Grainger

An item was $ 399, which was well over the list price, while a place in san jose had it for $ 200 and that was a specialty shop too. I double checked and they said it’s no mistake: that’s what they charge.

Strange setup but highly efficient and friendly employees. When walking up I am not sure what I was expecting, this facility is very nice and rather large. Great customer service all around

This is for this Grainger brick-​and-​mortar store, not Grainger in general
Don’t go to this place unless you check on the
website first to see if they have what you want. Because this particular Grainger is mostly warehouse (employees only) with a tiny customer service area up front. And if they have more than 2 customers, expect to wait for quite a while. Unlike most places in the Silicon Valley where you buy stuff like Grainger sells, you can’t walk around and look at even what they do have. You just have to wait for someone to help you. This is like Fry’s or Costco, except you can’t actually look at what you want to buy.
While I was waiting for more than 10 minutes just to ask them about what I thought they had, I had plenty of time to browse the
website (on my phone — careful not to get too close to their computers!) to check if it would tell me if they even had what I wanted. They didn’t.
So, I went nearby to WeirdStuff Warehouse and HSC, looked around and actually found what I was looking for (what a concept), and bought it at ¹⁄₁₀^th of Grainger’s price in brand new condition.
I can see buying stuff from Grainger and having it shipped to this location (in 2 – 3 weeks) if there’s absolutely no place in the valley that has it, but there aren’t many things that fit that description. That’s why I love living here, you can buy anything at the drop of a hat if the business is open.
I can see a purpose for a Grainger store like this in other parts of the country that have zero availability for most of what they sell, but in the Silicon Valley they’d better get their act together. Anybody who knows the area and takes one look at this place wouldn’t bother to go here at all.

Grainger is awesome, they pretty much have everything you need in stock.
If its not in stock they have it dropped shipped from another store.
This is the only place I know of locally that stock molykote/​Dow corning specialty greases. I used to go to the one on Ringwood, but this one on Kern is much closer.
Ringwood has a popcorn machine, and this one does not, oh well.
You generally need a business account to buy things here, if you dont have one they usually help you out anyway.

This place is like heaven for men like me just amazing of what they carry in that phone book of theirs. Great and friendly customer service is all I can say they have but omg thier pricing is overly expensive tho batteries for 23 dollars for a pack of 24? I came in the other day looking for a bearing and I didn’t have an account but they guy at the counter was able to sell It to me. While he was measuring and bearing I was just walking around the store and was checking out the things they have outside in the front. Basic tools I don’t think I would ever get here I rather go to Lowe or home depot or target. Anyways back to topic while I was walking around the store the kid was able to get me the bearing that I needed and he just rung me up

In the MRO (maintenance, repair & operations) world, Grainger is the big fish. They are a $ 7M+ company, Forbes 500, and a Wall Street darling (yes, I’m a shareholder). This location has been open for about five years and is in a much better location than their old spot (Clyde, near 237). Off Lawrence Expressway, you can’t miss the huge «GRAINGER» sign (it’s next to the Sports Basement, just in case). Lots of parking.
They carry most items in stock but if needed, they can shuttle it over from either San Jose or their new distribution center in Patterson. If it’s something you need today, I would call ahead to make sure they have it. So far, they’ve had 90% of the items I’ve needed in stock and the other 10% they could have that same day or by the next day. I can’t comment on the shipping since they’ve always had it in stock, though I know they offer next day and 2^nd day shipments, if needed.
On cool feature is you can now check inventory online and even via iPhone. Their website wasn’t too hot before but it’s pretty decent now. You can order online and have it ready for «will call» at the branch.
The staff is very knowledgeable and they have a dedicated technical support staff via phone if the guys can’t answer a hard or technical problem. Wait times aren’t too bad but occasionally there is a mad rush or you have some customers who take forever at the counter but overall, you’re in and out pretty quickly.
As mentioned, prices aren’t the lowest here (I’ve heard of Grainger being compared to Nordstroms of supply/​tool stores) but you get great service and parts are almost always available. I’ve dealt with some of their competitors (MSC, McMaster Carr and to some extent Home Depot) but always come back. The others might be a little cheaper but they can’t compare to the service, selection and overall value.

Can’t believe this Grainger hasn’t been reviewed yet!
Overview:
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Grainger, this place is the holy grail for hard-​to-​find hardware and tools. This branch itself is moderately sized, but they do stock quite a bit of stuff in the back. The best way to find what you need here is to look at their catalog online, then call the branch to see if they have what you want in stock. If they don’t, they run shuttles between their various warehouses and can get it to the branch closest to you.
Service — 5 stars
As for this particular branch, I have been here about 10 times in the past year for work-​related projects. The guys there are always helpful and professional. Can’t really think of anything bad to say about the service here. I usually have a pretty specific idea of what I’m looking for, but if you didn’t, I’m sure these guys would be happy to help you find what you need.
Prices — 2 stars
The prices are just okay, this is not where they shine. If you need something specific very quickly, come here. If it can wait, do some shopping online. I also use McMaster-​Carr quite often, and their prices are often a bit better than Grainger, but you have to wait a day or two for them to ship it to you. Also, depending on what you’re getting, shipping costs can quickly add up if you use McMaster.
Selection — 4 stars
The selection is quite good, better than any of your typical hardware stores like Home Depot, Lowe’s, OSH, or Ace. Because this is a brick and mortar store in the Silicon Valley, they obviously can’t stock as much stuff as you can find available from McMaster.