Visit to the local Ace Hardware Stihl dealer

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rreidnauer

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So, out of curiosity about a comment some time ago regarding Ace being full dealerships, I decided to look into how things are there. I had visited about a week earlier, but was told the guy who handles all the Stihl stuff wasn't in that day, and to come back another day. But my second visit he was there.

It was stocked fairly well, with trimmers, blowers and chainsaws, ranging from the small climbers, homeowners, and pros up to the 460. They had a fair selection of bars, chains, and other related accessories to go with it. Bar selection was a bit limited, favoring the green tags, and no Stihl synthetic oil, but not bad. Next curiosity was to look at prices. Comparing to the 2006/2007 dealer Price List book, (yes, I have a copy of it) from models 361 through 880, I found all were priced at $10 above the listed PS-SRP, except the 660 which was $35 above, and the 880 which was equal to list.

Next, I talked to the rep, who was also (I believe he said) a bronze rated factory certified service technician, who would be going for his silver rating in about a month. He was quite polite, but I was a bit disappointed when he told me "shopping around really won't do much good, as all dealers have about the same price." Later, turning the computer monitor for me to see, he was quite proud of his computer's IPL database, and he seemed caught a little off guard when I told him I know about and have access to IPL data. Talking about the 880, I was kidding around a bit with him, and said, "I guess you don't get many orders for a saw this big" which he responded, "yea, not many saws come that big." Just to see what angle he'd take, I said, "Yea, besides Husky, you're right." He agreed, and said that's a good saw too. No put down, very professional. He was quite the energenic individual, telling me how much he just loves to fix things, and told me to come there if I ever needed service. He handed me his card as well.

Now, the next part, I found a bit unusual. They don't stock parts. I was under the impression Stihl required their dealers to stock a certain amount of parts, maybe not. He said he could get most parts in, in about 2 to 3 days. Not bad, but I guess you can't expect to grab something when you need it in a hurry, which I believe is kind of the point of having a dealer.

Two things I failed to check on. I forgot to ask what the hourly rate was for service, and whether I get whacked for shipping on parts. I did kick around the idea of asking about a specific part price, and comparing against the dealers PS-SRP list to see if that's inflated too, but I pushed enough for one day.

Summary:
Pros:
Good selection of power equipment and accessories
Very professional, enthusiastic, and friendly Rep/Tech

Cons:
Prices too high
Only one Rep/Tech, irregular schedule
No immediate parts availablity
 
So, out of curiosity about a comment some time ago regarding Ace being full dealerships, I decided to look into how things are there. I had visited about a week earlier, but was told the guy who handles all the Stihl stuff wasn't in that day, and to come back another day. But my second visit he was there.

It was stocked fairly well, with trimmers, blowers and chainsaws, ranging from the small climbers, homeowners, and pros up to the 460. They had a fair selection of bars, chains, and other related accessories to go with it. Bar selection was a bit limited, favoring the green tags, and no Stihl synthetic oil, but not bad. Next curiosity was to look at prices. Comparing to the 2006/2007 dealer Price List book, (yes, I have a copy of it) from models 361 through 880, I found all were priced at $10 above the listed PS-SRP, except the 660 which was $35 above, and the 880 which was equal to list.

Next, I talked to the rep, who was also (I believe he said) a bronze rated factory certified service technician, who would be going for his silver rating in about a month. He was quite polite, but I was a bit disappointed when he told me "shopping around really won't do much good, as all dealers have about the same price." Later, turning the computer monitor for me to see, he was quite proud of his computer's IPL database, and he seemed caught a little off guard when I told him I know about and have access to IPL data. Talking about the 880, I was kidding around a bit with him, and said, "I guess you don't get many orders for a saw this big" which he responded, "yea, not many saws come that big." Just to see what angle he'd take, I said, "Yea, besides Husky, you're right." He agreed, and said that's a good saw too. No put down, very professional. He was quite the energenic individual, telling me how much he just loves to fix things, and told me to come there if I ever needed service. He handed me his card as well.

