yes, this happens here and there, back in the day with knowledgeable BSA dealers in all over the country you would walk in and ask the bloke with the dirty brown dust-coat behind the counter for the part you wanted for your bike and he'd wander off and come back with the right bit in his hand.
It's not like that these days with parts made in China and dealers amalgamating, so a bit of investigation is required, that's where this forum comes in so useful