The next time you need a new light bulb, air filter or key copied, look no further than Sneed's Ace Hardware in Oxford, Mississippi. Now you may be thinking, "I can just pick up all of those things along with my groceries at Walmart." And, you may be right. But take a moment now to consider this timeline: You take the turn into Walmart, you find a place to park your car and walk inside Walmart, you find the light bulb section (which is stacked so high you need a ladder if the bulb you want is at the top), you find the bulb you need, you find the air filter section (which is not, by the way, in the same area as the light bulb section, and if you don't know where it is, you will have to take the time to find a Walmart employee to help you find it) and you find the air filter with the correct dimensions you need, and then you may have to stand in a line in the auto-motive department to get a key copied, or you may have to stand at the counter alone while you wait for someone who works there to appear. After all that, you get to go fight the masses to find your groceries.
Did you really save time by getting these three items during your trip to Walmart? Perhaps you did, but I have to say, I have never experienced a quick trip to Walmart. Ever.
The next time you visit Sneed's Ace Hardware, count how many employees are standing at the front door who offer to help you find something. I guarantee there will be no less than 3 men who will simultaneously ask to help you. You could shop at Sneed's blindfolded and find everything you need in less than 5 minutes, and get your key copied while you shop. There is always ample parking in their lot, the place is never swamped and the employees are beyond helpful and friendly. It's the kind of small business that makes Oxford, Oxford. And it's establishments like Walmart that are fast erasing small, personable businesses like Sneed's.
A Commitment to Our Valued Customer.....This Store's mission is to provide the best possible service and satisfaction to you, its customer, by offering a wide selection of quality products at good value, adhering to the highest retail standards, supporting this community and our country, and encouraging sound environmental practices.
Sneed's Hardware has long been a part of the city of Oxford. In June 1951, Payne Sneed and Parham Shaw became partners and opened Shaw and Sneed Hardware on the town's main Square. The store joined the Ace community in 1963. Payne's son Harry became active at the store as a boy, selling popcorn on the corner and doing what he could in the store. He graduated from the local University of Mississippi, "Ole Miss," in 1974 and started full time at the store after that. Parham's grandson David started in the hardware store during high school. He briefly took a break from working to get an accounting degree from Ole Miss, which he promptly put to use when he returned to the store in 1982. After the decision was made to move off the Square, Payne took the lead by building shelves and setting displays in the new and current location on University Avenue, which opened on March 2, 1987. Harry and David are current partners in the business and hope to continue the tradition of Payne and Parham.
So the next time you need to pick up your *CFLs, visit Sneed's and don't be fooled by thinking you will actually save time OR money by doing all of your shopping in one fell swoop at Walmart. We will all "Live Better" if support our neighbors, the diversity of our shops and businesses and the individuality of our vendors.
Sneed's Ace Hardware
1400 University Ave.
Oxford, MS 38655
(662) 234-3232
*If you have not all ready switched to Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs in your home, consider doing so. When I moved to Oxford I replaced half of our light bulbs with CFLs and not a single CFL has burned out like our conventional incandescent light bulbs did, within a few months. We have a lot of lamps that take 3-way bulbs, and it seems they were the first to blow out. CFLs are also available in 3-ways.
Just remember this when you shop for CFLs (it's also written on the package): 27-watt compact flourescent bulbs replace 75-watt incandescent bulbs; 18-watt flourescent bulbs replace 60-watt incandescent bulbs. For each 27-watt CFL you will save 140 pounds of carbon emissions per year and $12. For each 18-watt CFL you will save 110 pounds of carbon emissions and $9.50 per year. Are you trying to save money and have you ever counted how many light bulbs are in your house!? Sneed's knows all about CFLs. If you wander in there and just ask them which kind you need, they will pick the right one and hand it to you. They know their inventory. At Walmart on the other hand - you are on your own. And if you do end up in the cavernous aisle of Walmart light bulbs, searching for CFLs - remember this:
The level of brightness in the CFL is based on the Kelvin (K) scale. The majority of CFLs for sale are 2700K-3000K. These are the warm light CFLs, which bring out yellows, reds and oranges found in the home. They're usually in green to yellow packaging. Unless you like Sci-fi lighting, be sure NOT to purchase the CFLs with a 3500K-6500K rating. These are usually in a blue package, probably because they produce an eerie, operating room-style bluish-white light. The package says, "Daylight" or "Cool Natural Light" but they are anything but natural.
You may also find it usefull to save the sturdy packaging that accompany these bulbs. I have saved a few of my packages in the event that I need to dispose of these bulbs and don't want them to break before I can recycle them. The bulbs contain a small amount of Mercury, and so they are supposed to be disposed of properly. The amount of mercury per bulb is less than enough to cover the point of a ballpoint pen, however, we should all be aware, considering how many bulbs we use, that recycling of mercury in any quantity is a priority. Although poor disposal of CFLs is not to blame for the vast majority of mercury pollution, it's still better to recycle than to be lazy. Every little bit of pollution adds up.
Across the United States, mercury pollution is known to have contaminated 12 million acres of lakes, estuaries, and wetlands (30 percent of the total), and 473,000 miles of streams, rivers, and coasts. And many waterways have not even been tested. In 2003, 44 states issued fish consumption advisories, warning citizens to limit how often they eat certain types of fish caught in the state's waters because they are contaminated with mercury.
Visit http://www.lamprecycle.org/ for more info on recycling your CFLs, and visit your official city website for recycling programs in your area. In April, 2008, Ace Hardware struck a deal with the Department of Environmental Services and began offering free recycling of CFLs nationwide. In June, 2008, the Home Depot Corp. followed Ace in launching a national in-store, consumer CFL recycling program at all 1,973 Home Depot locations. The service is free and applies to all brands of CFLs.
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