Now, the next part, I found a bit unusual. They don't stock parts. I was under the impression Stihl required their dealers to stock a certain amount of parts, maybe not. He said he could get most parts in, in about 2 to 3 days. Not bad, but I guess you can't expect to grab something when you need it in a hurry, which I believe is kind of the point of having a dealer.

Two things I failed to check on. I forgot to ask what the hourly rate was for service, and whether I get whacked for shipping on parts. I did kick around the idea of asking about a specific part price, and comparing against the dealers PS-SRP list to see if that's inflated too, but I pushed enough for one day.

Summary:
Pros:
Good selection of power equipment and accessories
Very professional, enthusiastic, and friendly Rep/Tech

Cons:
Prices too high
Only one Rep/Tech, irregular schedule
No immediate parts availablity


Well I think you should come over to Tractor Supply where I'm located and test them too. While your there ask them why do they send their saw customers over to me, not for repair, but to buy a saw.

PRO: They send me their business
Cons: They should send me more.
 
Well I think you should come over to Tractor Supply where I'm located and test them too. While your there ask them why do they send their saw customers over to me, not for repair, but to buy a saw.

PRO: They send me their business
Cons: They should send me more.

You are hilarious, I get the biggest laugh out of some of your posts.

Ace here carries Husky, they must let each franchise choose what brand or even if they have a small engine department.
I remember a lot of Stihl dealers switching or stop carrying Stihls several years ago. The reason I heard was becouse Stihl started requiring them to carry more parts in invontory than they could afford or justify. Don't know if it is true or not.
 
Stihl doesn't require any specific parts level. Over time dealers figure out what they need for servicing their customers and carry that. The longer a dealer is in business the more they tend to carry. In our case, if we don't stock it, we can get anything overnight, but generally order every two or three days. It's rare we don't have what's we needed to complete typical service needs.

It's not possible to stock for the occassional drop-in customers... or infrequent major repairs.. there are 14,000+ parts...
 
Stihl doesn't require any specific parts level. Over time dealers figure out what they need for servicing their customers and carry that. The longer a dealer is in business the more they tend to carry. In our case, if we don't stock it, we can get anything overnight, but generally order every two or three days. It's rare we don't have what's we needed to complete typical service needs.

It's not possible to stock for the occassional drop-in customers... or infrequent major repairs.. there are 14,000+ parts...

Thanks for the answer.
I don't know what caused it to happen but virtually all the Stihl Dealers in my area of NE Alabama got out at about the same time, (the late 80s or early 90s) and they seemed pretty bitter. My above post was the only explaination I ever got.
It really sucked, I had to go from running an 064 and a 044, to a 394 and 268.
Not brand bashing, I run huskys now. Just at that time for what I was doing I felt like I stepped down considerably in usable torque.
 
Are you looking at last years prices? Almost ALL price went up in October/November of 2006.

Were there STIHL pricetags on the units or handwriten prices?
 
Are you looking at last years prices? Almost ALL price went up in October/November of 2006.

Were there STIHL pricetags on the units or handwriten prices?

The prices I have from the dealer price list book are effective October 2006. The tags (IIRC) were Stihl printed tags, except for the 660 and 880, which I received quotes for.

These are the prices I found at this Ace:
MS 361 w/ 20" B+C $600
MS 440 w/ 25" B+C $730
MS 441 w/ 25" B+C $770
MS 460 w/ 25" B+C $830
MS 660 w/ 36" B+C $1095
MS 880 w/ 47" B+C $1659
 
Hey Rod,

There is something I'm not very clear about, and maybe you could get this out of the guy next time you stop in. Is this ACE store set up with their own account with Stihl, or do they buy their product through the ACE co-op?

It's not unusual for hardware stores to be in the power equipment business. Most times, this is an individual decision by the local owner of the store. Sometimes they get into it in a big way and make a decent commitment with several lines. Other times they put very little effort into it. They hope for a few quick dollars in sales but their parts and service is a joke. Sometimes the stores, which are all individually owned, get set up directly with the OEM just like any other dealer. Sometimes the OEM strikes a deal with the hardware co-op and every store in the group can buy the stuff. But even then there may be some involvement by the OEM's rep as to whether or not the store can get the line. Too close to another dealer, must have a tech on site, etc.

