To help improve sales, Sears has agreed to sell Craftsman branded tools through Ace Hardware. Early reports are saying that the partnership will start with 100 Ace stores carrying about 10% of the Craftsman product line by May.
It has not yet been decided if Sears will roll out this “store-within-a-store Craftsman offering” to all 4500 Ace Hardware stores. However, at the very least, all stores will be allowed to carry Craftsman tools for a Father’s Day promotion in June.
We’ve already noticed Craftsman tools on sale via Amazon, but this new partnership has the potential for much greater impact on Sears, the Craftsman brand, Ace Hardware, and most of all for consumers.
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Additional Commentary
There are a few updated details about the new partnership between Sears, Craftsman, and Ace Hardware that we thought you would find interesting. That, and we cannot keep our thoughts about this to ourselves for any longer.
First, the ~100 Ace stores included in the phase one trial will be able to sell pretty much any Craftsman products, including hand tools, portable power tools, compressors, wet/dry vacs, and tool storage.
Second, a recent press release specifically stats that, as part of this new alliance, all 4500 Ace stores will have the opportunity to offer Craftsman products to customers during the June Fathers Day shopping season. We wonder what this will ultimately mean, and who is to be the deciding party – Sears/Craftsman, Ace Hardware, or individual store managers?
In any case, while surprising, this is not exactly unexpected. Our suspicion first began when we noticed that the 2009 holiday shopping catalog was marketed as a Sears tool catalog featuring Craftsman tools. Then, we spotted Craftsman tools being sold by Amazon directly. Lastly, we’ve noticed a rather subtle but strong differentiation between the new Sears Blue Tools Crew and Craftsman.
Do we like the Sears Blue Tools Crew? YES! Although we have a love-hate relationship with Sears, without the Sears Blue Tools Crew and their unique and sometimes exotic product offerings, the “love” would have been dropped ages ago.
Of course, we’re also huge fans of Craftsman tools, and imagine that 4500 potential new retail locations could only benefit consumers and all respective corporate parties.
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We’re very excited to see how this turns out. Please feel free to chime in with your own thoughts on the matter via comments.
Update (June 17, 2010)
As we discussed when the Craftsman-Ace partnership was first announced, Craftsman tools were expected to be stocked by Ace Hardware locations ahead of Father’s Day. Reader Eric sent us a note that he heard a radio advertisement which mentioned Craftsman tools carried by Ace. We have also seen some heavy Craftsman promotion by Ace, especially on their website’s front page.
Now the only question that remains is what will happen next week after Father’s Day? Will Ace stores drop their promotional displays, or will their Craftsman selection and availability increase?
Thanks Eric for the heads-up!
teicher
Count me in as a person who is cautiously optimistic about this. I’m glad that Craftsman will be available at a local hardware store other than Sears, just in case Sears stores go out of business. I do want assurances that Ace will honor the warranty and no hassle exchange policy on Craftsman tools, and that Ace will support the Craftsman Club and member pricing.
I doubt Ace will be able to match the sale prices that Sears offers. I bet Ace will add $2-3 mark up on everything, which would suck.
Stuart
I have to agree with many of your points. Thus far it looks like June will be a critical month for the tentative program. If Ace can adequately handle the demands of the upcoming Craftsman-shopping Father’s Day crowd, perhaps phase one will then be extended to a wider number of stores.
Thus far it looks as though stores will have the opportunity to carry Craftsman products. This may complicate Craftsman Club sale item availability, as well as returns. However, Ace does have a vast distribution network that could probably delivery most items to any store location within a few working days. Just something to think about while we wait to see how this all plays out.
uthscsaedu
Just thought about something, and surprised I haven’t thought about it before – I wonder what have been people’s experience with the Craftsman warranty at Kmart stores?
teicher
I talked to the owner of my local Ace today about this. He said that his store would be carrying the Craftsman tools and that Ace would have a limited number of SKUs initially, not the entire Craftsman line. When I asked about warranty coverage and Craftsman Club deals, he said that the warranty issue was still being discussed and he didn’t have the official info yet. He certainly had concern about having customers show up with really old or obviously abused tools, or just tools that they bought at sears, garage sales, etc. and expecting replacements, but said he’d do it if that’s the way the policy is written just to be a good retailer. I think that’s going to be the biggest hassle for local Ace owners: warranty abuse.
