Ace Hardware is known for its "helpful" approach to customer service, and the retail cooperative is taking the next step on that path with a same-day delivery pilot program at 33 stores located in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland and Texas. The plan, if the "Express Delivery" pilot proves successful, could be rolled out across the country.
The pilot, which began on Jan. 26, allows customers to go to the Ace website and order products to be delivered from a local store on the same day. There is a $5 charge for the delivery. To be eligible, customers must live within five miles of their local Ace store and place their order by 1 p.m.
"About 61 percent of consumers across the country live within five miles of their neighborhood Ace, and that proximity to the household sets us apart," said John Surane, executive vice president, marketing, merchandising, and sales, Ace Hardware Corporation. "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."
Ace currently offers online ordering and free in-store pickup at more than 1,600 locations across the U.S. J.D. Power has ranked Ace Hardware as highest in customer satisfaction for eight years running.
