parts specialist

delivery specialist

material handler

retail sales associate

local driver

O'reilly-Auto-Parts

“Bring The Sunshine!” It never rains in O’Reilly when I’m on shift!! If you have a positive attitude, patience, strong work ethic, ability to learn, problem solve, work under pressure, like to succeed, want to be part of a team, help people, have pride in yourself and what you do, etc, etc… O’Reilly Auto Parts is a great company to consider working for and planning a career with. There are many opportunities for advancement. There are some great benefits too. 

Some days are easy and other days can be challenging. A lot of it really depends on your attitude, especially considering that many positions are in customer service. Working with the public and helping people can be very rewarding. Knowing that what you’re doing is helping to keep people safe on the road is a great feeling. The ability to overcome obstacles when finding difficult to find auto parts for classic cars and see the happiness on your customer’s face is a great feeling too. It’s awesome when they bring those cars to the store for you to check out in the parking lot too, especially for car shows. It’s also exciting when you see those customers and their cars at Autorama. 

Understanding that working with angry customers is going to happen and having the ability to stay calm is necessary. The ability to understand and help those angry customers is extremely important. Many of them are frustrated that they are having vehicle issues, some of them are on tight budgets, and these are things that can easily upset them and cause them to have a bad day. Listening, being understanding, having compassion and the knowledge to help are crucial when it comes to problem solving, calming them down, giving answers, finding the right parts, keeping them safe on the road and trying to turn their day around from an unbearably difficult day in their life to a day that’s no longer the worst. It’s important to use logical judgement to solve their auto issues if/when possible or refer them to someone who can, rather than judging them as people when they’re vulnerable and need help. Maybe that sounds “too deep, overemotional, or like I’m overthinking” the customer service side of my career, but this way of thinking honestly helps with having the ability to patient while staying calm, cool, collected, productive, and professional with angry or difficult customers. This is exactly what I teach to new employees and it really does them. Never be too proud, afraid, or hesitant to ask for help from a coworker when needed. That’s why we’re a team. Being part of a team means working together and getting things done. A common benefit of working at O’Reilly is that your coworkers often become like family members. That’s one of many benefits that’s not really advertised or listed when you apply. Your career at O’Reilly is what you make it. 

Working for O’Reilly takes dedication and heart. It’s not a career for everyone, but I personally love it. I fell in love with working on cars as a teenager and all of my jobs before this were in customer service, so I had the advantage of coming in with experience. I’ve been with the company for a long time and I’ve poured my heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into this company. I’m extremely grateful that this company and my work family has been here for me and has helped me along the way when needed as well. I’ve received help and support during some difficult times in my life and have had great people to celebrate good times with and my successes too. I highly appreciate the people I’ve met who have become a part of my life from working for this company and the compassion and understanding this company has given me when I’ve needed it. This is a company that really cares about its employees and its customers too. I have seen many other reviews about this company, both positive and negative, and I do understand that my experience may be different than the experience of others. I’m not here to invalidate anyone. Just here to share my experience. I have been very loyal to this company. I’ve also worked incredibly hard to get to where I am. I know my positive attitude has had an exceptional impact on my experience with O’Reilly and will continue to result in positive experiences and successful outcomes. Again, your career with the company is what you make it. 

get your drawer ready . sell , sell , sell. that is your main goal besides providing excellent customer service whether its a regular or a new upset customer. As i mentioned before the main thing is sales but there's other tasks that need to get done while selling such as checking in the supply truck and stocking it on the floor, reset planograms , making sure isles and merchandise are clean and presentable while being plentiful at the same time, Machining rotors, the occasional swapping out a battery , installing light bulbs, "being a mechanic" assisting customers with identifying the issues with their vehicles, and sometimes installing certain parts as long as its not too time consuming. (all part of excellent customer service) . we also dealt with commercial accounts which made it crucial to be able to take a long order of goods accurately and without having to ask the customer to repeat themselves (most of those shop guys wont even give u a chance to ask them to repeat themselves they'll simply give u the spill on what they need as fast as they can and hang up on u cause to them time is money) showing them that u are listening to them and that they are important to you. A big part of the business is knowing how to look for parts in catalogs, such as special order parts or rare parts. At the end of the day you count your drawer and do the end of day procedures (if your on the closing shift) and call it a day.

