The problem was people went in with an expectation that it's a "normal" store and that shop assistants would be available to explain things, give advice, and so

The problem was people went in with an expectation that it's a "normal" store and that shop assistants would be available to explain things, give advice, and so on. Or that you could browse and eyeball stuff when you got there, instead of already knowing what you needed (though they did concede to having a small sheaf of parts lists near the counter). If you go in to MSY with the expectation that it's a warehouse that happens to sell things and that the staff are only there to 1) fetch things for you, and 2) handle the transaction then it is extremely efficient for both the business and yourself. No bullshit small talk, you can just go in, hand over a parts list, finish your sale, and leave within 5 minutes of being served when at a normal shop you might be there for 10 or 20 minutes. It's a shame my local MSY closed down, they had hands-down some of the best shopping experience I've ever had.