"...either we discontinue the rental service or shut down the business all together.""

MEMPHIS—AutoZone has decided to discontinue its popular tool rental service. The reason? The staggering cost of replacing 10mm sockets, which has exceeded the company’s yearly earnings from the program.

"We never anticipated the sheer volume of 10mm sockets that would go missing," said AutoZone spokesperson, Lisa Martinez. "It’s the most commonly lost tool, and the cost to constantly replace it has become unsustainable. We had a choice to make, either we discontinue the rental service or shut down the business all together."

Despite the company’s efforts to manage inventory and reduce losses by adding GPS trackers, the problem has persisted, ultimately leading to this drastic measure.

"Every week, we’d have to restock our 10mm sockets because they would just vanish," explained John Parker, a store manager at a local AutoZone. "Customers would return the tool sets with every socket intact but the next time we opened the tool set it would be missing! It's witchcraft!."

Regular customers of the rental service have expressed their disappointment and frustration over the decision. Many relied on the program for access to specialized tools they couldn’t afford to purchase outright.

"I’ve rented tools from AutoZone for years, and this blows," said Michael Johnson, a home mechanic. "I've never purchased a tool in my life, I'm going to have to sell my car. How am I supposed to work on it?"

While the decision to end the tool rental service has been difficult, AutoZone is looking for other ways to support its customers. "We’re exploring different solutions, such as providing directions to the nearest Harbor Freight," Martinez noted. "Our goal is to continue serving our customers’ needs, even if it means sending them to O-O-O-O Reillys."