Melvin Stoddard Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I have been reading this forum for over a year and have heard a lot of talk about Menards. The nearest one was 5 hours away, until now, one is built and almost ready to open 5 miles from my house.What can you tell me about them? Are they similar to Lowes and HD, or better? Anxiously waiting for opening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Maue Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I'll give you my 2 cents... That might be about all it's worth.I'd say that it's very similar to HD or Lowe's in the types of stuff they stock. Tools, lumber, cabinets, electrical, you name it.Where it differs (at least the ones in my area) tends to be more in the brands that it carries. You won't find DeWalt tools at a Menard's for instance. So, you might say that they tend to carry the lower-end brand names, in general. Of course there are exceptions, as you can find some stuff by Bosch and Makita, for instance.The benefits I typically see at Menard's are their lower prices. For same items, they are almost always cheaper than HD or Lowe's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubado Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Menards has a wider variety of stuff, prices are better than HD, I don't have Lowes near me. I have been in Lowes in other cities and I don't find them interesting, except some guys have gotten great deals on lights. One of the menards stores near me is so big that you need a segway to get around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskernut Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I am in a town of about 20,000. We dont have a HD or a Lowes but have had menards for about 20 years.I have a lot of trouble with the service level, there are some very good people but a bunch that dont know anything from a hole in the ground and dont care either. Our store is hit or miss for keeping the shelves stocked.That said, I make it a point to stop there every Saturday morning just to see whats new and I found out that the sale that starts on Sunday is actually always in effect on Saturday so you can get in on it first.Someone was talking about 0.75 extension cords, well you can get 2 of them for free this week after rebate. Menards loves rebates which are in the form of store credit.They never discount their holiday things past 50% at our store which is a bummer but they dont run out of them either.Bottom line I have a love hate relationship with Menards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Menards definitely prefers to box up holiday items that don't sell and store them until next season. They didn't used to be that way. And apparently they don't give their local managers much leeway these days anymore. I stopped by a local one in January and spotted some of their icicycle drip tube retro lights at half price and bought a few of them. I got home and tried them and liked them. The next day I went back intending to buy all the rest but their 50% off had ended and they were in the process of boxing and wrapping the remaining inventory. I tried buying the drip-tube lights at the half off price from yesterday but couldn't. Spoke with the manager who told me he couldn't authorize the sale price either. I asked him if he can't or won't and he replied with a shrug that he can't. Seems like a pretty backward policy to me.Aaron is correct in saying that the brands that Menards carries tend to be lower quality than HD. And he's also correct in saying the prices for identical items is almost always much lower at Menards. Actually, we're talking miles lower. Until I discovered Northern Tools for zip ties I used to get them at Menards. They were half price compared to HD. For people who don't know, Northern Tools (either in person or online) has the best price I've seen ANYWHERE for zip ties.The one thing to avoid at Menards, however, is their lumber. All of it! It is genuine crap with a capital C. We're talking wood from trees the forest was glad to get rid of... boards that would give termites motion sickness... how many lumber yards do you know where even oak boards have more undulations than Charro? If you're looking to construct a wooden arch, Menards is your place. If you want a straight board, however. prepare to spend half a day finding one that won't be straight anymore by the time you get it home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Maue Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 George Simmons wrote: The one thing to avoid at Menards, however, is their lumber. All of it! It is genuine crap with a capital C. We're talking wood from trees the forest was glad to get rid of... boards that would give termites motion sickness... how many lumber yards do you know where even oak boards have more undulations than Charro? If you're looking to construct a wooden arch, Menards is your place. If you want a straight board, however. prepare to spend half a day finding one that won't be straight anymore by the time you get it home.George is right on. Their lumber SUCKS! Don't think twice about overlooking their lower price on lumber. It's lower price because it's the worst I've ever seen. Literally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldogs92 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 If you want to buy tools at Menards, stick with the known name brands. Otherwise, if you go with the Menards line "Tool Shed" I think it is called, be prepared for one use tools... Sometimes when you know you are only going to use it once, it is worth the cost savings. If you want the tool to last for awhile, buy a name brand tool!Menards tool line - use today, throw away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubado Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Menards quality has improved here ever since Home Dopey came to town. I have gotten good and bad wood at Menards. Don't buy green treated in Spring, it'll be a frozen popcicle, it's fine in summer and fall. Pine boards, they have three grades of quality, pick your price or quality. They have recently built better storage buildings by us, so we'll see if that improves lumber quality. The Tool Shop brand tools are ok for weekend warriors, and some of it is even good for everyday use. You'll find moron employees at all three stores as well as good and not so good supplies. If your looking for general supplies, usually Menards has the best selection and price, but if you're looking for that special light fixture that you just gotta have when you see it, you won't find it at Menards and maybe not at the others either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 It sure is nice to live here! From my house:1.0 miles to Home Depot.1.3 miles to Lowe's.1.1 miles to Orchard Supply Hardware (http://www.osh.com).1.4 miles to another Orchard Supply Hardware.1.8 miles to Fry's Electronics (http://www.frys.com).1.2 miles to Grainger (http://www.grainger.com). