Spent 6 hours tracking down a $3 part that was holding up my whole operation

I run a small pest control business and last week one of our trucks just stopped mid-route. Turns out it was a little vacuum line that cracked near the brake booster. I spent the whole afternoon calling around town for the right fitting because none of the auto parts stores stocked it. Finally found one at a Napa in the next county over for like 3 bucks. Six hours of downtime just because I didn't have a spare on the shelf. Anyone else keep an inventory of weird little parts that always seem to fail on your work vehicles?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren6521mo ago

Wait, six hours of searching for a $3 part? That's brutal. I'd be pulling my hair out after the first hour.

valthomas1mo ago

Isn't it funny how we'll spend six hours hunting down a $3 part but won't think twice about dropping $60 on takeout? I once spent an entire Saturday tearing apart my garage looking for a missing screw for a shelf. Found it eventually, but by then I'd already bought a whole new pack of screws online. The satisfaction of finding that little thing though, it's like winning a tiny war.