When i went to work for Oreilly's I didn't know ANYTHING about cars.
BY the time i left i was able identify any common car part as far as knowing what year ,make and model it goes to and knowing the part number by heart and even the price and warranty.

The management was great for the most part . the manager and assistants were excellent , (very knowledgeable and fair) there was a woman i worked with who was above me who seemed to be very friendly to me at the beginning , but after a while almost out of no where our relationship went sour without me knowing what went wrong and work became kinda tense and long , took all the fun out of the job cause it just seemed like she was always looking for a reason to get me in some sort of trouble, even though she had been there longer than me i was a very quick learner, a natural when it came to sales, and i think that's what ruined our relationship , the fact that i was outselling her and made our job look so easy (she had a bit of a language barrier,she could understand and speak english, but sometimes she'll get those customers who r really big on pronunciation to the point where neither party can understand what the other is trying to say and she'll get frustrated and just walk away from the customer, just one example) and that's when i would swoop in and diffuse a potentially bad situation.But other than having to deal with the one exception i had a really good experience, working at Oreilly's was alot of fun for me, the money just wasn't there though.

The hardest part of the job i would say was when we had the oil truck, because there's just so much of it and u have to take care of that meanwhlle making sure to take care of the customers first and having certain coworkers getting upset at the fact that i'm doing exactly what i'm told to do in order of importance (which i can always spot a customer in need of assistance)and them feeling like i'm doing less than they are just because i'm doing something different from what they r doing.(them not keeping in mind that we are all working in one way or another, it all comes down to whose at the right place at the right time so to speak)

The most enjoyable part of that job was definitely the learning of all the car parts and their function and dealing with the customers, i really enjoyed being able to help them get exactly what they need and more, some of whom i became good friends with and still talk to on a regular basis, i learned that a customer can always make your day with the simplest gesture.

I had been in the automotive parts retail business for the better part of 19 years. I had done every aspect of store operations from part time driver to store management. Never have I seen a company so morally corrupt as this one. In the Pittsburgh area market it is about who you know not what you know. When I was initially hired I was promised to go into the store manager in training program within two weeks of my start date. That never happened, In fact, any promise that was made was not fulfilled by the company. My entire time there was one big lie after another. In my store particularly The store manager and the merchandising specialist had an outside relationship that often came into the business. The store manager would back the merchandising specialist regardless of how many policies she broke, and would break policies herself in order to defend her friendship. It created a hostile workplace any time she acted unprofessionally. whether it was an employee or customer. I was an assistant manager and the title was empty in meaning. anytime I tried to help the inexperienced manager it was seen as a challenge not guidance. I was hired based off of my experience and the direct promises of opportunity based off of that experience. Instead of embracing that experience and knowledge, I was seen as a threat to their job security. The reason why I say that, is because O'Reilly Auto Parts is relatively new to the Pittsburgh market, and instead of bringing in the right talent they just put anyone they liked in charge despite their lack of experience. Its
the blind leading the blind and anybody that has been in the field long enough to know their business is quickly blacklisted and gotten rid of. In my situation, my significant other required surgery, which left no one to care for our six year old special needs son. I requested and was granted a two week schedule modification in order to care for our son. When surgery week happened the completely polar opposite schedule was posted and forced me into a calloff situation. I provided a doctors excuse and it was rejected by the store manager. she cited that she was instructed by HR not to accept any excuse from me. So i asked if she was trying to make me quit and i left the store. about two hours later I received a call from my District Manager stating that he was accepting my resignation. I stated at no time did I resign my position. But he wouldn't listen.I tried going through channels to resolve the issue and was ignored by corporate. Finally I applied and won unemployment. The store manager, merchandising specialist and District Manager, all admitted under cross examination by the referee and my attorney that there was no cause to terminate my employment and they did so because of a direct retaliation stemming from an issue that happened prior to the surgery. Three weeks prior to that surgery I was called into a meeting where apparently another employee called corporate with their concerns and I was asked if any of it was true. I spoke candidly hoping that these issues would be addressed and everyone could move on. Corporate did nothing, District leadership did nothing, store management is only title if a team is not led properly. But apparently corporate cant be bothered to uphold its own values. They only care about profit. NO VALUES!!!!!

