The big hardware chains give most independent stores a drubbing on the price front, but there are many small independents sprinkled throughout the area that provide what many consumers want most: helpful information and advice. A few of these stores even make a reasonable showing on price, and bring a lot of other strengths to the table. We'll help you find them.

Read our article and findings (available exclusively to CHECKBOOK subscribers)

Back to Chicago Consumers' CHECKBOOK Table of Contents.

Sample Subscriber Comments/Reviews About Hardware Stores

CHECKBOOK provides subscriber comments on their experiences with the firms they use. Please remember that individual subscriber comments are informal. Subscriber comments may give you insight into the types of features and problems that exist in a service field, but are not the best basis for selecting or rejecting a specific firm. To assess the quality of a firm's performance, we recommend that you give more weight to the percentages of favorable ratings. Those percentages are generally based on much larger numbers of consumers' ratings (the number of consumer ratings is noted above).

As You Can See Below, Some Hardware Stores Get High Praise from Their Customers. Some Others Don't. So Choose Carefully.
Here Are a Few Samples of the Thousands of Comments CHECKBOOK Has Collected on Hundreds of Different Hardware Stores.

• Subscriber from DEERFIELD, IL wrote Another Store: I always find what I want when I need it........
• Subscriber from WILMETTE, IL wrote Another Store: This is no longer an ACE store. Staff is knowledgeable for the most part and..........
• Subscriber from N RIVERSIDE, IL wrote Another Store: I am not at all "handy" and always receive excellent advice in a non-condescending manner...........
• Subscriber from NAPERVILLE, IL wrote Another Store: Love to shop here. Nearly always find what I need; staff are very helpful........
• Subscriber from NAPERVILLE, IL wrote Another Store: the staff is generally helpful, though sometimes hard to find. The variety is great uneless..........
• Subscriber from OAK FOREST, IL wrote Another Store: Always a line at checkout.Good range of products. Some reasonably priced, others-not........
• Subscriber from SKOKIE, IL wrote Another Store: There is always someone readily available to answer questions and show you where to find..........
• Subscriber from GENEVA, IL wrote Another Store: Not organized to easily locate products.......
• Subscriber from BATAVIA, IL wrote Another Store: Great advice available from knowledgeable staff/salespeople........
• Subscriber from PARK RIDGE, IL wrote Another Store: hard to find help, items........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Store: It's a home center - big and impersonal. You go there for wide variety of..........
• Subscriber from RIVERWOODS, IL wrote Another Store: A hardware store where the clerks don't know where anything is and wish you'd go..........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Store: It was an Ace Hardware, but I'm not certain it is still connected with that..........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Store: Good little neighborhood hardware store. Limited selection due to size but good advice and information........
• Subscriber from SKOKIE, IL wrote Another Store: Difficult to find someone who can answer questions. Difficult to find items. If item is..........
• Subscriber from WILMETTE, IL wrote Another Store: Very friendly and knowledgeable staff........
• Subscriber from WILMETTE, IL wrote Another Store: Staff is knowledgeable and extremely helpful. There's nothing that you can't find there........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Store: Menard's has the best selection, service and price of all the hardware superstores........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Store: These people are knowledgeable and have helped us with all of our undertakings. Their prices..........
• Subscriber from LOMBARD, IL wrote Another Store: It's not always easy to find someone to help or get advice from. But when..........
• Subscriber from ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL wrote Another Store: Love this store!! Have bought our siding, interior and exterior doors, flooring, lighting, paint, wallpaper,..........
• Subscriber from OAK PARK, IL wrote Another Store: Dressels has brass hardware for older houses that is hard to find. It is also..........
• Subscriber from DOWNERS GROVE, IL wrote Another Store: HAVE BEEN GOING THERE FOR MANY YEARS. STAFF IS FRIENDLY ENOUGH BUT HAVE A LARGE..........
• Subscriber from SKOKIE, IL wrote Another Store: There's always someone who can answer your question correctly........
• Subscriber from BUFFALO GROVE, IL wrote Another Store: I now go to Zimmerman first before going to Home Depot. Everyone who works there..........
• Subscriber from RIVERWOODS, IL wrote Another Store: It's the rare find around here, the old fashioned hardware store.......
• Subscriber from LEMONT, IL wrote Another Store: Friendly, personable, knowledgable staff. Great variety of products........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Store: VERY OFTEN OUT OF STOCK OR NOT AVAILABLE MERCHANDISE... POOR HELP WHEN NEEDED.........
• Subscriber from PARK RIDGE, IL wrote Another Store: helpful. expensive........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Store: Their personnel are pretty knowledgeable though not perfect. Their prices are excellent........
• Subscriber from N RIVERSIDE, IL wrote Another Store: I only shop her when I don't need advice. Service and expertise vary greatly. Items..........
• Subscriber from GENEVA, IL wrote Another Store: While choice, and sometimes pricing, may be better at the large home service stores, I..........
• Subscriber from WILMETTE, IL wrote Another Store: Superior service to big box hardware chains but it comes with higher prices........
• Subscriber from GLENVIEW, IL wrote Another Store: I want to support this local hardware store, but the employees rarely offer to help..........
• Subscriber from EVERGREEN PARK, IL wrote Another Store: Wide variety of products and a very knowledgeable and friendly staff. Prices are a little..........
• Subscriber from EVANSTON, IL wrote Another Store: I don't think this store pays its workers enough. They're either unable to understand my..........
• Subscriber from LIBERTYVILLE, IL wrote Another Store: Staff is great and so are sales.......
• Subscriber from BUFFALO GROVE, IL wrote Another Store: Certainly more personable than the big boxes, and things are more easily found. They excel..........
• Subscriber from WOODRIDGE, IL wrote Another Store: Whne I aksed for a particular product I was told they did not have time..........
• Subscriber from BUFFALO GROVE, IL wrote Another Store: Staff is very helpful. They can always find what you are looking for........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Store: I spent 15 minutes looking for a service person who then took me to where..........
• Subscriber from MT PROSPECT, IL wrote Another Store: Excellent service!.......
• Subscriber from LOMBARD, IL wrote Another Store: We use our local Ace Hardware because of their advice and convenient location. If we..........
• Subscriber from WILMETTE, IL wrote Another Store: These folks know us by name now. The only problem is that this store is..........
• Subscriber from OAK PARK, IL wrote Another Store: Classic big-box experience: good on variety and price, poor on service........
• Subscriber from BATAVIA, IL wrote Another Store: Not the most responsive staff, but adequate variety of products and good prices........
• Subscriber from HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL wrote Another Store: Well staffed, very helpful........
• Subscriber from CHICAGO, IL wrote Another Store: O fthe big stores, we prefer Menards over Home Depot and Lowe's.......
• Subscriber from GLENVIEW, IL wrote Another Store: Go to this place over Home Depot in a second. They have so many employees..........
• Subscriber from ALGONQUIN, IL wrote Another Store: Knowledgeable and friendly staff........