Having a bunch of people in the middle really jacks up the price, too, so
don't completely blame the guy at the parts counter.. Several years ago, I
was an enginer on a component (diesel glow plug controler, imagine that).
Being familiar with the price our company was paying for the manufacture of
the part, I gave a call to the local dealer to check the retail price - it
was ten times our cost. Sounds like the public's getting ripped off until
you look at the distribution chain. There were 3 companies between me & the
 guy at the other side of the counter, each adding their cost for handling
the part & their mark-up to justify being in business.

At 03:01 PM 4/1/99 EST, you wrote:
>You'll see my post on whether or not the dealer ripped you off. Now, for the
>parts department. This is the way a parts counter guy at a Chevy dealer
>explained it to me: The dealer buys the part for, say, $10.00. They mark
it up
>to $20.00 ( being conservative here). If he can sell the part for $35.00, he
>keeps the extra $15.00. Imagine if all retail stores worked this way! He told
>me all this while he was lounging in his brand new $45,000.00 Chris Craft
>speed boat. He works at a Chevy dealer in Woodbridge, Va. I tested this one
>day a Chevy dealer,when I owned a Chevy van with a 6.2 diesel. It would
>regularly blow the glow plug controller every spring/fall, to the tune of
>$95.00. Once, my regular dealer was out of stock, so I went to another Chevy
>dealer. Parts guy had it, but said it was $128.00! I said "No way, ABC  Chevy
>sells them for $95.00" He then dropped his price  to $100.00.  Beware,
dealers
>are always trying to bend you over.   Jeff S.
>
Frank Miller
Alternative Business Systems
Columbus OH