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Ashmore Paint and B-Town Plumbing and Electrical Supply described using Rundoo’s AI assistant and retail technology to streamline tasks and support customer service. The accounts came during a webinar hosted by the North American Hardware and Paint Association and Rundoo; the report provides retailer experiences but no quantified productivity or financial results.
Ashmore Paint and B-Town Plumbing and Electrical Supply described using AI and Rundoo’s retail technology to streamline everyday work and support customer service during a webinar hosted by the North American Hardware and Paint Association and Rundoo. Their accounts offer examples of how independent retailers are applying the tools, though the report does not provide measured productivity gains or financial results.
Ashmore Paint president Bradley Strayer and B-Town Plumbing and Electrical Supply owners Jason and Tilenna Hill joined Rundoo CEO Nick Hershey for the discussion. The retailers described ways Rundoo’s AI assistant and related systems help automate routine tasks, streamline operations and inform business decisions, according to Hardware Retailing’s November 2 report.
Strayer said Rundoo’s system lets Ashmore serve customers more quickly at checkout than its previous point-of-sale system. He framed that improvement as one part of the store’s effort to compete with large chains. The report does not identify the previous system, give checkout-time comparisons or state how many transactions are affected.
The Hills said automation reduces time spent on mundane, time-consuming tasks, leaving them more capacity to support employees. They linked that extra support to employees’ ability to serve customers. The article describes the retailers’ experiences but does not list specific workflows automated, implementation costs, or independently verified performance measures.
How Automation Could Aid Small Retailers
Independent hardware and home-improvement retailers compete with large chains that have access to extensive technology and operational resources. The examples shared at the webinar suggest that tools for faster checkout and routine task automation may help smaller businesses improve the customer experience while making better use of staff time.
The potential value described is practical rather than a claim of transformation: reducing time spent on nonservice work could give owners and employees more room for customer support. Whether that benefit outweighs the cost and effort of adopting the tools will depend on each retailer’s operations. The report supplies no comparative data on sales, labor hours, customer satisfaction or return on investment.
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Retailers’ Competition With Big-Box Stores
The webinar discussion was built around a challenge familiar to independent retailers: competing with larger chains while maintaining the personal service that can distinguish a local business. Hardware Retailing reported that participants discussed technology as both an operational aid and a way for independents to differentiate themselves.
Strayer also pointed to buying groups as a way for independent stores to purchase merchandise at competitive prices, while saying Rundoo helps Ashmore sell more competitively. Those comments describe his view of the store’s competitive position; the report does not provide pricing comparisons or detail the buying group’s terms. The article appeared in Hardware Retailing’s industry news coverage on November 2, 2026.
“We encourage retailers to ‘Try AI first’ because AI is a revolutionary foundational technology that can help in many, many workflows in the business.”
— Nick Hershey, Rundoo CEO
Results the Report Does Not Measure
The report does not quantify time saved, checkout speed, changes in sales, labor costs, customer satisfaction or return on investment. It also does not specify which tasks the AI assistant performs at either retailer, how long the businesses have used the system, or what implementation and ongoing costs they face.
The webinar accounts are retailer and vendor perspectives. They show how the participants say the tools are being used, but do not establish that the same results will apply across independent retailers or that AI alone produced the reported operational changes. No independent evaluation or comparison with other systems is included.
Further Details From the Webinar
Hardware Retailing directed readers to the full webinar conversation for more detail on how the two retailers use AI in their operations. The published report does not announce a new product release, deployment timetable or follow-up study.
For retailers weighing similar systems, the questions left open by the report include which tasks can be automated, how the tools fit with existing point-of-sale operations, and whether measured gains justify the costs. No additional results or next milestone were specified in the article.
Key Questions
Which retailers discussed using AI?
Ashmore Paint president Bradley Strayer and B-Town Plumbing and Electrical Supply owners Jason and Tilenna Hill shared their experiences during the webinar.
What did the retailers say Rundoo’s tools help with?
They described support for routine task automation and smoother operations. Strayer also said Ashmore can serve customers more quickly at checkout than with its previous point-of-sale system.
Were productivity gains quantified?
No. The report includes retailer accounts but gives no figures for time saved, sales, labor costs or return on investment.
Who hosted the webinar?
The webinar was hosted by the North American Hardware and Paint Association and Rundoo, whose CEO Nick Hershey joined the discussion.
Source: hardwareretailing.com