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubado Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Hey Steven, what did you come up with for lighting in your kitchen? I remember you wanted to try to switch to led and had special bulbs to contend with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 scubado wrote: Hey Steven, what did you come up with for lighting in your kitchen? I remember you wanted to try to switch to led and had special bulbs to contend with.This is way off topic! I built a test bulb, but it lacked a little in brightness, and stopped working after a while. I'm still looking. I found these at Action Lighting:I may be able to stuff some of them into a bulb fragment, but they're out of stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownjm74 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I love Menards! It is amazing how much their price's are lower than HD or Lowes. I would agree on the statements in reguarding the tools and lumber, however if you are getting PVC, electrical, plumbing, roofing, patio, paint, and such, its the place to go! Sometimes their prices can be as much as 20% lower than HD or Lowes. Also if you are in the military or retired military they will give you 10% off regular price (or at least most stores will).Jeremy B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallleyes Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Last year i bought 4 2 inch galvanized pipes for my mega tree.$27.99 at Lowes and menards was #38.99 each.Saved $44.Went back this year cause i want 4 more for a second tree and Lowes is $38.99 and Menards is $42.99.I check them both out for bigger items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvin Stoddard Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 Well Meanards opened today it is a BIG store.West Wichita shoppers can now get a gallon of milk and a two-by-four under the same roof.Menards, the national home improvement retailer, opened the first of its two Wichita stores this morning at 37th and Maize Road.A second Wichita location at K-96 and Webb Road is scheduled to open in mid-April.The west-side Menards is a "mega-store," according to store manager Mike Anderson — about 240,000 square feet including overhangs.The store will have between 130 and 180 employees, depending on the season."It's the largest layout at Menards that we do," Anderson said. "We get to have everything in it."Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2011/03/01/1741024/side-menards-store-is-among-chains.html#ixzz1FNa3IYB9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvin Stoddard Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 Well Meanards opened today it is a BIG store.West Wichita shoppers can now get a gallon of milk and a two-by-four under the same roof.Menards, the national home improvement retailer, opened the first of its two Wichita stores this morning at 37th and Maize Road.A second Wichita location at K-96 and Webb Road is scheduled to open in mid-April.The west-side Menards is a "mega-store," according to store manager Mike Anderson — about 240,000 square feet including overhangs.The store will have between 130 and 180 employees, depending on the season."It's the largest layout at Menards that we do," Anderson said. "We get to have everything in it."Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2011/03/01/1741024/side-menards-store-is-among-chains.html#ixzz1FNa3IYB9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallleyes Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Save big money at Menards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvin Stoddard Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 I went their today and look at some stuff that i will buy for my display, like pvc and ties and they are cheaper.I am going to wait for newness to wear off. They where really crowded,even for such a large store.Had to park a mile away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NkySpike65 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 They just opened there first store in the Cincinnati Ohio area (Fairfield), about a month ago... Like others here, I hear there name mention a lot...I guess I siked my self up to much when I went there on grand opening, was expecting a whole lot more... It was a big store, but again it is a hardware store... lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NkySpike65 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 They just opened there first store in the Cincinnati Ohio area (Fairfield), about a month ago... Like others here, I hear there name mention a lot...I guess I siked my self up to much when I went there on grand opening, was expecting a whole lot more... It was a big store, but again it is a hardware store... lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Fischer Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 bulldogs92 wrote: If you want to buy tools at Menards, stick with the known name brands. Otherwise, if you go with the Menards line "Tool Shed" I think it is called, be prepared for one use tools... Sometimes when you know you are only going to use it once, it is worth the cost savings. If you want the tool to last for awhile, buy a name brand tool!Menards tool line - use today, throw away Menards "Tool Shop" line is virtually identical to Harbor Freight. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the exact same stuff from the same factories, painted differently. It has all the same caveats as HF: some of it is crap. Some of it is quite usable. Most of it will not be comparable to the quality of a good name-brand tool, but then the price is usually 1/4 as much or even lower.If you're not sure that you need to use a tool often but it would be handy for a project, the HF and Tool Shop brands are a good value. They're almost always better than not having the proper tools on-hand, and they'll often last quite a while. And if you decide you really like the style of tool, you can always buy a name-brand and not be out much money. I have a Harbor Freight brad nailer that falls into that category. It generally works fine, but it tends to jam up and requires tools to unjam. I use it often so its time to upgrade. But the thing cost me $20 and I've gotten 10x that value out of it by now.They have a newer "MasterForce" line of tools that looks to be better quality, but I can't vouch for it.As for their lumber, I've had OK luck with it. Depends on what you're buying - I tend to buy from HD because it's closer. They do stock some things that HD/Lowes do not. For example when we built our deck I needed 2x10x20' boards and Menards had them, the others did not. They were nice and straight too. I find I have to "pick through the bin" at HD and Lowes too, and haven't noticed that Menards was drastically lower in quality that way. It probably varies by store, etc...-Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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