Ace Hardware

I’m surprised Ace allows this franchisee to operate the way he does. I happened to show up 1 hour into a «hot buy» sale, and out of the 8 items I wanted to pick up, only 2 were in stock (and each only had 1 in stock).
I asked how they sold out so quickly and the lady said the owner doesn’t participate in Ace sales. She then told me to check the address on my mailer and it’ll have a different Ace’s address. It had this location’s address.
I then asked how’s it’s possible for this location to not participate in a sale when the flyer has this location’s address on it and she said the owner purposely doesn’t order sale items coming up to a sale so they’re not in stock to purchase.

I went in to do a quick return of «Ace» brand packaged sandpaper that I bought at a different store. I placed it on the counter with the receipt and the guy says «nope!». You didn’t buy this here. I agreed, I wasn’t trying to pull something over oh him. He then goes on to explain how each Ace is individually owned, blah, blah, blah. I usually go the the Ace in Morgan Hill and I have never been treated badly there. I know for a fact that they will return without a receipt as long as you have a rewards card. Won’t be back here. It’s not the brand that is the problem it’s this store in particular.

Neighborhood friendly. Every time I enter the store someone always asks if they can help. I’ve wandered Lowes and OSH looking for help and their employees seem to go out of their way to seem busy, if you can find one. Not here. If they’re not busy the store salespeople will walk you down to help you find the right item.
It’s a small store, so the selection is limited, but most of the time I can find what I need. Never had a problem returning items. (I kept receipts)

My father bought me a yard tool at a different Ace Hardware. BUt I had already purchased one. So I decided to return it for store credit and purchase something else. However this Ace Hardware refused to give me a return, even though this item was on the front page of the ad (it was on the checkout counter). I even asked for Store Credit, because I wanted to purchase something else. They said no. My wife told them off (I was going to purchase something for her).
This is a bad business practice. If you’re «Ace Hardware» then you should be able to take returns or exchanges that were bought from other «Ace Hardware» stores. And this is a national brand, not some mom and pop store. I don’t have this problem at any Target Store I go to.
My excitement for a close-​by, walking-​distance hardware store is now gone. I’d rather drive an extra 2 miles to the Lowes or OSH to get my stuff.

Sometimes it isn’t what goes right that makes a rating but how a business handles a situation when something goes wrong. That’s what this review is based on.
I found a Benjamin Moore color that I fell in love with for my son’s room so I thought I’d give this place a try. Yeah, the store is newer so it took a person or two to get what I wanted but ultimately, I got exactly what I came here for. Then I started to paint…
Keep in mind that I bought the BM Natura paint, some of the most expensive stuff out there, because it is a no VOC paint. I’m not a novice when it comes to interior painting but I had never encountered a paint this watery before. I did my best to make it work but at $ 51 a can, I got progressively more frustrated at the excessive drips and runs. I had spent two days prepping the room (spackling, sanding, tsp-​ing) and by the second coat of paint (which made the problem even worse), I suspected that there was something wrong with the product. I didn’t fault Ace for this. They just carry the base and mix the color. I wondered if i had gotten a bad can from the manufacturer.
I called this store back and within the same day, they followed through with the manufacturer, who agreed that the paint was not normal and authorized another can for me. Eric from Ace called me to come down and mixed me another can free of charge. Awesome! Thanks!
Lesson learned:
If your paint starts dripping like crazy, even after properly prepping your walls and only applying it lightly, stop painting and head back to the store for a different can.

First a very short back story. I bought a step down from another Ace store near where I was living at the time on other side of town. Now to my customer issue. This Ace store on Santa Teresa just opened and I was excited to have it with in walking distance to my house since I am always working on something and in need of supplies (currently re building a motorcycle). I love just hanging out at a hardware store. I’m that kind of guy. Granted I’ve had this piece for a few months now but I have never used it since it was the wrong size. A woman greeted me warmly as I entered but her attitude quickly changed when she saw I wanted to return/​exchange something. Everything about her screamed «screw you». Her body language, tone, her refusal to pay me any other attention other than to say «go away». No packaging no return. Said she can’t sell it, sadly I worked in a hardware store and yeah you can. I think this idea is out dated especially since Ace is not a mom and pop place it is a chain. People constantly buy the wrong tool and return it later. Most people who buy tools like this would have no problem buying it without packaging (which really is just a piece of plastic stuck in the hole to hang it by). Unfortunately since I heard Ace now owns Craftsman I will have to keep giving them my business though indirectly since I will not shop at Ace, at least not this one, again.
Update July 9, 2011
Just went back to return (not shopping here any more) my broken Craftsman needle nose pliers. As mentioned I like Craftsman tools. Ace has started selling Craftsman tools BUT DOES NOT RETURN THEM. They offered me a number to call and send my pliers in. Why they didn’t just say «go to OSH or Sears» I don’t know. Probably because they don’t want you to realize how bad Ace is. Another reason not to shop here. If you want Craftsman but don’t have a OSH or Sears around but you have an Ace, be warned.