Benny’s Home & Auto Stores

Quintessential New England neighborhood hardware store. When you step in it’s like you’re back in an idealized 1950s East Greenwich that probably never really existed. Bought my first skateboard, bike and rollerblades from here. Friendly staff and fair prices if you’re looking for anything from pool supplies to car tires.

After a popped tire and an extra night in Rhode Island, we were struggling to find a service center to repair or buy a new tire. Very few places were open on a Sunday – Benny’s was the only place we could find nearby.
Our uncle recommended Benny’s, and we definitely made the right choice. Dan told us our options, helped us find a quality tire, and even tossed our new wiper blades on. The prices were reasonable with the sale, and everyone was friendly as we wandered around the store killing time.
We can’t recommend Benny’s enough if you need a new tire. Ask for Dan – we definitely owe him a beer next time he’s in Philly.

I had a flat tire on route 95 south just outside East Greenwich, so once I had the donut spare on the car, I drove to Benny’s for new tires. (I figured I might as well replace all of them at once, as I had planned on replacing them in a few months before winter started.)
I have to say that the salesman in the tire department was incredibly nice. I had just had a flat tire on an interstate, so I had all sorts of endorphins pumping through my system, as that is a scary experience. You’re feeling sort of vulnerable in moments like that, so it was nice to have a very kind and calm salesman.
Lucky for me, Benny’s was having a tire sale. There were two different sets of tires in stock for my car, and this is where I was really impressed: the guy could have just said, «You should get this set», and directed me to the more expensive set. (That’s what most other places have done in the past, which irks me to no end.) Instead, he told me the differences in the specs, in terms of how many miles they were rated, plus other features that set them apart. (He even told me which ones had the same tread as my old tires, in case I had chosen that tread for a particular reason.) He also asked me how long I planned on keeping the car, as it is an older model, and it might not be worth it for me to invest in the more expensive tires if I planned on trading it in soon. He let me make the choice in the end. (I went with the more expensive ones because I plan on keeping the car indefinitely, and I have a long commute, so it’s worth the expense.) I really appreciated the fact that he let *me* make the decision about the tires. (My experience with automotive purchases is that men will just *tell* me what to buy, because they assume that because I am a woman, I am somehow incapable of making rational decisions when presented with facts, so they spare me the facts and just tell me what to do. I have gotten really good at walking out stores for that reason.)
Once we had the purchase done and the mechanic was going to install the tires, they pointed me to the furniture section and told me I could sit wherever I wanted. :) They also told me of a little restaurant in the same shopping plaza, as well as a deli with really good coffee, they said. They treated me like I was a relative who needed new tires, and it was just an all around wonderful experience.
There are Benny’s closer to my home, but I do pass this exit every day on my commute. When I need something at Benny’s in the future, this will be the one where I shop. They were great.

What can you say about Benny’s? Its an RI institution. The service at this location is good and the staff is friendly. Its probably just me, but I’ve always found that Benny’s seems to have a unique, but pleasant smell inside their stores.