In our area, we have a guy that owns a half dozen ACE stores in the Hudson Valley. They all carry Husky product, but only the main store offers service. There is another True-Serv that has both Husky, Stihl, Simplicity and Ferris. They have a shop, but it is gerenally considered to be a joke, especially by the pros.

IMO, if Stihl is selling through the co-op, then they are no different than Husky selling through TSC or Lowes. But if this store has to go through the same set up process as any other dealer, then they can continue their amusing chest beating act about 8001 independent dealers.
 
The prices I have from the dealer price list book are effective October 2006. The tags (IIRC) were Stihl printed tags, except for the 660 and 880, which I received quotes for.

These are the prices I found at this Ace:
MS 361 w/ 20" B+C $600
MS 440 w/ 25" B+C $730
MS 441 w/ 25" B+C $770
MS 460 w/ 25" B+C $830
MS 660 w/ 36" B+C $1095
MS 880 w/ 47" B+C $1659

Those are the current prices. You must have lest years prices. I havent seen a dealer price list effective october 2006. The ones we have took effect October 2006 but they were all the price increases.

Talk him down some. Maybe he has some on the shelf from lat year and has more room to come down on the prices because he bought them at lower prices.
 
Hey Rod,

There is something I'm not very clear about, and maybe you could get this out of the guy next time you stop in. Is this ACE store set up with their own account with Stihl, or do they buy their product through the ACE co-op?

It's not unusual for hardware stores to be in the power equipment business. Most times, this is an individual decision by the local owner of the store. Sometimes they get into it in a big way and make a decent commitment with several lines. Other times they put very little effort into it. They hope for a few quick dollars in sales but their parts and service is a joke. Sometimes the stores, which are all individually owned, get set up directly with the OEM just like any other dealer. Sometimes the OEM strikes a deal with the hardware co-op and every store in the group can buy the stuff. But even then there may be some involvement by the OEM's rep as to whether or not the store can get the line. Too close to another dealer, must have a tech on site, etc.

In our area, we have a guy that owns a half dozen ACE stores in the Hudson Valley. They all carry Husky product, but only the main store offers service. There is another True-Serv that has both Husky, Stihl, Simplicity and Ferris. They have a shop, but it is gerenally considered to be a joke, especially by the pros.

IMO, if Stihl is selling through the co-op, then they are no different than Husky selling through TSC or Lowes. But if this store has to go through the same set up process as any other dealer, then they can continue their amusing chest beating act about 8001 independent dealers.

Sorry to burst your bubble but they are set up as any other dealer would be, and they purchase directly from the distributor that set them up not a co-op. Hope this clears it up for you. So now they can beat their chest again and you can go back to your TSC, Lowe's, Sears, etc....etc.....etc.......
 
Last edited:
The prices I have from the dealer price list book are effective October 2006. The tags (IIRC) were Stihl printed tags, except for the 660 and 880, which I received quotes for.

These are the prices I found at this Ace:
MS 361 w/ 20" B+C $600
MS 440 w/ 25" B+C $730
MS 441 w/ 25" B+C $770
MS 460 w/ 25" B+C $830
MS 660 w/ 36" B+C $1095
MS 880 w/ 47" B+C $1659

Wake up. This is 2007 :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:
 
The prices I have from the dealer price list book are effective October 2006. The tags (IIRC) were Stihl printed tags, except for the 660 and 880, which I received quotes for.

These are the prices I found at this Ace:
MS 361 w/ 20" B+C $600
MS 440 w/ 25" B+C $730
MS 441 w/ 25" B+C $770
MS 460 w/ 25" B+C $830
MS 660 w/ 36" B+C $1095
MS 880 w/ 47" B+C $1659

Not too far off from the january update we got from our distributor. In our area the 361 is a tad cheaper , and same for the 660, but all of the stihl dealers in our area we are at the same price on everything except for 650 and up saws and the cutoff saws which is so freakin cutthroat around here thanks to the rental places selling them for nothing.
 
