Has anyone actually visited one of their store/warehouses? What are they like? If you want to get something do you have to order it ahead of time and then pick it up at a window or do they actually have a store where you can pick out just about everything?
I'm thinking of making a trip to DuPage to check out the Midwest Aircraft spruce, maybe pickup a new landing light while I'm there.
In Aircraft Spruce East, they have a 75' x 100' showroom backed by a 100,000 SF warehouse (sizes are my guesses). In the showroom, they have headsets, books, cleaning supplies, some oil and filters, jackets, shirts, toys, a few common tools, etc. Pretty much the stuff anyone might walk by and say "I want one of those". In the back, they have the shelves with all of the sized and specialty stuff - tires, tubes, nuts, bolts, magnetos, steel tubing, aluminum sheet, starters, wood, the wood shop, etc. If you know the counter guy ("my" counter guy retired a few years ago, and passed away recently - great guy) and ask, they will let you look around the back, but there isn't a lot to see.
Personally, if I have nowhere to go on a Saturday, I'll fly down to Spruce East, walk to the store, and pick up the $8 of stuff I need, rather than having it mailed.