On Friday, I decided to venture out and go buy some new tires. I had the recommendation of a chain that people were happy with, and there was a store not far from my apartment, so it seemed like a foolproof plan. They sold the tires I wanted and I knew what they cost. Easy peasy.
Then I drove past this alleged store. First off, the tire shop didn't seem to advertise that they were part of this chain at all, and it looked beyond sketchy. I was not comfortable taking my car there. Or sitting there and waiting.
So I came home and went on Yelp to look for reviews of local tire places. I simply entered "tires" and "my town" and one store came up with a number of excellent reviews. It seemed like a much better option. So I got back in the car and headed out. I heard the place was busy on weekends, but I hoped that since it was Friday, it wouldn't be bad. I got there at 8:55 (they opened at 9) and there was a line of about eight cars already! To me, that was a very good sign. Plus, among the cars in the line were some very nice cars that were obviously well taken care of. Another good sign.
I waited almost 45 minutes to get to talk to someone, but I had a book, so that wasn't a big deal. I told the guy I wanted all new tires, and he told me that I had another 6 months on my back tires and that I could just replace the front ones. He was trying to talk me out of buying tires! Yet another good sign! But I decided to buy all four new tires. This way, they're all the same age and I don't have to worry about going back in 6 months. Plus I'm ready for the winter. Which seems a silly thing to say in July.
I waited to see what tires he recommended, and he suggested the tires that I wanted. And the best part? They were $30 less (each) than the chain store. Awesome. I didn't get out of there until around 11:15, so it wasn't a short trip, but I'm definitely happy.
I should have just checked out Yelp in the first place, since I wasn't going to go to the exact branch of the chain that my co-workers had used. I would have been much better off, but it all worked out in the end. And I have shiny new tires.
Next up? Oil change.