Ace Hardware Stores

[Cheri]

Personally, I choose Ace Hardware over the big box stores. Every time I'm in Lowe's, there is no help available, and if they're available, they usually don't know what you're talking about. Same thing with Orchard Hardware Supply. In my town there is a very small Ace Hardware, and every time I go there, they are very helpful, go with you to show you the item, and discuss the pros and cons with you. They usually have the everyday things that I need for repairs, and they're even cheaper. I find myself shopping there all the time now, do others like Ace better, or are you more into the big box stores? I'm curious.

-- Cheri

[Percival P. Cassidy]

Ace stores vary. According to the Benjamin Moore Web site, our two local Ace stores sell their paint. One has no 5-gallon pails of B-M, the other doesn't sell B-M at all.

I have occasionally gone to a local independent lumber yard/hardware store because I was going that way anyway, but then I have seen the item I bought there priced far lower at one of the big-box stores. A few days ago I was at said local store but did not buy because I wanted to check the price at Lowe's. The item was $20.xx at the independent, $11.xx at Lowe's -- same item, same brand, same packaging, same item#. At the independent store I had also noticed a tool I possessed already, priced at $10.24; it was $8.xx at Lowe's, and the one I bought (again: same item, same brand, same packaging, same item#) not long ago at Menards (Midwest chain) still has the $4.99 price sticker on it -- and I bought it when it was on sale, so probably I paid even less than that.

Another chain/cooperative around here is Do It Best, but our nearest store doesn't even sell some of the items listed on the company Web site. (Conversely, our local Lowe's stocks some items that are not on the company Web site.)

Perce

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Ace, True Value, or some of the independents we have locally. Far better than any of the big box stores and often a better selection, not just the high volume crap. Around here (southern New England) we have Aubuchon, Koopmans, Chase Lumber, Buy Rite and others..

[katie]

I shop at Ace all the time. They generally have what I need along with advice that's always right on and I don't have to hunt for a sales person who knows nothing for an hour (Home Depot/Lowes).

[CM]

Ace and True Value for me.

If you are ever near Florence Arizona stop in and tour their True Value store. It is the best I have seen. I wish it wasn't an hour away from me.

cm

[Nate Nagel]

That has not been my experience at all. There's lots of "stuff" at the big boxes but they almost never have everything that I'm looking for for any given project.

nate

[spamTHISbrp]

The local 'Ace' went independent, and now they sell crap tools and crap supplies.

"Mintcraft" tools- crapcraft, is more like it. And now, they only have one of anything.

Dave

[Blattus Slafaly]

I shop at Home Depot and Lowe's all the time. I think the people who used to work at Ace and Trustworthy's went to the big box stores which DO have better selections.

[Red Green]

"Cheri" wrote in news:0- mdnZMnaahT_GPanZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

I've found the short staffing an issue at all Lowe's. I don't blame them of course. It's management driven at some level.

As far as not knowing what you're talking about, if you are a frequent flier at either of them, you get to know who to ask what in each dept. I've seen good people in both.

The one's that get a frightened look when you look at them are not them.

Then there was the one when I needed an o-ring for my pressure washer nozzle. Handed me a pack of assorted faucet seat washers. You just say thanks and let em go "help" someone else.

As far as product availability I find that area dependent in the same store. But lately, I'm seeing even the ones that had a good inventory of regular items are out of stuff. Not sure what is causing this. I mean I go into Lowe's a few weeks back to price a standard 36" LH 6 panel steel door. They have only one. I mean this is building materials staple food. I dunno. Maybe some hard up builder needed a bunch bad/quick and bought them up regardless of cost. But there's other examples I could cite.

[Cheri]

The final straw for me at Lowe's was when I asked one of the workers where I would find the dryer vent hoses, and he took me to someplace in the store and tried to sell me something that wasn't a dryer hose. I told him that it wasn't like the one that came off my dryer, he said that's all we have that could do the job. I left him there, wandered around looking myself and ended up where the washer and dryers were, and there they were. I had almost the same thing happen there with particle board....no help. Geez.

Cheri

[CM]

We went to three different HD stores yesterday to get window blinds. They had to cut them to size for us. All three stores cut them the wrong size and did not have anymore blinds in stock to correct their mistake. We decided to quit for the day and try again this morning. Luckily the fourth store we went to this morning had the correct size in stock.

cm

[David Nebenzahl]

On 4/10/2008 11:51 AM Cheri spake thus:

[...]

Ace, definitely (or, as others have pointed out, True Value). Anything

*but* the big-box stores. (Home Despot is the worst.)

We even have an "old-time" Ace in my neighborhood, unlike any other hardware store I've ever seen. Instead of browsing a large store for what you want, you walk into a rather small storefront, go to the counter and tell them what you want, and they get it for you. And they've almost always been able to give me what I needed.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 4/10/2008 3:37 PM Nate Nagel spake thus:

Yes; case in point: I have a client who wants a clothesline put up. Went to the Ace in El Cerrito (Pastime, great store), where they found some kits in the way-back, $50 for a complete metal kit (T-poles, etc.) Today I asked at Home Despot for comparison; they had *no* clothesline kits at all (only items listed were things like line, pulleys, etc.).

[SteveB]

Prices are better at the Borg stores, but help is either nonexistant or semiconscious at the Borgs. Much more, better, and knowledgeable people at Ace. I live in a rural area, so our Aces tend to be a little better than the citified versions. They also have huge sporting goods departments, complete with ...................... GUNS!

Steve

[Bob]

I couldn't agree more !!!! I think most Ace stores are locally owned, I know ours is, so service, price, etc will vary from store to store.

I love the service, friendliness, and don't mind paying a little more to get it, and more of the money stays local, unlike the big box stores.

Bob-tx

[DerbyDad03]

Where I live, the Ace stores and the very few remaining independents are located on street corners of older neighborhoods. Very convenient for the "city-folk" who can either walk there or drive a much shorter distance than it would take to get to the borgs in the suburbs.

With that convenience comes much higher prices and a lot of lower quality items. While you can still get the single bolt or odd sized plumbing fitting from there, if you try to get everything you need for a given project, you're going to spend a lot more than at a borg.

YMMV, depending on where you live.

[Mark Lloyd]

There was an Ace like that here. It's gone now, after Lowe's opened. Same for the True Value store.

[Mark Lloyd]

I think that was true here. I know the True Value was. I wish they were still here, as they were preferable to Lowe's when you need to ask about something/

[Joe]

Seems to me this might be a case of shopping for price only with blinders on. If you factor in the cost of your time and transportation (gas, depreciation, maintenance, etc @ 30 cents per mile) when you find something you need at a local outlet, then the convenience of buying it there is sometimes worth the higher price. So the issue isn't wholly black or white, rather, using good judgement and knowing what a fair price is for your project tools and materials

Joe.

[Percival P. Cassidy]

As I wrote already, I've gone to the local independent if I was in that area already for something else. But most of my journeys take me much closer to Lowe's, HD and Menards anyway.

Perce