Save yourself a headache and go anywhere but here. The employees are not helpful or courteous. Snarky employees and clueless. I went in after being sent there by Timberline on a search for deck paint. I wasn't certain what kind of paint I needed but thought I needed oil based paint and was informed by the employee at the paint counter that Ace does not carry any oil based paint only acrylic. I explained that I had a very old deck and needed to cover the old pressure treated wood that was being scraped and repainted. After being ignored, then passed over to a new employee since it was his lunch break, the paint attendant employee sold me stain along with rollers and paint liners - staining an old deck is not appropriate and would not had enough coverage. I went home and was immediately told by my partner that the stain would not work and that we needed something with a primer included. Given I have not opened the can of paint I thought I may be able to return it and get the right stuff which was absolutely not allowed apparently. When I went back in to talk to Ace in Gloucester to try to rectify the situation I was greeted with clueless employees who called the team leader up to the counter who called the paint department who called up another woman. How can a team leader, store manager, department manager not be able to assist and also say that the stain was the correct deck paint? I bet if I were a man they would not have been so patronizing and rude. After explaining the situation to 5 people, I left the unopened can of $55 stain, my receipt with them and left the store and I will never go back to this Ace Hardware. What a shock since I have been shopping at Ace for many many years just not the one in Gloucester. They are horrible. Now I am back online trying to figure out what kind of paint I need to for the old deck - is Hometown Ace a Hardware store? Shame on this store manager - If this review does get read by an owner please please focus on training your employees correctly and tell your employees to hold the snarky. read more

Always helpful and friendly! Special order under mount bulbs for cabinet lights and then hand deliver to my house? No problem! Build a grill to order and deliver it to my deck? No problem! Take returns with push back? No problem! I wish every store was this friendly and professional! read more

Very rude employees .... I asked about an item ... he asked if I kknew where it was ... I said no thats why I'm asking you his response.. "well I don't know if very item look it up and come in with the number.... Hmmm that what I thought he would do. so I left .. they are too high in cost to begin with but this sealed the deal I will not shop where I have to bring the item number so they can look it up... sad thing is this man was not phased at all it's like it's common practice for him to turn away people. read more

Employees are clueless. Never helpful and turn away coupons that are valid. Every visit.

The service has gone down considerably since they first opened. It is hard to find somebody to help you, and when you do finally find somebody they very rarely have a clue as to how to help, although they do generally know which aisle to look in. Most times they need to call someone else in, and that person can rarely help either. I regularly have to spend about 20 to 25 minutes at the register trying to check out because nobody can figure out how to use the register correctly and take off the reward card discounts. It is actually faster for me to drive from Gloucester to Lowes in Danvers than to try to buy the same thing at Ace. Very sad. read more

As someone who is not a homeowner, and has moved 4 times in the past 5 years due to graduate school, I generally do not spend a large amount of time at Ace Hardware for home improvement reasons. I did, however, find myself at Ace several times over the past month for various reasons, the primary reason being that I live in Gloucester and there are so few places to purchase the items that I needed. My first visit was for an air conditioning unit. I don't do well with temperatures above 75 degrees, so summers are basically 3 months of sweaty hell. A helpful young lady pointed me in the right direction to find several different models, and another helpful gentleman helped me to load that monster into my car. I noticed that the box had been damaged, but assumed that the box was just a little worse for the wear and went home. Unfortunately, upon unloading the air conditioner, my boyfriend and I realized that the entire rear of the AC had been caved in and it was very broken. I had kept the receipt, and we returned the following day to exchange the unit. When we returned, it had apparently been a very busy day, and the woman I spoke to seem flustered and stressed. She was unable to help us, but got her manager. I explained what had happened, requested an exchange, and showed him my receipt. He did not apologize for the inconvenience and curtly said that he would have someone look for the same model in the back. When he was able to locate one he did not ask us if we needed help getting it to my car, and the experience left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. I would return if I needed a product ASAP, otherwise, I'll likely order from Amazon Prime. read more

Poor customer service. Better have a receipt or they will put you thru torture to replace a defective item. Will take my business to Home Depot. Had a less than $10 item and had to speak with 3 different people before I left and returned home with same defective item. Having an ace card didn't help as manager had to go through all your purchases to find item receipt. Wasted 1/2 hour of my time and stood in line as well to get in. read more

I went in there today to purchase something and got excellent help from one of the employees. I was buying the wrong thing that would have done damage if he hadn't asked me if I needed help. He walked me through the purchase and how to use it. The employees were having a good time in there and there was a lot of banter. It's nice to laugh with them. The environment was really warm and friendly on a record breaking cold day! read more

