Ace Hardware 5,000th Store

[gdocktor3]

Just saw a commercial for Ace Hardware's 5,000th store opening and I started thinking - They are increasing in size while Sears is decreasing, yet they both sell the same stuff.

I guess the plan is to have Ace Hardware as the sole tool distributor and Sears the sole appliance distributor?

Just thinking out loud here....

 

[mbshop]

Well, I hope we get a real ace store. Right now we have a lumber yard that pretends to be an ace store but they are lacking terribly.

 

[bpjr]

Out friendly ACE has the highest retail prices on the planet. I go there just to get specialty nuts, bolt, screws, etc.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Ace is not the cheapest place to shop, but normally they have the staff with the knowledge to help you find stuff and help you finish your projects.
I personally rather go to one of our 4 Ace hardware stores then go to the big box store.
Plus if they don't have it in stock their main whse is only 4 miles away and they will drive over and get what you want while you wait.

 

[Davefr]

Just saw a commercial for Ace Hardware's 5,000th store opening and I started thinking - They are increasing in size while Sears is decreasing, yet they both sell the same stuff.

Same stuff my ***!!!

Does Sears, Lowes or Home Crapo sell L.H. drill bits, copper/stainless/brass metal, H/W not in these little overpriced pre-packaged bags, carbon electric tool brushes, custom keys, metric fasteners, specialized tools, replacement wood handles, nails by the pound, full selection of spray paint colors, etc, etc, etc.

The only alternative to Ace are the overpriced industrial distributers that rip you off on shipping and min. order thresholds. Or Home Crapo where you need to buy a bag of fasteners if you only need one.

I love Ace because the alternative is higher prices AND a much longer wait!!!

Just today I needed a #37 drill bit. Home Crapo and Lowes don't sell them. MSC wants me to order a twelve pack + expensive UPS shipping. Ace saved the day.

 

[PFSard]

Just saw a commercial for Ace Hardware's 5,000th store opening and I started thinking - They are increasing in size while Sears is decreasing, yet they both sell the same stuff.

I haven't been in an Ace (or Sears) for quite a while, but Sears had quite a different product line than Ace last time I was in either. Has something changed within the last five years?

 

[Empty Pockets]

We have an Ace 2 towns over. The staff knows what they have, They don't hesitate to place a special order, and it's in and out quickly.

Congrats on number 5000

 

[dar24601]

Well, I hope we get a real ace store. Right now we have a lumber yard that pretends to be an ace store but they are lacking terribly.

Same in my town but these guys do have a nice selection of tools and knowledgeable staff. Walk in do you have... if yes they walk you to it if not they can order it and be in next day. True not the cheapest around but other option in my town is a true value that ***** or drive 30 min to HD and spend an hour trying find the one person who has the key to cut some chain. Time is money plus I try to shop local much as I can

 

[Farmall 1066]

Our local Ace has most of what I'm looking for, at high prices, but when I need it, it's there.
Old owners hired a lot of retired guys who knew their ****. One isa nationally known collector of wood planes, and a master woodworker.
New owners got rid of them all, and replaced with a bunch of idiots I think came from Job Corps.
Inventory is still good, but if you call for something you'd better not count on it till you drive in and actually find it yourself.

 

[4 Ever-Fish N]

I agree. Our closest hardware store (for now) is an Ace, 25 miles. 35 miles to Lowes. Prices aren't great but the convenience of the shorter drive makes it worth it for most of my purchases. If I'm purchasing something expensive or if I'm going towards Lowes anyway, I will shop there. Whether or not the expansion of Ace has anything to do with Craftsman, I can't answer that.

Ace is not the cheapest place to shop, but normally they have the staff with the knowledge to help you find stuff and help you finish your projects.
I personally rather go to one of our 4 Ace hardware stores then go to the big box store.
Plus if they don't have it in stock their main whse is only 4 miles away and they will drive over and get what you want while you wait.

 

[Whiskeymike]

Wish they would open some in Austin.

 

[PugetDude]

IMO, Ace is the closest thing to what the good old hardware stores used to be.
All kinds of hardware, paint, lawn and garden, and a friendly, knowledgeable staff with great store and product knowledge... and you don't have to wander through 100,000 square feet of product stocked 20' high to (hopefully) find what you're looking for.
The only thing missing at ACE is the potbelly stove. I admire their business model; hope they continue to grow.

 

[rharman]

IMO, Ace is the closest thing to what the good old hardware stores used to be.
All kinds of hardware, paint, lawn and garden, and a friendly, knowledgeable staff with great store and product knowledge... and you don't have to wander through 100,000 square feet of product stocked 20' high to (hopefully) find what you're looking for.
The only thing missing at ACE is the potbelly stove. I admire their business model; hope they continue to grow.