The management comes to work sick and expects the same of everyone.  Although I used less sick time than I accrued, the manager kept harassing me both verbally and in my reviews of the negative impact of using sick time.  One assistant manager was overheard saying that someone had just called in sick but she, the assistant manager, could tell he wasn't.  On one review, the manager wrote that I had missed 6 days and left early 4 days that year.  That had a negative impact and created hardship on my fellow drivers.  It's a double standard.  When the manager needed to leave early, she did.  It's nice to be salaried and not answerable to anyone in the store.

My wife is on disability.  We filed FMLA (Family Medical Leave 
Act) paperwork with corporate just so I could use my ample sick time (at the end I had 19 days accrued) to care for her without hassle from the store manager, we still got hassled.  We had two full days and two half days permitted for FMLA per month.  Even so, I was hesitant to use it.  My wife would occasionally tell me at night that she wanted me to take a sick day for her the following morning.  I would have insomnia and nightmares in anticipation of calling in to my manager.

The manager once asked me if I accompanied my wife on all her doctor visits.  I said, "most of them."  After all, at the time, we had just one car.  If my wife had a doctor appointment on a day I was scheduled to work (and we went out of our way to schedule doctor visits when I was scheduled off), then either I took sick time or a friend to took her.

As for Vacation time, I was afraid to ask for two weeks at a time due getting scolded for having it as a hardship to co-workers who had to cover my shift.

After 9 years of making coffee on company time, I was told to start the coffee on my own time.  The manager wasn't paying me to make coffee.  The fact that the company provided the coffee and the coffee pot and the store provided the filters not withstanding.  The manager suddenly didn't want me clocking in and making coffee.  It was alright for other team members to come to work and then put on their uniform shirts or walk around playing with their cell phones or stay on the clock and leave to get coffee or lunch.

Suggesting a different delivery route was deemed arguing with the RSS people. Even though management didn't know where the deliveries were going and that they sent me in opposite directions,  I had that on at least one review as well.  What do the drivers know?  We were just there on the front lines delivering parts everyday!  Why would we know anything?

For the smokers, who also smoked within 25 feet of the door, smoke breaks were frequent and non-smokers felt they were getting less "break time" than the smokers.  These smoke breaks took priority over pulling parts and delivering parts.

To paraphrase from "Animal Farm," all associates are equal but some are more equal than others.

This is a Toxic place to work. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.

Great co-workers along with solid management working together to go the extra mile in solving problems to meet individual customers needs. It creates a low-stress, friendly atmosphere in what can be a fast paced and physically demanding job. 

There is often a feeling of satisfaction in helping someone who's been stranded or whos lively hood might be in jeopardy due to automobile issues. Witnessing an employee spend 4 hours of his own time, after his shift ended, to help a stranded family of 6 get their car back on the road can really put things into perspective. The amount of automotive knowledge and overall effort that some of the employees display while helping customers is pretty rewarding in itself.  

Unfortunately the  compensation for what is required by the corporation  is minimal. The parts and automotive industry is ever changing and vast which requires employees to remain in a constant state of learning while keeping up with the curve. Normally this should be a benefit but is soured by the realization that expectations are not on par with the compensation especially when one considers that the employee pay is comparable to the average fast food worker. 

