silly Ace Hdwe, no Titebond III

[LCHIEN]

They don't even carry titebond III, only I and II.
And their price for TBII is higher than Lowes for TBIII (8 oz).

And I thought I'd save some time and avoid the crowd by shopppig at Ace for something as pedestrian as wood glue.

[Uncle Cracker]

The Ace I shop at has TB3... That's where I got my last bottle, about 3 weeks ago.

[sweensdv]

LCHIEN, of course their price is higher than Lowes. Around here at least, if you want to pay 25% - 30% more than anywhere else all you need to do is shop at a Tru Value, Ace or any of the other big chain hardware stores.

[dkerfoot]

I often shop at my local Ace hardware. True they charge more, but they are locally owned which is nice. The real incentive is not having to walk a mile and a half to get to the glue and back. Also, I am much less likely to walk out with "impulse" tools!

To me, they are the 7/11 of hardware. Not where I go to do heavy shopping, but very convenient compared to the "super markets."

[jnesmith]

I love my neighborhood Ace. I can get to it in less than 5 minutes, have one of the surprisingly knowledgeable and friendly employees spend 20 minutes helping me decide on the best solution to a particular hardware problem, and walk out with a 50 cent bag of fasteners. All the while other employees are filling my propane tanks and sharpening my mower blades.

I certainly don't mind paying a little more to shop there.

[docrowan]

I was very mistrustful of the first Ace hardware I shopped at. It took me about 4 or 5 trips before I would let someone help me, because my experience in big box stores was if someone was vaguely knowledgeable, they were too busy to help me, or rude, or both. Most of them were relatively nice, but absolutely clueless. After I started actually letting my guard down at the Ace hardware, I loved it. I have since moved and desperately wish there was one in the town I live in now.

[dbhost]

Ace Hardware is quite different from the BORG. Ace stores are typically franchises, and generally "mom & pop shops..." I worked my way through college at Ace Hardware stores in the Clear Lake area. (1 now closed due to divorce, 1 still up and thriving). The individual store manager or purchasing agent has the job of deciding what to carry in their store. Very little is actually deemed as a thou shalt carry this item sort of thing from corporate...

Which Ace Hardware were you shopping at? I might know the purchaser or manager there still even though it has been a lot of years, I still have connections in the hardware biz...

We carried TB3 at our store for a while, but dropped it like a lead brick due to no consumer interest...

TB2 and Elmers wood glue are the hot tickets in that market space... Gorilla Glue is another good seller too, but a LOT of guys buy the big bottles then end up mad when the glue sets up in the bottle and goes to waste...

As far as price is concerned, depending on the item, Ace has a tough time competing in volume with the big box stores, or even WalMart for that matter. But then again, some real bargains can be had at Ace too. You need to be a wise shopper to keep your money in your wallet for sure no matter where you go...

For example my $10.00 on sale at Ace Titanium drill bit set goes on sale at HD occasionally for $19.99...

One nice thing about most Ace, True Value, Best Hardware, etc... franchise store hardware joints is that the owners are typically open to customer suggestion on merchandise. Talk to the store manager and see what they can do for you! Unlike the big box stores, the little guys NEED every single customer at a local level, because they don't have a nation wide to lean back on...

FWIW, I still shop the Ace Hardware that put me through college, and I still deeply appreciate the opportunities afforded by that job...

[Uncle Cracker]

The Ace I use was formerly a True-Value franchise. They have always had most of the off-the-wall kind of stuff that the "boxes" don't carry because of low volume on those items. When Ace (or an Ace franchisee) bought out the store, I was sure that the usefulness of this little jewel of a place was gonna fade, but to my complete surprise, they actually expanded the place by 50% and added even more stuff!

Example: When changing fan belts on my little Nissan PU recently, I broke the head off a tensioning bolt (8mmx1.25mmx90mm and all thread, to boot). Auto dealer: wanted to sell me the entire idler pulley assembly (special order, no less). Went to BORG and Lowes (closer), nothing even close to that long. Auto parts stores, no way... Went to my Ace, and not only did they have them, they had them in both stainless and zinc! Their hardware department is huge now. Aisles full of bins 7 feet high...

