Home and RV improvement projects have skyrocketed this past year during the pandemic. More people spending time at home = more people realizing how ugly their kitchen cabinets are.
There are more than 13,000 hardware stores in the U.S. Ace Hardware is the largest hardware store chain with 4,118 locations and California has the highest number of hardware stores.
After Ace, True Value has the second-highest number of stores, followed by The Home Depot, Tractor Supply Co. and Lowe’s.
Where do you shop at the most?
All the above, depends on location. Also correct spelling is Menards
Same for me except that there’s no Menards near me.
You ain’t missing much compared to Home Depot and Lowes.
I thought the spelling was off but I knew someone else would correct it. Living in the south we don’t have Menards, the first time I ever saw the name I was taking a load into Madison, WI.
You can also find the Menard’s name on a NASCAR vehicle. Not only as a sponsor, but driver Paul Menard is the son of the chain’s founder.
Sorry, Stan. It’s been corrected. I forgot to the proof the poll (on a separate page) when I proofed the post. Have a great day! 🙂 –Diane
Home Depot, then Ace and True Value. These seem to have the most knowledgeable staff.
If we are in New England or upstate New York it’s Aubuchon’s.
Home Depot because they are the one where the employees ask me if they can help almost as soon as I get in the door. They also will cut wood for me for free. I do shop the others but only if HD doesn’t have what I want.
Menards is the worst. They are the least helpful and it takes a long time to find someone to help. Once I needed someone to get something off a shelf and into my cart as it was too high and for me to do. The first person I asked said he couldn’t as “Not my job ” type answer, the second said ‘I’ll find someone and then dissappearded, it took me 20 minutes to find another to help me.
So I love helpful HD.
Must be nice – at our local HD the employees seem to go out of their way to avoid us, unless we chase them down the aisle.
I find that interesting because Menards requires their employees to know where everything is. My cousin who works at one told me that’s a corporate policy.
Usually Lowes. They give a 10% military discount.
So does my Home Depot.
Around here unless you are retired military hd only gives that on Veterans day, Once you register with Lowes you are covered nstionwide as long as you can prove you served, and you get the discount on everything even sale including reduced price merchandise
Our local Ace Hardware closed when the owner retired leaving only Home Depot. I used Ace for many things the big box store doesn’t handle because the profit margin isn’t there. Ace was the place for the helpful hardware man!
Lowes is most convenient to me. Products I need are available and good quality. Lowes also readily gives a military discount. 2nd choice is Home Depot then Ace.
I love to go into an Ace hardware but have to pass a Lowes and a home depot to get to one. They all sell the same thing but at least the old fashioned stores had a person you could ask questions and get a sensible answer.
The most convenient hardware store for us is an Ace. Further, they service and repair Stihl products, and we have several that we use heavily and regularly take there. Our Ace competes very well with the nearest Home Depot and nearest Lowe’s on selection and price, but win because of proximity and ease of getting into and out of their parking lot.
As full-timers who are often in small towns, we shop at whatever hardware store is available to us.
So very true!
Hardware Hank’s, an upper Midwest chain in town.
The Do It Best is in our hood, is the go to store.
The local Ace and True Values tend to be smaller and much more interesting to visit. Often have really good kitchen items and sometimes kitschy gift sections.
I shop at Ace mostly, since it’s more convenient. Do shop at Lowe’s & HD. Use to buy stuff off the internet from Menard’s, but they started charging a extra fee. Last time I bought some stuff, about six months or so later they sent me a letter saying I owed my state sales tax. Because of those two things I no longer buy off them.
It’s Menards not Minards.
Thanks, Brian! I forgot to proof the poll when I proofed the post (it’s on a different page than what I was looking at). It’s been corrected. Have a great day! 🙂 –Diane
While my local hardware independently owned hardware store isn’t always equipped like the monster Home Depot or Lowes, I will seek for my needs there first…..then if they don’t have what I need, I’ll lower myself and go to Home Depot.
Shop at Ace, I can almost find what I’m looking for and if needing a screw or nut can get my hands on it if needed.
LOVE my local Rosedale Ace in Bakersfield. For a real treat when you are in the Pismo Beach area a must stop at is Miner’s Ace Hardware in Grover Beach. Versus today’s big box stores this Ace has unbelievable service provided by real and caring experts!
There are three Lowes stores in my work area that I tend to hit 80% of the time. Then there are the five ACE Hardware locations around work/home for another 10% and the final 10% goes to Home Depot and a small independent chain (Dunn Lumber).
Yay, Dunn Lumber! My dad built our house north of Seattle in the mid ’40s and later added on – mostly with materials from Dunn Lumber in Shoreline. It was a real adventure to get to go with him to buy supplies from Dunn Lumber! Thanks, Jeff! Have a good night. 🙂 –Diane
Canadian Tire
I try to use local Hardware stores where ever we camp. Usually not hard to find.
I shopped at the local Ace Hardware for years along with many local people. When they sold it to a guy who owned several others, he wanted to build a huge store on adjacent property he owned but Corporate said no so he just closed the store. I know this is true because I knew people who worked there that told me. Now I go to where they all went, Menards. Great place but a bit of a drive.
HD has large inventory/sales/I’ve memorized their layout. ACE has more specialty items. Lowes is more Yuppie and expensive. IMHO.
Hertiage Hardware like stepping back in time. Keep the big box stores I’ll pay extra to support my local shops. And if by chance they don’t have it they’ll get it.
I preferred the small local stores but in my area they closed years ago; kind of forced into the big chains. However, the “very last choice” is mail order.
Unfortunately, unless I want to drive over 25 miles, Ace is the only store in our town. Home Depot and Lowes are in the next town over and with the summer terrorist traffic around here, it can take 20-30 minutes to get through my town just so you can get to the other town. Going South the next Lowes/Home Depot is about 45-50 miles so Ace is the only choice.
It depends on what we need … Ace is closest to home, but a small store so good for quick fix-it needs. We tend to go to McLendon next for other items, but compare prices with Lowes and/or Home Depot and purchase accordingly.
Ace is locally owned, staffed by competent people, and has a much larger selection of anything but the most basic hardware. Lowes and Home Depot are a distant second and third.
My favorite hardware store was Orchard Supply Hardware. They were mainly located in CA. They were bought and shut down by Lowes. My now go to hardware store is ACE. Both generally had the hardware we needed for repairing our rental properties.
We do shop at Lowes and Home Depot, but try to avoid them as much as possible.
I shop online first to see who (Amazon, HD, Lowes etc) has what and at what price. Price usually wins especially from Amazon. Free delivery the next day or two. No need to leave home.