 At the expense of possibly coming off as ungrateful and hopefully without sounding too critical of how they run their business, for company that bases  it's entire model from the perspective of a salesman, the incentives for a sales-based employee almost makes one feel they are being scammed by their own employers. Though each employee is given individual sales goals, bonuses are graded on income percentages of previous years combined with market projections. It is then divided among employees based on their job title rather then performonce. Individual sales goals are strictly to determine whether the individual employee receives a share while any unclaimed bonus goes to the corporate fund rather then staying within the localized bonus sharing. Amounts compensated are so small for 90 percent of employees that the only real incentives are either to improve ones annual review ratings,  avoiding constant reminders of disapproval in performance or self satisfaction for meeting or exceeding personal goals (most rewarding).

Overall my experience with the company has been positive and even though I'm only passing through, I have learned so much from the people that I have worked next to and feel I have gained much from my time there. There is much to like if part time is befitting, you do not require higher income to suit your needs or just passing through between careers.

 If the company were able to realize the value or the higher degree of expectation of most of their general work force and compensated them accordingly, then it would be hard finding something negitive to say about working there.

O'Reilly is a great place to work if you are comfortable with customer service and/or enjoy working on vehicles or want to learn more about the parts that make them function. In my few years I learned a lot about vehicles and their maintenance. The company is great at taking care of you when it comes to things like family emergencies, the benefits are good, and the discount is great. However, if you're looking for a solid career path, this just isn't it. Corporate leaders are hit-and-miss, and if you don't stand out and maintain good sales numbers you may as well be invisible when it comes to raises and promotions. I had a couple really good bosses (store managers) that changed the way I view management in general for the better. I also had one that essentially pushed me out of his store, which I had worked at for a year prior to his arrival, to be transferred to another because he singled me out from day one and tried to turn my coworkers against me. 

O'Reilly is a 'promote-from-within' company, which has the potential to be great. In this case, in the experience of many people I know as well as my own, it doesn't have much benefit until you're up inside the corporate ladder. In my case, I wanted to move out of the retail storefront and experience more of the commercial side of the business. Your first step into that is the Sales Specialist position, in which you visit local shops to build and maintain commercial business relations, as well as push promotions and relevant product. This position usually comes in conjunction with the Assistant Store Manager position, or when you start training for that position. Unless you become an Installation Service Specialist (storefront commercial manager), that is essentially the only taste of the commercial side you'll get until you move up to and  beyond Store Manager. Yes, you have to start from the bottom if you've never worked for O'Reilly. And yes, you essentially have to get promoted beyond managing an entire store to do anything career-worthy. Also keep in mind that your pay will not exceed $16/hr unless you're a regional sales superstar or you start making salary as a Store Manager. My District Manager flat out told me that I wouldn't be getting any more raises unless I got promoted (I had just been promoted), which means you have no room for growth until you're considered for Store Manager and that position opens up somewhere. To try and sum things up, O'Reilly is a good employer, but they have the tendency to offer empty promises when it comes to a career path. I did my best to make it a career, but I started to feel like I was being forgotten about and that my years of hard work were going unnoticed.

Additional note: The COVID-19 pandemic made companies like O'Reilly realize they can operate stores with minimal staffing. Although stores are slowly acquiring more staff, O'Reilly is in no hurry to fully staff their stores as that would bring down their payroll percentages and profit margins.