[JeffG78]

A new Ace opened up about six months ago near my house and I love it. They usually have the specialty items that BORG doesn't carry. They also told me that if there is anything that I need that they don't carry to let them know and they would start ordering it.

The prices are actually cheaper than BORG on many items. I found fasteners to be a better deal at ACE. I also use the Ace Rewards card and they regulary send me $5.00 off cards in the mail even though I don't spend a whole lot of money there. I will always shop at the box stores, but if I am in the middle of a project and run out of something, I will always try Ace first. I like keeping the mom and pop stores in business.

[docrowan]

Regarding the big box store prices, I have feeling they put a lot of effort into determining what the market will bear. I doubt it is a straight cost plus X% type pricing scheme. I've seen enough times a much smaller chain carry the exact same item and their regular price (not sale price) is less than a much larger chain.

[BobSch]

I love my neighborhood Ace. I can get to it in less than 5 minutes, have one of the surprisingly knowledgeable and friendly employees spend 20 minutes helping me decide on the best solution to a particular hardware problem, and walk out with a 50 cent bag of fasteners. All the while other employees are filling my propane tanks and sharpening my mower blades.

I certainly don't mind paying a little more to shop there.

My thoughts exactly. I worked in a local hardware store when I was in school and Pete, the owner, still had a complete draft horse collar and accompaning reins,etc. hanging on the wall. (We had a party the day it sold.) I have two Ace's withing five miles of my house and tend to head there first, not to the BORG.

[Uncle Cracker]

You guys have reminded of a truly carefree part of my life... My father, rest his soul, had no mechanical aptitude. He was very bright, even had a pharmacy degree, but he couldn't figure out how to work a pencil sharpener or a fork...

But I had to be born with the gadget bug, and I remember up at the corner there was a dusty little neighborhood hardware store owned by old Mr. Gardner (he was probably an ancient 50 or so at the time). From the time I was six or so, I would spend hours in that shop, poring over every little thing in it, all the while running a dialogue with Mr. Gardner, and picking up bits and pieces for my latest project, which oddly enough, never cost more than what little change I had in my pocket.

I don't know where old Mr. Gardner got his patience or his smarts, but he taught me pretty much everything I know, and how to cultivate a passion for how things function into a life's work. He died quietly in his shop while I was in my first year of college. I had lost my best friend. It's nice to remember him from time to time.

[JeffG78]

You guys have reminded of a truly carefree part of my life... My father, rest his soul, had no mechanical aptitude. He was very bright, even had a pharmacy degree, but he couldn't figure out how to work a pencil sharpener or a fork...

But I had to be born with the gadget bug, and I remember up at the corner there was a dusty little neighborhood hardware store owned by old Mr. Gardner (he was probably an ancient 50 or so at the time). From the time I was six or so, I would spend hours in that shop, poring over every little thing in it, all the while running a dialogue with Mr. Gardner, and picking up bits and pieces for my latest project, which oddly enough, never cost more than what little change I had in my pocket.

I don't know where old Mr. Gardner got his patience or his smarts, but he taught me pretty much everything I know, and how to cultivate a passion for how things function into a life's work. He died quietly in his shop while I was in my first year of college. I had lost my best friend. It's nice to remember him from time to time.

I had a Mr. Gardner, but he owned a hobby shop that he ran out of his basement. When I was a kid, Al was in his late 70's. He had a very large yard where he taught people how to fly flight line or RC planes so they were less likely to crash their newly purchased goods. He would spend as much time as needed explaining the pros and cons of various engines or propeller designs. In his little basement shop, he had 10 times the inventory of any hobby store I've been in since. I'm not sure when he died or how long he lived, but for myself and all the kids young and old that shopped at his store, he was one of a kind. When I go into a hobby store today, I see a handful of items to choose from and no knowledge or passion from anyone working there.

Even though the local Ace doesn't likely have the expertise that the old timer hardware stores had, they are much closer than any BORG will ever have.