hardware stores - not just for guys

I wanted to take a minute and give a quick shout out to my local Ace hardware store. It's small and family-owned, and we try to do all of our hardware shopping there. Although their prices aren't always the cheapest, I'd rather give them my business than driving an hour to get to Lowe's or Home Depot. I feel the same way about our local hometown grocery store, when compared to the Wal-Mart that is fifteen minutes to our East.

Plus, my kids actually enjoy going to Ace with me. Want to know why? Because they have a popcorn machine with free popcorn for their customers. And while this may seem silly and you may be wondering what popcorn has to do with hardware and home improvement, I love it. My kids are so much more well behaved when we're in the store because they're busy stuffing their face with popcorn. Each kid gets their own little bag. The staff doesn't even mind it if they drop a few kernels on the floor here and there. When we're in Lowe's or Home Depot, my kids are always trying to run around, getting run over my men with lumber carts. We have to stick my son in the cart to keep him from getting into trouble, and he only endures it for about fifteen minutes before he starts screaming. With Ace and their infamous popcorn, he's quietly munching away the whole time. If he finishes his bag, we get him more. No problem.

My wife loves their popcorn, too, so she usually comes along, too. I don't know if this is a nationwide store policy, but I think it may be, because the Ace store near our home in Colorado also had free popcorn. They've always done this kind of thing for their customers. When I was a kid, I remember my Dad getting hot cashews at the Ace store - it always kept me happy. Today, they've opted for popcorn. It's cheaper for them, but equally as effective. It's a simple concept, but it works. In those larger hardware megaplexes, this is the type of thing that would have been eliminated by now because it was a "waste" of money, just like grocery stores that don't offer their customers free coffee anymore. Thanks, Ace!