The Ace rewards program is somewhat of a joke. I was there today to use my five dollar off of $30…read morecoupon. However, my total was 29.98 before tax and they wouldn't give me the five dollars off because I was not at $30. What a joke. Why bother having the reward program. Standard has to be $30 before tax but let's use a little discretion here absolutely ridiculous. This is the second time this has happened. I am done with Ace/hatchet hardware.

Great service and knowledgeable staff. Paint department is tops. Forget the big box stores…read more Their plants offerings are above the rest.

This place is great but the front end help doesn't care about customer service. I was there today…read more(May 28 - noon) and whoever was working at the checkout was rude, impatient and could care less about delivering a terrific experience. I'm a Platinum customer and have been loyal for years. If Hallmark cares about sending the very best this person isn't helping you to deliver that message. Give it some thought they're not helping your business. Not sure I'm coming back when you're treated like this.

This is a nice Hallmark store. Admittedly, they are mostly of the cookie-cutter variety in that…read morethey have the same items, usually are arranged the same way, have the same prices, etc. However, this one was pretty convenient to get to when I lived in Clifton Park. The staff was always friendly, which is the most important thing in a store like this. One thing I missed about other Hallmark branches was the 40%-50% discount on Christmas ornaments the day after Christmas. Here, they offered a discount but it wasn't as generous. I suppose I shouldn't fault them for that, but I rely on those sales to decorate next year's tree!

Great experience at this Homegoods. They had everything I was looking for and two items I purchased…read morewere even on clearance. Really nice selection of all the usual home things; the store was jam packed with merchandise. Very easy parking. There's also a Target and TJ Maxx in the same lot in case you can't find what you're looking for here. Checkout was super fast but that was on a Thursday evening. I'm sure this store gets busy on the weekends.

This HomeGoods recently relocated from the Fresh Market shopping strip in Latham. The new quarters…read moreare more spacious and easier to shop. Parking is also much easier as the lot is larger and other large chain stores in the same complex are far enough away with their own parking area. Merchandise is the standard discount home products also found at their corporate cousins, Marshalls and T J Maxx, although more extensive and sans clothing. Some good bargains can be found.

My wife and I love our Nintendo Wii but one day it stopped working. Trying to find a legitimate…read moreNintendo repair place that would work on the Wii seemed to be impossible... perhaps Nintendo just doesn't authorize it anymore. But, we wanted a working Wii so my wife called around and discovered this place. They couldn't repair our game system but sold us a replacement one (minus the cords and stuff which we already had and thus didn't need) for around $20, with a 30-day warranty. We took it home and it works. So, we are back to playing the Wii. Wheeee! They also sold retro toys, board games, video games, movies, and other "nerdish" things. It was a fun walk through, though you could easily empty your wallet and walk out with some nifty things if you aren't careful.

Just another low baller for trades high priced old used games. Definitely shop else where.read more

online purchase lies and more lies…read moreit will be there before Christmas it's not our fault it's the shippers fault never left your facility until the 23rd? ordered on 15th it will be there lies all lies factory made goods not a hand made item in the warehouse. COMPLETE WAST OF MONEY AND TIME YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES. NEVER AGAIN. Trash customer service

Ten Thousand Tstotschkes. A store whose concept I like in principle - provide a market for…read moreindividual craftsmen throughout the world for some kind of reasonable compensation, thereby preventing industrialization, loss of native heritage skills, and stimulating development. So if you want to pay $80 for a cotton print tablecloth, in theory you can be helping the world out. Oh, the problems in execution, though. They can't really tell you how much of the money goes back to the native craftspeople, nor much about the sourcing or labor conditions. It's like Fair Trade coffee - you have to take somebody's word for it, and the word is passed along by the telephone game. I'd actually be willing to do this on faith if the crafts and items here were really unique or even to my taste, but they seem a bit mass-produced to me and without the hallmarks of individual craftsmen, so I'm not only not terribly interested in the goods but I'm highly suspicious of the general claims. This may seem a bit scroogey of me, but I think on the whole if I want to stimulate development in the third world I'll extend a microloan over the internet (very direct and very cost-effective) or buy somebody a share of a goat. I would normally just settle on the usual three stars, given my cynical skepticism above, but the hideously steep prices push it from "would go back and check it out occasionally" to "not going to bother" territory.