Yep, they have a good feeling about them. And, I like to support a local business when I can.

 

[gdocktor3]

I haven't been in an Ace (or Sears) for quite a while, but Sears had quite a different product line than Ace last time I was in either. Has something changed within the last five years?

I've never been in an Ace, but I thought they sold Craftsman, Black and Decker, Dewalt, etc...

 

[jeejay]

There are a couple around here and 3 other large hardware stores within 3 miles of each other (or more than 5, if you include Harbor Freight, Fastenal, etc., adding up to at least 10 within 10 miles). I have no idea how they all stay open, when in comparison to Walmart opening a store somewhere, at least one grocery and/or department store closes down near by. I've found a number of useful things at all of them, so that's fine with me (and everyone else must be shopping around too). There is some overlap with Sears, but I didn't get the impression that it was the same selection (I don't know about online, and only look up specific things to see what's in stock or browse in store). I wouldn't say any are the ultimate one stop shop, because I've ordered at least as many things elsewhere, vises for example, possibly more industrial though (I consider it all hardware myself).

 

[jeejay]

Well, I hope we get a real ace store. Right now we have a lumber yard that pretends to be an ace store but they are lacking terribly.

According to the wiki, the world's largest Ace Hardware shop is in Indonesia.

The Home Center (one of 132 locations there, averaging 13 per year in this decade). Uniting the colors of Benetton... I wonder if they could get me a gold seat cushion around here, or is that magnesium?

 

[Tallpilot]

I think the issue is that Ace seems to be a franchise based operation. So some stores have a large inventory of high quality hardware at reasonable prices while others have the same junk as the big box stores but at higher prices. They do have shorter lines and smaller parking lots though.

 

[sberry]

They just sold one in our town to an outfit called Gilroys Got it, same store, different name. I was in it yesterday.

 

[jabin]

I love my Ace store. Yes, it's my store, that's how they make you feel. They meet me at the door and are very knowledgeable about what they have. I'll brainstorm with the owner if I'm really stuck on an issue. The prices are fair for the convenience and service that I receive. They carry specialty items that neither HD or Lowe's carries. We do have a small town Hardware Store also but they don't have the selection that Ace has 1.5 miles away.

I have it made with HD, Lowe's, Menard's, Ace and Loveland Hardware all within 15 minutes of me. You would think I could get more done.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I like ACE stores. Every one I've been to is clean and well organized. May not be the cheapest but I've never noticed the prices being high.

 

[kythri]

I've never been in an Ace, but I thought they sold Craftsman, Black and Decker, Dewalt, etc...

Ace is far from Sears, and is more like a smaller home-town Home Depot/Lowe's. They carry a ton of stuff that Sears doesn't (lumber, fasteners, plumbing supplies, etc).

They're traditionally in the role of the local hardware store in a lot of communities.

Ace doesn't sell housewares, clothing, bedding, sporting goods equipment, electronics, etc.

In the small areas that they overlap (such as the tool department), they carry some of the same brands, sure.

 

[nh_yota]

I have two Ace Hardware stores in my town - one is a full fledged lumber yard and the other is a typical storefront in a strip mall. Ace is fairly popular up here along with True Value and Aubuchon Hardware.

I'm friends with the owner of the second Ace store and stop in a couple times a month for random odds and ends. If it's not busy we chat for a few minutes and reminisce about when he worked in the IT world before he decided he hated it and bought the hardware store.

 

[sberry]

Lots of women working in the local one. 3 and 1 man yesterday.

 

[stercorarius]

Wow. You're guy's experiences are vastly different than around here. All of the Ace stores around are terrible. Don't carry anything. Terrible staff. Last resort. Hate that place.

Sent from my S60 using Tapatalk

 

[gdocktor3]

I don't know why, but I thought Sears and ACE were under the same umbrella. My mistake.

 

[kythri]

Newp, they're just one of several places that contracted to carry Craftsman tools.

 

[Bronson]

I use my local ACE often.
Half a mile to ACE, 20 miles to HD or Lowes.
The prices are higher, but the store is clean and well laid out.
The crew is clueless, and would rather look at their phone or pick at their piercings, but I know what I need and where it is.

 

[ChrisPace]

I shop at Ace often, I go there to get stuff to finish a project I'm working on. Pricing is a little higher than Walmart but you can get in and out quick and the staff is helpful. It's a good place to have in your community.

 

[jeffmoss26]

We have several very good Ace stores here, one of the larger Ace stores was with DIB for a long time but switched around 10 years ago. Also True Value, Do it Best, and independents that buy from Orgill, Bostwick-Braun, etc. One of my first jobs in high school was for a True Value store. Definitely learned a lot.