Wake up. This is 2007 :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

Right from the bottom of every page:

page.jpg
 
Not too far off from the january update we got from our distributor. In our area the 361 is a tad cheaper , and same for the 660, but all of the stihl dealers in our area we are at the same price on everything except for 650 and up saws and the cutoff saws which is so freakin cutthroat around here thanks to the rental places selling them for nothing.

Ahhhhhh those pesky rental places:ices_rofl:

HAAAAAAAAAAHahaaaaahahaaaaaa:notrolls2:

Don't mind me....inside joke
 
Ours says March 1st 2007... It does vary by region.

Log into Stihls web site and punch in random zip code for dealers with prices..
 
Ours says March 1st 2007... It does vary by region.

Log into Stihls web site and punch in random zip code for dealers with prices..

Good idea Lake. If they go to dealer locator off Stihl's main website and type in 20175 in the zip and Va for the state anyone can see the list price on all Stihl's, everyone of them..
 
Good idea Lake. If they go to dealer locator off Stihl's main website and type in 20175 in the zip and Va for the state anyone can see the list price on all Stihl's, everyone of them..


Interesting. Looks like you're listed prices are right in line with my dealer price list book, except for the 880, which you're $210 over. What's up with that? That's a huge price jump over the 41" bar. Could that have been a typo? :confused:
 
So, out of curiosity about a comment some time ago regarding Ace being full dealerships, I decided to look into how things are there. I had visited about a week earlier, but was told the guy who handles all the Stihl stuff wasn't in that day, and to come back another day. But my second visit he was there.

It was stocked fairly well, with trimmers, blowers and chainsaws, ranging from the small climbers, homeowners, and pros up to the 460. They had a fair selection of bars, chains, and other related accessories to go with it. Bar selection was a bit limited, favoring the green tags, and no Stihl synthetic oil, but not bad. Next curiosity was to look at prices. Comparing to the 2006/2007 dealer Price List book, (yes, I have a copy of it) from models 361 through 880, I found all were priced at $10 above the listed PS-SRP, except the 660 which was $35 above, and the 880 which was equal to list.

Next, I talked to the rep, who was also (I believe he said) a bronze rated factory certified service technician, who would be going for his silver rating in about a month. He was quite polite, but I was a bit disappointed when he told me "shopping around really won't do much good, as all dealers have about the same price." Later, turning the computer monitor for me to see, he was quite proud of his computer's IPL database, and he seemed caught a little off guard when I told him I know about and have access to IPL data. Talking about the 880, I was kidding around a bit with him, and said, "I guess you don't get many orders for a saw this big" which he responded, "yea, not many saws come that big." Just to see what angle he'd take, I said, "Yea, besides Husky, you're right." He agreed, and said that's a good saw too. No put down, very professional. He was quite the energenic individual, telling me how much he just loves to fix things, and told me to come there if I ever needed service. He handed me his card as well.

Now, the next part, I found a bit unusual. They don't stock parts. I was under the impression Stihl required their dealers to stock a certain amount of parts, maybe not. He said he could get most parts in, in about 2 to 3 days. Not bad, but I guess you can't expect to grab something when you need it in a hurry, which I believe is kind of the point of having a dealer.

Two things I failed to check on. I forgot to ask what the hourly rate was for service, and whether I get whacked for shipping on parts. I did kick around the idea of asking about a specific part price, and comparing against the dealers PS-SRP list to see if that's inflated too, but I pushed enough for one day.

Summary:
Pros:
Good selection of power equipment and accessories
Very professional, enthusiastic, and friendly Rep/Tech

Cons:
Prices too high
Only one Rep/Tech, irregular schedule
No immediate parts availablity


Just out of curiousity, what does the "PS-SRP" stand for? I assume the SRP is an an acronym for Suggested Retail Price, but am not sure on the PS. Also, it sounds like the power equipment retail pricing varies by region, but is this the same case for maintenance parts also? I found an '06-07 dealer/retail price list on line that appeared to have different pricing on parts than what my local dealers charge (some higher, some lower); so, I was just curious...

Thanks for the info.
 

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