They have such a variety of items. I was on a mission for clothes. I ended up getting 7 of the 9…read morepieces I tried on. I got two pair of jeans, a couple of work-worthy shirts for summer, a nice, light summer outfit that included the top and the pants, 2 pairs of summer colorful crop pants. It was around $150. They are nice clothes too! They fit nicely and are good quality. It's a busy store and the line can get long but there is a lot of things to contemplate as you move down the line. I grabbed a birthday card on my way through. They think of everything!

Always a good experience here. Selection is mostly clothing with the back wall being decor etc…read more Staff is friendly and efficient and the store is clean. Not the largest store.

Inside the store, I have no issues. I usually find what I want. The staff are friendly and…read morehelpful, and it is a convenient location for me. I've never been concerned with the cleanliness inside the building nor have I encountered cluttered aisles. I usually notice trash here and there on the outside, but nothing big (still, should be tended to). Today was particularly BAD. LOTS of rubbish and garbage along the walkway against the building AND 2 dead birds. Who is responsible for maintaining the outside of the building? I didn't have my phone with me or would have a taken photos. The "contact us" feature on their site is useless for submitting information such as this. Keeping the outside tidy is just as important as the inside.

My plan was to simply add a few photos from my latest visit here. But I feel obligated to add a…read morecomment about an observation while checking out. A supervisor was watching over and assisting an approximately 16-year-old clerk at our register. It was immediately apparent that the clerk was in training as the supervisor occasionally offered encouragement and instructions on the use of the register. As the clerk received the cash for our purchase, the supervisor printed the receipt, placed it for the clerk to see, and called attention to the amount on the receipt that would be the proper amount of cash to return to the customer for change. That amount was $2.61. The clerk had no problem with removing two $1 bills and two quarters but began to hesitate as she retrieved a penny. As the clerk continued to gaze at the till, the supervisor pointed to the dimes and said something. What struck me was, with plastic credit/debit cards taking over our lives, new generations are no longer dealing with cash and there is a lessened need for them to understand how to make change or recognize the different coin values. I was previously surprised when I had heard that cursive writing was no longer being taught in schools, and now I'm shocked to see our future leaders not knowing the value of coins. All of that aside, the shopping experience was very good. Plenty of goods on the shelfs, well organized and a clean environment. But you still must decide for yourself if the value meets your needs.

Despite my curmudgeonly facade, I really, really prefer to buy local, and to support small…read morecompanies and artists. However, I really feel like the Capital Region doesn't make it really easy for people to practice this. Yes, there are a few farmers' markets, but everything is so ridiculously overpriced, I just can't justify adding even a lowly bag of spinach into my budget. There's also an "independent" used book store around the corner from my place, but they specialize in text books for the local colleges, and are often more expensive than the UAlbany bookstore. Don't even get me started on the independent coffee houses and restaurants. It's like someone thinks that the people around here have really deep pockets. And while there surely are those people who do (politicians, etc., etc.), there are enough colleges within city limits to make the argument that there are enough people who CARE about independent business, but can't AFFORD to support them on a student budget. The Paper Sparrow gets it. Thank GOD. This is a boutique that would fit right in in Portland's trendy Hawthorne strip. Is it out of place for Albany? Hell yeah. Not so much in historic downtown Troy, which seems to have eons more personality, but it was nonetheless an unexpected treat. On a regular basis, the Paper Sparrow boasts a rotating selection of cards, bags, hair accessories, jewelry, soap, hand-spun and dyed yarn, and doodads, all (1) HANDMADE, (2) BY LOCAL ARTISTS, and (3) TOTALLY AFFORDABLE. In fact, most of their absolutely adorable necklaces and earrings could easily be passed on at other stores in the area for a cool $30+, but here, for only $10. Some really awesome and unique hair clips for less than $5. Here, you can purchase one-of-a-kind pieces at fair prices that go right back into the community, supporting local artists. Really, I love it. It's kind of like Etsy on crack. And this is the store's mission, too. I thought that maybe it was a fluke that all this adorable stuff was so reasonable. But then I checked out their website, and it was all in their ultimate plan--making beautiful, locally made things accessible to more people. Did I mention they have a gallery space in back? They do. And they have new showings every month for Troy's Last Friday event. It's pretty fantastic, and I absolutely love what this place is doing. I really hope that it's around for a good, long time, because we honestly need more places like the Paper Sparrow around.

The woman working was so rude. Everything's so overpriced, especially considering the necklace I…read morebought fell apart after a week. Bye $79