My position as a retail service specalist was overall like the  assistiant manager. I spent most of my day fixing all of the screw ups that were caused by my staff who just shrugged it off and moved on making no attempt to learn from their mistakes. Most of them could not even follow simple instructions. I also learned that no matter how much positive coaching was done to correct an issue it does not work! I spent lots of time with associates discussing their mistakes to them even while walking them through the correct way of accomplishing them. I explained to with my associates I did it this way to help them avoid a corrective action. Most of the time just fell on deaf ears. My normal duties ranged from checking in freight, turning rotors/drums,processing returns,stock lifts,searching for missing parts,running to the bank,cutting in new stock,running the commercial sales counter, doing a delivery/transfer and serving retail customers. Another aspect of my job that did not make it easy was poor management all round. The upper ups were promoting associates to store managers who did not even have the same experience as I did and it seems they were just key carriers for ony less than a month. That is when I learned the importance of  management style and how a poor one can affect your overall outcome as a whole.I also realized this when upper management hardly supports you on most issues even if you are right. An example of this is when your customers tell you off to the side that because of certain managers and other associates they will be shopping elsewhwere. When this in made note of and brought to manager attention little is done to correct. This is all do to poor customer service and product knowledge. Associates do need to have some background with automotive to better serve the customers.When the merger from Checker happened the management style changed severely which also affected moral and the way issues were delt with. Some good aspects of my job that I did enjoy having an interaction with the customers to help with whatever issues they had. Customers would wait several people deep just to talk only to me due to my experience and knowledge in the field. I also took my time to do research on odd parts to get the correct one no avenue unexplored .Even if it ment going through outside sources to locate. These were ways I further expand my skills within the automotive industry. It also went along with developing customer service and relations that would prove the most valuable asset. That is what kept my customers coming back. One thing I was tought was when you are helping a customer pretend you are that person. How would you want to be treated? That is what I always use to provide the best in customer service. My customers have had a great appreciation for this level of service.

Being an autoparts specialist with O'Reilly's means you have to live up to certain standards.  It should be noted that the expectations come from two angles: customers and corporate.  Customers want you to be an expert on all vehicle troubles, and corporate wants you to be an upselling salesman who can meet a quota both in volume and combo deal sales.  If you can handle these things, you're a natural fit.  Pay is not very good and part-time positions are the norm until you eventually get into a full-time spot when one opens (usually an assistant manager role), but there is a lot of room to move around in the company.  After 6 months and good performance indicators, you are eligible to apply for internal positions.  If you have other skills, such as accounting or computer tech aptitudes, there are positions in corporate that might suit you.  But you must prove yourself on the ground floor!  If you can't jump through the hoops of making your sales and learning the company culture, you're not going to be able to advance.
While it is not necessary to have automotive repair, maintenance, and troubleshooting experience to get this job, it DEFINITELY helps!  Customers see you as a mechanic and often get frustrated with you if you aren't.  "Professional Parts People" is a logo that assumes much but has to be earned into.  If you're a younger person looking for their first job or a new job that can become a career this is a fantastic opportunity because you will learn so much in a short time.  As always, be honest.  Admit if you don't know something, don't be afraid to ask for help, and pay attention to everything.  You can learn more from listening to the customers and coworkers in a single day than you can in two weeks of DIY!
If I had to complain about anything, it would be the catalog sales system.  It is unwieldy at best, and this is where mechanic knowledge comes in most handy.  Often you will not find the part you are looking for, but if you know which parts can be swapped from other vehicles and perform the exact same function without modification you're going to find what the customer needs 80% of the time.  There is also a lot of having to order parts, at least in my store.  The stocking methodology is pretty arcane,  but it is a safe assumption that vehicle demographics play a huge part in determining what store stocks what items.  For example we have a lot of Ford F-150s and GMCs in my area, so finding parts for a Maserati is not going to happen.  This is about the only downside, and it's not much one if you've got automotive experience.  Everything else is typical of what you would expect of a small retail outlet, and that's not bad.  It is a more laid-back culture which will fit well for any friendly person as long as you make sure to meet the expectations of your role.

The training materials they have for employees way surpasses any other place I have ever worked. They have training materials for everything. The only downside is finding people who are willing to train you properly, but if you have a win-win attitude and determination, there is an endless amount of training materials available. 

They look out for their employees. The parts discount program is massive, and the stock option is awesome. When my dad passed, they even got me a memorial book kit. At my previous job when my mother passed, all they wanted to know was when I was coming back to work.