 

[davethorik]

I go to a local Ace when I need stuff i know I won't find at the box stores. Last time I went, i ended up walking out with a brand new Craftsman USA raised panel 32mm combo wrench from their clearance rack for $6.

The employees are hit or miss. A couple of the old timers know their stuff, then everyone else are teenagers glued to their phones.

 

[anndel]

I go to a local Ace when I need stuff i know I won't find at the box stores. Last time I went, i ended up walking out with a brand new Craftsman USA raised panel 32mm combo wrench from their clearance rack for $6.

The employees are hit or miss. A couple of the old timers know their stuff, then everyone else are teenagers glued to their phones.

Same here but if they're not busy they're sweeping floors, straightening shelves, etc., and not on their phones - Pioneer Ace Hardware in Wahiawa. I go there from time to time.

 

[dr_clyde]

I don't mind Ace. My hometown had a really nice Ace, but they moved to a new building a few years ago and it just isn't the same. They used to have 3 buildings, a large hardware, a outdoor power center and a toy store. They closed the toy store and merged the outdoor store with the hardware when they moved. I miss that place. Creaky floors, and a whole lot of character. The new place is too clean and sterile. They still carry all the good stuff though, Carhartt, Stihl, lots of good power tools, I think they still have Craftsman hand tools, but its been a few years since I've been in there.

I live next door to a Do-it Best hardware, but they are more mom and pop than franchise. They are a tad expensive, but its hard to beat walking across my yard and getting something. They also sell guns and do gunsmith work, which is a bit unusual for a small hardware store nowadays.

 

[Sco Deac]

A Do-it Best has opened in the space that was vacated by Sears Home last year. The ownership is completely new (for a while I wrongly was under the impressionism that the old Sears franchisees opened a Do-it Best). It is impressive and better than the old Sears.

 

[marinusdees]

There are a couple around here and 3 other large hardware stores within 3 miles of each other (or more than 5, if you include Harbor Freight, Fastenal, etc., adding up to at least 10 within 10 miles). I have no idea how they all stay open, when in comparison to Walmart opening a store somewhere, at least one grocery and/or department store closes down near by. I've found a number of useful things at all of them, so that's fine with me (and everyone else must be shopping around too). There is some overlap with Sears, but I didn't get the impression that it was the same selection (I don't know about online, and only look up specific things to see what's in stock or browse in store). I wouldn't say any are the ultimate one stop shop, because I've ordered at least as many things elsewhere, vises for example, possibly more industrial though (I consider it all hardware myself).

Be kind of nice to know where "here" is.

 

[Todd.Brock]

We have several very good Ace stores here, one of the larger Ace stores was with DIB for a long time but switched around 10 years ago. Also True Value, Do it Best, and independents that buy from Orgill, Bostwick-Braun, etc. One of my first jobs in high school was for a True Value store. Definitely learned a lot.

One of my first jobs was at a Do it Best. Hader Hardware. My Title was Stock Boy. - I think that's racist now, or at least degrading...

I LOVED that job. It set me on the course of home improvement, DIY and the burning desire to run an old hardware store when I retire. Man I miss those old timers... I learned much from those guys.

 

[Brownsfan]

I was in a Ace hardware today and most of the Craftsman was being Clearanced for Crescent tools. Everything from sockets to pliers and screwdrivers. I don't know if it's all of them though

 

[redvalkyrie]

I definitely feel Ace is pretty rad. It's not some massive warehouse where I get lost. I can go in and get what I need and be on my way home in ten minutes.

The nuts and bolts are where you'll usually find me. When I need a really specific bolt I go to Fastenal but talk about expensive...

 

[upgrading]

Sunday 8/13 there is a coupon for 50% off one regular price item under $30 or $15 off if it is over $30.

Just got the ad today with my supermarket ads.

 

[TractorMechanic]

There is an Ace that I used to frequent, mainly , because they sold guns. They were the closest hardware store that stocked hunting items. I thought it was cool. Unfortunately so did the thieves who broke into the store. After that, ACE headquarters decided it was too much of a liability. Dang thieves.

The other ACE store that I shopped at the most couldn't compete with having Home Depot and a number of new Walmart stores move in. I really miss that one. Bought a lot of bolts and plumbing supplies there. The building it was in had once been a grocery store. They closed it for good.

 

[mikebaker1129]

Funny thing about this thread, I just came home from Ace,stopped by the on my way home from work.
I needed some stamps and my Ace has a US post office inside,they sell Styl eqt,repair small engines, yeti coolers,make keys,sharpen knives and tools,sell some US made craftsman tools,have free popcorn and coffee.
Best of all they trip over themselves to help you when you come in.
They let my daughters girlscout troop sell cookies out front . Yes they cost a little more,but it is easy in and easy out.
They just have good old fashioned service!
I love it and the local True Value Hdwr in my town!