Stuart
Teicher,
I’m going to have to agree with you there about the potential issues warranty abuse may bring up. Hopefully Ace and Sears will figure out how to handle that. I imagine that stores that experience warranty abuse will choose to decline the opportunity to carry Craftsman tools in the future.
lauver
Ace Hardware stores carrying Craftsman tools? BFD! Why? There are no Ace Hardware stores in the Temple/Belton, TX area where I live (combined population about 100,000). In fact there are no hardware stores of any kind in my area. The last surviving hardware store closed its doors about three years ago when the second Wal-Mart Super Center opened it’s doors. So parden me if I don’t get all excited about this news. It’s a non-event.
Dale
The Ace Hardware company will probably deny you a replacement Craftsman tool, unless you bought it there.
As I found out in Winnemucca NV., you are better off buying another brand that is under warranty locally or drive 170 miles to Reno.
Save yourself some hassle and avoid buying Craftsman tools unless you live pretty close to an actual Sears store.
Craftsman tools are higher priced for a reason, in that they are probably not any better made now days, but they can cover the expense of honoring their legendary Lifetime Guaranty with a free replacementin it fails to give you complete satisfaction.
It was sort of sneaky for Ace to get involved if they were going to fly the Craftsman flag and not honor the Craftsman warranty, but at least I can try to warn others of this stratagem of theirs.
Rich Sarver
I was disappointed exchanging broken Craftsman sockets at Ace Palmer, MA yesterday. The manager there was unpleasant to discuss this issue. Without the “lifetime warranty” : Ace to make money without the work to support customers.
54 years of Craftsman customer will drive the extra 10 miles to go to a Sears store.
Jeff
I bought a Craftsman leaf blower at our Ace and after a year or so the carb clogged up with ethanol gunk or something. I took it back to Ace and they told me I had to take it to a Sears store for the warranty. I drove 30 miles to the closes Sears store and the guy there took my Ace receipt and info and cheerfully told me I should have a replacement within a couple weeks. A month later I called back and a different guy asked for my Ace receipt and said he’d take care of it. I emailed a copy of my receipt and called the next day to see if he got it, and he said he got it but that he was pretty sure that Craftsman wouldn’t warranty it because I bought it at Ace and although Ace licenses the Craftsman name, the products were made by Ace’s manufacturer. Sure enough, he got a response from the warranty center refusing to warranty my blower with instructions that I needed to go back to Ace. I got my blower back and took it to Ace, and the nice manager there called Ace’s warranty center and it looked like I was on the verge of getting a refund, but since it was a Saturday she had to make one more call on Monday. So I guess I’ll find out Monday if I get a replacement from Ace. This is now 2016, and it seems something must have changed between Ace and Craftsman which is not yet ironed out.
Phillip Ortiz
I just tried to exchange by broken Craftsman shovel at an Ace, and was denied. I was told that (even thought that Ace sells craftsman shovels) if I want to make use of the Craftsman lifetime warranty, that I need to go to a Sears store.
Very frustrating and disappointing. Sears products/name aren’t what they used to be.
Mark
Took a Craftsman 3/8 in socket set ratchet handle to be replaced at my local Ace Hardware. The ratchet mechanism had failed. My Ace Hardware told me they didn’t have an exact match to honor the replacement warranty. They said I would have to return it to a Sears store. The ratchet the store head was a newer version of the one I needed replaced. They have no problem selling you a Craftsman tool but won’t stand behind the replacement warranty.
James Reynolds
I tried to exchange a broken ratchet at ace they refused to warranty the ratchet and replace it.