Ace Hardware Princeton

Ace is the best. They have everything! After looking at three of the big box stores on route 1, to no avail, Ace had the replacement gasket I needed for my blender.
Phyllis Spiegel, Plainsboro

My little son and I love this store. An important aside is that you should be very concerned when a kindergartener tells you he needs to go to the hardware store, but that is indeed what happens. They have many cool, rare seasonal items such as pumpkin carving kits and toys for kids. They also have many crucial household supplies, cleaning products, cooking utensils, small appliances, and a good selection of standard hardware store goods such as paints, tools, etc. It is a small store, but very well-​stocked. The layout is cramped and a little chaotic, but still functional. I find the prices although a little high to be quite reasonable and they have great sales and rewards programs. Most importantly, their staff is excellent, extremely helpful, and knowledgeable.

I try to give them all the business I can. They’re
a local business and they aim to please and keep their customers. For example, they
recently exchanged an item that was not exactly what I wanted, and gave
me a refund for the difference. This reminds me of the
way business used to be conducted before box stores and the internet.

Unfortunately, this store nowadays nearly always has really loud, obnoxious music playing. This discourages me from lingering or browsing. I have once asked management to turn down the music, but it wasn’t enough to allow me to browse in comfort. Shame. I am now avoiding this store whenever possible.

Based on multiple visits, this store is definitely deserving of 5 stars. They have great customer service, are conveniently located, and are surprisingly well stocked for their small size. Regarding service, I had a great experience buying a weber grill from them. I did some web shopping on a Sunday and decided on a grill. I called the store and asked for a price quote. They matched an online price from a box store. I went into the store that same day to buy some accessories. And by Tuesday, the same guy who talked to me on the phone and who sold me the accessories, was at my house after I got home from work (5:15) and was installing the grill. In just two days I had the grill installed. You don’t see that level of service around any more. This is my goto hardware store! Just an additional note, they carry benjamin moore paint. Happy to give them 5 stars!

I’m in here pretty frequently for my many home projects. They’ve got an excellent selection, and their price on small housewares is often better than what you find on Amazon. Definitely a local gem.
I dinged a star for two minor annoyances:
(1) They close too early. 8pm is prime time for working on stuff, and that’s when they close. They should push it back to at least 9pm.
(2) Online ordering is pretty frustrating. The website doesn’t tell you what’s already in the store, and they have to ship it from a warehouse even if they already have it. Once you do that, it’s extremely hard to return it or change your order. And when you get there, nobody knows where your order is or how to process it. It’s clear that nobody ever does this except for Ace Hardware n00bs, as I was.

Overall a good hardware store, some of the aisles are a bit messy, but you can still find what you need. Plenty of staff available and alway asking how they can help. It would be a 4 star review but I recently got a pool for the dogs at my workplace and was told it would be at the store the next day and they would call me… I called them the next day and it wasn’t there. They then said it would be at the store the next day and they would call me… I called them and they didn’t have it. Finally on the third day I got (2) different calls saying the pool was ready to be picked up, five minutes apart form one another. One professional call and another 5 minutes later saying the same thing and half way through I hear someone saying in the background «I just called them!» The caller, «why didn’t you tell me!» And then hung up!

I love this store. There isn’t anything they don’t carry. Staff is very helpful, too.

This Ace Hardware location is perfect for any of your home improvement needs! … But I don’t do any home improvement. I’ve been here to make a copy of a key and, I just realized yesterday, that they have a great selection of kitchen items. They had a impressive selection of coffee makers so I decided to get one yesterday.
They’re more than just hardware, go check it out! They have all kinds of things, including humidifiers, fans, heaters, fondue pots, whatever your heart desires!

One of the nicer ACE stores. Large store, wide selection, plenty of service staff. We stopped in to pick up a DAPP flexible hose (as advertised on TV). My wife was hesitant to order on line. We called ahead and they set two aside for us.

Watch out if you are getting keys made. We got a duplicate made, and we when we came home, they did not work!

I was really impressed today at this place today.
We went in to pick up a knob to replace our Crock Pot’s broken knob, and it wa s$.95, unlike the $ 12+shipping for the entire lid replacement.
Why I was impressed? We noticed that there are carpenter bees living in the attic, and they’ve been more aggressive each day over the past 3 days (we live on the first floor, and the porch was crazy with the bees). As we’re renters, it’s really up to the landlord. Being against chemicals, I didn’t like the idea of using Raid, and the salesperson recommended hitting the bees with a 1−2L bottle, and either storing the bees in the bottle or killing them outright and disposing of them.
As far as non-​toxic methods, this was great. We bought some seltzer, rum, and pineapple juice, and have been batting the bees. At this point, they seem to be ignoring us – this moring it was awful.
Thank you Smith Hardware! Your staff is great!
They’re only onpen 9 – 3 on Sunday, BTW.
Update 9÷13÷09:
This place truly is great. If you need something, or advice regarding whether the bamboo vs traditional rake is worth it, they’ll let you know (all tools are guaranteed). Coming from Brooklyn, where the hardware owners simply grunted at us when we asked for a part (which they never had, instead insisting that we had to buy a new piece with 90% of unneeded pieces), this is incredibly refreshing. They also have more PVC connector parts than Home Depot; it may be priced a bit more, but having the needed pieces was more than welcomed.