I think I have purchased a total of three new tires in my entire life. The truth is I don't even struggle to be frugal; it just comes naturally from the way I was raised. It's not like I have to agonize with myself and think, "Oh, I'd really like some new tires but I guess I will go with some cheap used tires instead." No, my internal agony is along the lines of, "How many more miles can I push out of these tires before safety considerations make me buy more tires? Used, of course."
Honestly, the only time I've bought NEW tires involved having a damaged tire and finding myself pressed for time and near a store that ONLY sold new tires. So, naturally, I've been a fan of Rusty's Tires on West Broadway ever since Nomi super citizen Megan Goodmundson told me about it. It was, however, Jeff Skrenes who did the write up about Rusty's on this blog, click here.
Last Sunday, however, the very day of a long out of town trip, one of my front tires went flat. Thanks to my security cameras, I knew...
...the tire just slowly breathed out its last life like an old man with a small aortic rupture. But I had to replace the tire, run to see my son for a quick trip to the movies, and hit the road. I called up Rusty's to see if they did curbside service. It turned out it was the Sabbath, and Rusty's doesn't labor on the Sabbath. This is admirable (I mean, people need a day off SOMETIMES) but it didn't solve my Sunday morning flat tire problem. While buying a can of Fix-A-Flat I asked the guys at the automotive store where I could buy used tires. One of the guys pointed right down the street to Absolute Tire and Wheel.
I've driven by this place forever but never stopped inside. Frankly, there always seemed to be rough looking people in the lot. I sort of imagined bags of cocaine being pulled out of cars with Texas license plates, and plastic bags of unmarked small bills being stuffed back in the same tires. But today I desperately needed a tire. With the bad tire inflated from Fix-A-Flat but looking like it wouldn't hold long, off I went, slowly, my hazard lights flashing all the way to Absolute Tire and Wheel at 220 West Broadway, kitty corner from a strip club. When something is kitty corner from a strip club, do we say....?
Never mind. My apologies. Everybody tells me my language is rougher since Afghanistan and I've been trying to work on it, but it's HARD.
To my delight, the guy at Absolute was incredibly friendly and professional in an unshaved, making change out of his pocket with no cash register kind of way. Oh, yeah, there were rough people hanging around. All of them were getting good deals on tires, including a Somali taxi driver and some guys who had more tattoos than bare flesh. As quickly as one car was off the rack, another took its place.
I decided to go ahead and replace both front tires. Replacements only cost $25 each, plus labor. I think labor cost more than an individual tire, but not as much as BOTH tires. It was comparable to Rusty's, that much I remember.
I am still a fan of Rusty's and will probably go back to Rusty's. But Absolute is just as good. As far as rough looking people in the parking lot, well, I'm sure the customers at Rusty's are about the same but due to Rusty's having a garage doorway entrance on West Broadway, the customers aren't visible from the street. And besides, with the hood of my car secured by bungee cords and my "AFGHANISTAN, I SERVED" bumper sticker, do I myself look LESS rough than the other customers?
Absolute Tire and Wheel, I did you wrong when I judged your book by its cover. This blog post, such as it is, would be my way of making amends.
5 comments:
Oh so John Hoff boasts that he is a guy who.., "who isn't afraid to live in North Minneapolis, is trying to make the neighborhood better, and doesn't run away like a little fraidy cat when the going gets tough."
Really. Let's repeat what John Hoff wrote above:
"I've driven by this place forever but never stopped inside. Frankly, there always seemed to be rough looking people in the lot. I sort of imagined bags of cocaine being pulled out of cars with Texas license plates, and plastic bags of unmarked small bills being stuffed back in the same tires. But today I desperately needed..."
So pussy boy John Hoff won't go into a shop because there are rough looking guys in there, and only went into the store out of desperation.
What a pathetic wuss John Hoff is. That's why he needs a security camera at his front door, to protect himself from the big tough boogie man.
In the 1950's, I think it was Dale Carnegie who wrote it, a book, "How to Make Friends and Influence People."
Have you ever considered a book, "How to Accumulate Enemies, and Influence People."
The 8:03 PM author was influenced to post, although not seeming friendly.
John Hoff could write a bestseller on that topic.
He could also write, "How to Get a Community to Hate You". Or maybe, How to Complain About Your Neighbors' Crappy Property While Ignoring Your Own Problems".
John Hoff could write a bestseller on that topic.
He could also write, "How to Get a Community to Hate You". Or maybe, How to Complain About Your Neighbors' Crappy Property While Ignoring Your Own Problems".
I'm glad you had a good experience, John. Unfortunately I had a poor experience there and I will not be returning. Also, I've also seen a big jacked up truck with their advertising all over it - I've come across it several times and shaken my head at how terrible it was driven. That might not be enough to make someone decide to go elsewhere, but it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
With my bad experience AND that, I definitely won't return. They didn't really listen to what I wanted, I had to tell them to go back and do it again. They didn't solve the problem I was trying to go after, I tried calling them several times to see if they'd work on it again, they never even answered the phone. From now on I'll go to a reputable place where I know if there's a problem I can get it solved easily.
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