Ace is the place with the helpful hardware / same day delivery man

Ace Hardware has become the latest national retailer to announce that they are throwing their hat into the local same day delivery battle and for the company well known by the phrase '...the place with the helpful hardware man' perhaps they'll add an asterisk pointing out that he now delivers too.

The announcement by Ace further demonstrates ongoing changes to the same day delivery model and sees retailers of a certain size realizing that their own stockrooms have the potential to become local micro distribution centers if managed effectively. The news marks another experiment to test the waters of consumer demand when it comes to same day delivery and like others the delivery range is quite restricted but it seems that Ace feel the size of their chain means they can still have significant coverage particularly in urban and suburban areas. The thought of a weekend of DIY without having to drop tools and spend time driving down to the hardware store for supplies certainly looks like it could hold appeal.

As the corporate home to McDonalds and Ace Hardware you almost wonder what makes suburban Chicago's Oakbrook such a corporate hub. With less than 9,000 residents Oakbrook reports that ten times that number come to the town to work each day.

Ace have labelled their new venture 'Ace's Express Delivery' and it was launched last month at select pilot stores around the nation. The concept becomes much clearer after reading the following from John Surane, Excecutive VP of Marketing and Sales;

"With 4,400 stores stocking the most locally relevant product assortments, Ace has a unique opportunity to become a big player in the same day delivery landscape once our pilot program concludes. About 61% of consumers across the country live within five miles of their neighborhood Ace, and that proximity to the household sets us apart. The Ace Hardware brand has always been synonymous with helpful and excellent customer service, so Express Delivery from your local Ace store represents a perfect extension of our brand promise -- Amazing Every Customer, Every Time. We also think there's a huge value to consumers in having their products delivered by a helpful Ace associate, who they might even recognize from their local store"

Customers are able to visit acehardware.com and choose qualifiying and in-stock products that they need delivered. The helpful FAQ on their site details that providing an order is placed before 1pm same day delivery will be completed prior to 7pm that day if the customer lives within a five mile radius of the store itself. They also indicate that they will pre-assemble certain items but that has to be coordinated and associated costs determined by the local branch. All payments must be made online via credit card or paypal at a fixed rate of $5 per delivery.