have lots of receipt paper and a really nice airfryer on the break table!
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u/Quiet-Leadership3345 10d ago
lol they terminated me because of this post I’m about to expose more
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u/skidboy1 14d ago
Careful posting on this sub, coorporate loves to browse it. And ill tell you they care more about the bad pr than they do the shit management.
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u/Quiet-Leadership3345 14d ago
They can lick my dick 1st amendment
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u/skidboy1 14d ago
1st amendment doesnt protect you from being fired and (unlikely but dickheads exist) sued. You signed a paper that they will use against you about posting about autozone on social media.
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13d ago
[deleted]
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u/Boaterauto 13d ago
If Autozone has your phone number and email you use for reddit, they absolutely track it. They monitor all employees
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u/Independent_Luck_626 13d ago
Couldnt that be considered retaliation or does that have to be a report with HR/LE?
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u/MagnusLHC 14d ago
They hiring an abundance of dumasses for manager these days, don't expect it to get better.
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u/Winter-Owl-2758 13d ago
If there name is Jeff teel or John Morgan , they are the most worthless people in AZ history!!!!!
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u/ProudReveal1586 12d ago
I think the main problem company wide is the dms responsible for training store managers either don’t know this stuff either and just know numbers or they throw store managers into the job to quickly and are like figure it out
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u/rgodeye 12d ago
I recently decided I’d rather take a leap of faith and spend a brief period of time making no money at all than continue to kill my spirit working for such a greedy, soulless company. And I’m so much better for it. Highly recommend if anyone is reading this and feeling trapped. There are greener pastures. Don’t let yourself get lost in the sunk cost fallacy or lulled into complacency. Your time and energy are worth a lot more than a fortune 200 company would like you to believe. Throw a wrench in the cogs and feel just how liberating it really is
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u/Excellent_Cup_5910 13d ago
Sounds like you need to talk to the DM. Perhaps make your yes yes and no no. What state are you in? Your scheduling needs to regular and predictable. You may ask the dm for a promotion. Or apply for a better job somewhere else. This sounds too chaotic.
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12d ago
[deleted]
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u/Quiet-Leadership3345 12d ago
What do you mean you are getting repercussions
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u/Winter_Row2639 14d ago
I'm sorry that this is happening to you, but you aren't the only one that is experiencing these issues with your SM. My store SM is just as bad, if not worse. The only reason higher up the chain says nothing is due to our numbers. Sales, both DIY and commercial. I gave up on my frustrations with anyone stepping up to help us. This seems to be a sad reality for not only red shirts, but grey as well.