 And the advancement opportunities are endless. Within 17 months, I was trained to be an assistant manager, then I went through the L.E.A.D program, which had even more learning material and tasks, and now I'm a store manager. They even flew us out to Houston TX for a conference so we could learn even more and give us the tools to be successful. And it was a great experience with the team. They also offer commission pay on top of your regular pay, even to those whose job doesn't involve selling. They also give you a lot of PTO hours, do you can spend time with your family.

The downsides, well, no matter where you go, there will be downsides. But instead of looking at it as something bad, make it fun and see it as an obstacle. The first thing, yes, the pay isn't that great when you first start out, but if you can prove who you are and what you're capable of and can hold out, it is worth it. It's just like anything else in the world. No company in the world is going to pay good money right out of the gate and spend $3,000 to train someone just for them to leave. You have to prove your worth the money they will eventually pay you. Our vice president started out as a delivery driver. And now he helps run one of the largest auto parts stores in the country. So their promote from within philosophy has been shown 10x over here. 

But it does make it difficult. Not everyone has the resources and the means to hope and pray an opening comes. So, finding great employees is a challenge, so you get stuck with unprofessional and lazy workers who are just passing through. But we still have one of the highest ratings when it comes to career growth. 

So simply put,  if you can hold out, be professional and get results, you could go very far in this company. They take their promote from within philosophy to heart, which is very rare these days. They don't just hire outsiders to fill management spots. And very few companies do that. So, hopefully, this helps those looking to actually advance in their career. So come in, work hard, have a great attitude, have some fun, and watch your career and pay rise. 

I loved working at O'Reillys. Our old manager was awful but as soon as we got a new one, the store has been on a roller coaster that only goes up. There are a few bumps here and there but that is typical. People are given jobs to do on a daily or weekly basis and are usually pretty good about doing them. Every once in awhile we have an employee or two that lack motivation so they need a stern talking to but it gets back ton normal in no time. A normal work day is very simple. Freight gets checked in, every new part gets scanned on a specific computer program then added into stock. Parts get put away by the employees that have free time, customers come first, of course. Then returns have to be processed. Cores and Warranties get scanned and put into totes, no heavier than 60 lbs. New returns, parts that get returned that we do not typically stock, also get scanned and sent back in totes. Once returns are done the totes get loaded onto a palled and wrapped with saran wrap. A manifest is created which explains any dangerous parts such as batteries or spray cans that could be flammable and set on a clipboard for the truck driver to find when they pick up the pallet to drop off our new freight the following day. New parts such as in the spring time we get a bunch of air conditioning stuff, fall time we get plow parts and snow scrapers, all get put on planograms in the front of the store. There is specific paperwork that shows you where it goes in the store, how many shelves or load bars you will need, the locations of the shelves and load bars, the product part numbers, how many facing, and a picture of the final project shows any signs or extras that will be on the planogram. Every month there are cycle counts to do which is just counting inventory to make sure what the computer thinks we have in stock is accurate. At the end of the day, bathrooms are checked, usually cleaned weekly or sooner if necessary, floor is swept and mopped if need, with the salt in the winter time the floors get mopped almost every night, and all garbage bags get taken out and replaced. I have learned a lot working here. When I started, I couln't tell a spark plug from an O2 Sensor. I mean, I can't swap an engine by any means but I have definitely gained a lot of mechanical knowledge that I wouldn't have otherwise. My favorite part of this job is the people I work with for sure. Everyone is great and very fun to be around. We know each other very well to the point if someone is having a rough day, everyone knows about it. The laughs and great times we have had I will always be grateful for. I will never forget working here.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Parts specialist 92 salaries reported	$16.22 per hour
Delivery specialist 89 salaries reported	$16.62 per hour
Material handler 3 salaries reported	$23.86 per hour
Retail sales associate 75 salaries reported	$16.90 per hour
Local driver 1 salary reported	$83,809 per year

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