Costs Are Through The Roof

I am almost certain that as we write this month’s blog, no one is thinking that prices today, for virtually anything we might consider buying, are stable. On the contrary, everyone’s talking about how expensive everything is. Blows my mind. Prices for just about every service and product that we can imagine have gone through the roof. It’s not even a real surprise anymore to go to the grocery store and realize that you spent at least 20, 30 or 50% more for virtually the same groceries than you did a year ago. Or how about the price of filling your car up??? The CPI (consumer price index) is up, which indicates that inflation is setting in at a fairly significant level compared to where it’s been in previous years.

On the upside people have access to all kinds of data and information. They can analyze and be well-informed about their spending with an incredible amount of information at their fingertips. People are constantly looking for the ‘best bang for their buck,’ a good value for their money for essentially everything we buy.

That said, one of the founding principles here at Service Street, has centered around educating the customer on their vehicles; to empower people to be smart and informed about what proper and conscientious car care looks like. We as a company, spend an incredible amount of time, money and effort in training our sales and technician staff to understand all vehicles, the details of proper vehicle maintenance and how to communicate that to our loyal consumer(s).

Our customers know that a well-maintained car will usually cost you significantly less to maintain, and/or repair when needed, than a car that is neglected. Obviously, like anything else, the automotive service industry has been hit with its share of cost increases from basic commodities like electric, water and gas to product and service cost increases that support our business to the actual parts themselves from the manufacturers. And let’s not even start to talk about the cost of labor, insurance and benefits for our operations as they have all moved significantly skyward of late.

The one reminder I would leave with our readership is this: you can always find less expensive services for virtually any product or service out there. But the old adage, “You get what you pay for.” could not be truer today than it has at any time in history. Do not trust one of your most expensive assets, i.e. your vehicle, to the cheapest work you can find. It isn’t worth it…or as my Dad always used to say, “Don’t bend over a nickel to pick up a penny.” I love that saying.

Your Peace of Mind and overall ‘real’ savings PLUS your family’s safety are worth taking your car or truck to a quality service center that’s educated on all the new automotive technologies and who understand good competent vehicle maintenance and will help you keep track of all that exciting maintenance stuff for the life of your car.

If you’re in the market for a top-quality auto service shop with 30 years of great service, amazing customer review and who offer a complete, dealer-alternative automotive service experience, look no further than the Service Street in your neighborhood. Have fun and stay safe out here!

Kermit ‘Al’ Pridemore II, CEO, Co-owner

Service Street – Full Service Tire & Auto

“Happy Customers Driving 30 Years of Local Pride.”