Parts Matrix Problems: How Inflation Is Quietly Eroding Your Gross Profit [E220]

Parts Matrix Problems: How Inflation Is Quietly Eroding Your Gross Profit [E220]

From Business By The Numbers by Hunt Demarest

April 30, 2026 · 27 min · Episode 220

About this episode

Hunt Demarest discusses how inflation affects parts pricing and gross profit for shop owners, highlighting real-world case studies.

Thanks to our partners Promotive, WickedFile, Maverick Shop Owners, and Overdryve Are you leaving money on the table every time a parts price goes up — without ever realizing it? Most shop owners focus relentlessly on labor rates and rightfully so. But the slow, silent erosion happening inside your parts matrix may be quietly bleeding your gross profit month after month, even while your top-line sales are climbing. Hunt Demarest, CPA at Paar Melis & Associates, breaks down exactly how inflation has shifted your parts pricing into lower-margin brackets — and how one shop owner's savvy negotiating deal actually cost him more than it saved. This week, Hunt walks through two real-world case studies: the bracket-shift trap that moves your best-selling parts into lower markup tiers as prices rise, and a Midwest shop owner who locked in a 15% rebate from his parts vendor, watched his costs drop by $8,000, and still lost $13,000 in gross profit in a single month. Whether you've been selling parts for two years or twenty, this episode will change the way you look at your shop management software — and send you straight to your parts matrix to find out if it's still built for a world…

People in this episode

Host: Hunt Demarest

Topics covered

  • inflation
  • gross profit
  • parts pricing
  • shop management
  • case studies

Keywords

  • parts matrix
  • inflation
  • gross profit
  • shop management software
  • bracket shift trap

Sponsors

Promotive, WickedFile, Maverick Shop Owners, Overdryve

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Paar Melis & Associates

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