Ace Hardware is America's favorite home improvement retailer
#11
According to this article we should be shopping at Ace:

http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/ame...d=88723091
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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#12
I love our ace in where we moved from. Not so much here. It's a very nice and well stocked store but $7.00 for a 1" hose clamp? I can't afford to shop there.
Neil Summers Home Inspections




I came to a stop sign and a skanky tweaker chick in a tube top climbed out of the brush and propositioned me.  She looked like she didn't have any teeth so I counted that as a plus.


... Kizar Sosay





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#13
Haven't been there in years, but I guess it depends on it's location to you.

Somehow the name "Ace's" sounds more like a small corner handyman shopping store than a professionally equipped establishment.
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#14
I guess it just depends on which store.    My Ace has a lot of hardware that goes beyond homeowner type.    The big boxes normally send you there if they don't stock the item.    If they don't have the item they will order it and have it in 2 or 3 days.     Roly
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#15
All of the Ace stores that were convenient to either my home or my work are closed down.
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#16
I go to our local ace sometimes, I would rather support them.  But there was a time at our local Ace when hardware and stuff like that was only twice what mcmaster carr would sell it to me for.  Now, it's 10x. And McMaster will have it to me the next day without me wasting an hour on a trip. I don't know if this was a corporate decision, or local, but it stinks.

As far as small plumbing or other things like that, it has to be really generic for me to go there.  The manager (or owner, dunno) is really bad at keeping stuff in stock.  So if you need something that isn't used a lot, it's likely to be OOS.  Sometimes that's true of stuff that is used a lot.  And if I'm going to save $30 or more going to a borg, I'll go there.
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#17
Our local Ace is awesome. One is about a mile from me- they know me well. Their main store is downtown and has a fantastic power tool department plus they stock some Rockler stuff

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#18
My local Ace is good on some things and not on others. They have a fair amount of soil and mulch (gardening supplies), and even some lumber odds and ends. My main use for them is fasteners, as they have a much better selection than Home Depot (and it's organized much better as well). Their plumbing supplies are hit or miss - the big stuff is not so well stocked, but the smaller fittings are usually available.

I personally prefer to support them whenever possible. I moved to my current location almost three years ago and the staff at Ace has been the same since day one (for me) so they must be doing something right.
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#19
I want to like Ace. But the one closest to me is a joke. Very $$$ and the help is below terrible. Last time I was in there I was looking for something hardware wise (cant remember exactly what...some sort of bolt) Guy says he didnt have it in stock, and proceeded to try to sell me drywall screws....just a couple too. I remember telling him "I'm not hanging drywall" and his response was drywall screws fix anything. Socked he didnt offer me dust tape.  I laughed and walked out. Menards has a way better selection and easier to shop. 

I know there are a few that are owned buy a group that are suposta be nice....but its real hard to beat menards a block away.

Seven corners closed a few years back in downtown St Paul....that place was amazing. They had everything, and if they didnt they would disappear "into the back" and emerge with whatever you needed. I remember at my old house we had a patio slider, that I wanted a keyed lock for since thats the door we used. They were the only place I could find one. Miss that place.

Once Favre hangs it up though, it years of cellar dwelling for the Pack. (Geoff 12-18-07)  



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#20
Ace varies so much from owner to owner. Some are small some are quite big ad carry lumber and other large materials. Some have vey high prices and others are more reasonable. Its really hard to say their chain is good or bad because every store is vastly different store from the next. 

      For me when im in an area with one i go to menards first because their selection is night and day better than anyone else and their prices are fair and they have real sales. Not to mention im not pestered by an employee every 3 minutes asking if i need help with anything. Of i did i know they cant help because i know more than they do about their inventory... 

      Now i would love to own a small hardware store in a small town but unfortunately you really have to go the  Ace or True Value franchise route to get sightly lower inventory cost. Ace being the big one as true value is barely around anymore with very few franchises.
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