My wife and I shopped at Hometown Gloucester Ace yesterday afternoon. We were there for garden soil and mulch rather than buy it at Marshall's where we'd just bought vegetable plants. There were only two bags of Ace Garden Soil left, both had been torn open (nails on the wooden pallet) and soul was spilled on the ground. We loaded one into the cart and two bags of Miracle Grow, and went to the checkout. No one else in checkout lane. I explained that the Ace top soil bag was torn open and some spilled on the ground. I thought he (male employee) might offer a small percent break. It's a damaged bag. Nope, he ignored what I said, scanned the bags and said what the total was. Oh well, that's not been my experience with people like Robin, and I've bought snowblowers, grills and lawnmowers from this ACE. It's not like I'm a roll of scotch tape at Christmas time kind of guy. Retail employees really need to listen, particularly when there are lots of places where I can buy hardware. This same employee scolded me a few weeks ago for bringing mulch bags into the store even though a different employee told me to go out back with a carriage and load up and bring it to the register. I understand getting wires crossed, and I explained what I was told to do by the other employee. But he said nothing, like sorry you got that information but we're going to do it this way. I was just left having been scolded. It wasn't a good feeling. In any event, I'll probably be back, but local owners like Jay Smith need to hear both the good news and not so good. I happen to know that each employee has the ability to offer discounts or comp up to certain amounts each day. read more

I venture into Hometown Ace probably a few times a month and I absolutely LOVE this store!!!! All of the associates are super helpful and know what they are talking about--especially the woman with the long blonde hair and the guy with brown hair and glasses. Whether I need help fixing my toilet or just getting bird seed, everyone is always really friendly. Yes, the coupons can be a little annoying but they are issued from ACE, not the store itself. I know that if I use a coupon somewhere and then return the item i got, I don't get to reuse the coupon. Unhappy customers shouldn't confuse coupon policies with the individual stores. Every store I know of has rules and if the information is on the coupon to begin with, it has nothing to do with the associates. read more

This is the 2nd & last time I've been hustled with Ace coupons in Gloucester, MA. I will not spend another cent in that store. I received a $5 happy birthday coupon & used it for overpriced lightbulbs at $12.99 and a box of $3.99 staples that were recommended by a store employee for my staple gun. The staples did not fit & when I returned them I only received $2.82 return because I bought them at the same time. I should have known to have them rung up separately I guess. So really the $5 birthday coupon wasn't a real $5 gift. The rude woman at the register slammed some written page on the counter & told me to read it. It was an obnoxious encounter. I'll never go back. read more

better prices than BC & helpful staff they are also dog friendly, which is a huge plus for me with puppy in tow. i've been able to find everything i need here, but they are still on the pricey side compared to the big-box stores. i'm willing to pay a bit more for the service and for not having to drive 30 miles to a big box. read more

Since the "owner" wanted to respond to my review, I felt it prudent to publicly respond back. Your employees gave me two options: accept a spray on my hands or be escorted to the bathroom where they could "visibly watch me" wash my hands. The "owner mentions how they are taking covid-19 "serious" with cases "on the rise" in order to justify chemical spraying, regardless of disabilities such as skin conditions, allergies, and maimed or missing fingers, or hands. These are not medical professionals, they are clerks, and the fact that this "owner" chose to fear monger and justify an illegal and discriminatory business practice in his response, only further proves how out of touch these people are. I may just take a stroll back and if I get denied entry due to my disability a call to the police should suffice. I would love the chance to show you the discriminatory business practice you are operating in a lawsuit for ADA discrimination read more

What a friendly place. They always seem to have someone handy who can help - or if not they use that walkie-talkie to get someone there. And free popcorn too! read more

I used to go to this store for both business and personal needs. I gave this store a considerable amount of business every year. I tried to return an $18 axe I had bought as a gift that I did not end up giving. I had the receipt and the axe in the exact condition I had purchased it. The manager at the store refused to accept the return because she said a certain sticker was missing that was vital to its resalability. The receipt said "receipt required for returns," I had the receipt and the product in perfect condition, and they made up an excuse not to accept the return. They must have sold me the axe without the sticker, because it had been sitting in my trunk since I purchased it, untouched. The staff is not very knowledgeable and always has an attitude. Prices are about the same as every other hardware store in town, but the other stores accept returns as agreed upon before purchase. If you have an option, I would recommend looking elsewhere for your hardware and home improvement needs, in case you need to return something that doesn't quite fit/work/match/whatever. read more

I send my wife to HomeTown Ace to pick up 4 gallons of Cabot Solid Oil Stain to paint our cottage. The guy at the paint counter told my wife they didn't make oil stain anymore and sold her some Ace Wood Royal Solid Color Latex Siding & Trim Stain. In a rush to beat the cold weather, I didn't question the information and painted half the building with this acrylic stain. The shingles sucked in the Ace Stain and didn't cover very well at all. When I returned to the store to get more paint I noticed that Cabot had O.V.T. Solid Color Oil Exterior Stain. I was really pissed knowing I was giving the wrong information and the fact that I cannot used oil over acrylic paint now. read more