Brownsfan
Well-known member
Oh I read it and haven't bought anything there again. He treats his employees like they are criminals. Among other shady **** he has done. He is a real piece of garbage.
Menards going down the crapper?
- Thread starter signcrafter
- Start date
i've had several family members and friends work there, and most of our employees at our local one have been there for years. very competitive pay, especially on the weekends. no job there is really hard, i don't see how they're treated like ****?
Brownsfan
Well-known member
Read the article. If you are a manager you are not allowed to do any sort of remodel at your house. One instance where a manager had a handicapped child and they remodeled the house to accommodate the child. The employee didn't buy anything from Menard's for the project. Was still fired. The reason. If you are a manager and do a remodel in your house you may be tempted to steal or mark down materials to use in the project. This was one example. This was just one I could remember. Menard is very paranoid and thinks everyone will steal from him. There was other very shady **** he has pulled as well in that article. I will try and find the link to it.
guy48065
Well-known member
Menards proved it's worth to me when I wanted to re-plumb my cottage with PEX. Blue and Orange each had about a 4-foot square section of only the most common fittings--and way overpriced for the one brand they stock. Menards has an entire row dedicated to PEX and carries 3 brands of fittings and 2 brands of tubing, in more sizes, plus all the special brackets, guides, stub-outs, manifolds, etc that are unique to PEX that HD & Lowes do NOT carry at all.
Once in the store I was finding the variety and "good-better-best" choices extended to all departments. IN STOCK. I rarely encounter an empty bin at Menards.
I'm a convert and even though orange & blue are on my commute I go to Menards that's off the path and in a miserable construction zone.
Once in the store I was finding the variety and "good-better-best" choices extended to all departments. IN STOCK. I rarely encounter an empty bin at Menards.
I'm a convert and even though orange & blue are on my commute I go to Menards that's off the path and in a miserable construction zone.
Super Sport
Well-known member
I highly doubt any of it is sold as regular stock. I think a lot of the rebate stuff are seconds or overstock. Just this week they had Monster-branded USB cables for free after rebate, but nowhere did they mention the brand name on advertisements. I'm thinking that they are not an official retailer and bought these as some kind of overstock. I've seen this other times as well, and they often say "Limited Quantity" or "While Supplies Last". I think the California Air Tools compressor was another example recently.
The Menards family is odd, but their personal beliefs/actions don't really bother me enough to stop shopping there. I like the store, their prices, and while the rebates are inconvenient, I am usually pretty good about mailing them in and saving money from them.
four.cycle
Well-known member
^ I did read it all the way through.
We don't have "Menard's" here, and I kind of doubt they'd have an easy go of it in left-wing, eco-whacko Western Washington considering their track record.
I wouldn't get too excited about any of it - when you have a micromanaging megalomaniac at the helm, once he dies things will go to hell in a handbasket in a hurry. (Something I know all too well from personal experience.) It doesn't sound from the article like he's got any progeny willing or capable of picking up where he left off.
Retail marketing tactics used at big-box retailers are the reason I very seldom go to Home Depot any more, and never to Lowe's (after a rather hilarious incident where some smart-*** kid behind the counter tried to "school" me about paint.) We have an Ace Hardware right up the street; an independent, family-owned McLendon's Hardware about 2.7 miles from my driveway; and an independent, family-owned Gray Lumber which carries decent dimensional lumber, all three of which are thriving in a market which has no fewer than 6 Home Depots and 5 Lowes within a 15-mile radius of my house.
We don't have "Menard's" here, and I kind of doubt they'd have an easy go of it in left-wing, eco-whacko Western Washington considering their track record.
I wouldn't get too excited about any of it - when you have a micromanaging megalomaniac at the helm, once he dies things will go to hell in a handbasket in a hurry. (Something I know all too well from personal experience.) It doesn't sound from the article like he's got any progeny willing or capable of picking up where he left off.
Retail marketing tactics used at big-box retailers are the reason I very seldom go to Home Depot any more, and never to Lowe's (after a rather hilarious incident where some smart-*** kid behind the counter tried to "school" me about paint.) We have an Ace Hardware right up the street; an independent, family-owned McLendon's Hardware about 2.7 miles from my driveway; and an independent, family-owned Gray Lumber which carries decent dimensional lumber, all three of which are thriving in a market which has no fewer than 6 Home Depots and 5 Lowes within a 15-mile radius of my house.
finn
Well-known member
I read someplace that John Menard got his start in retail by purchasing closeouts and overstocked merchandise and aggressively marketing them.
Many of the specials in his weekly flyer appear to be such to this day.
The vast majority of goods are mainstream, though.
engineer2
Well-known member
He got his start building pole barns while in college. He found local lumber yards weren't open very much weekends when he needed stuff. He started stocking lumber and selling it to contractors and friends. At least that's the story I heard. See http://www.milwaukeemag.com/2007/04/30/bigmoney-john-menard/
He's the richest guy in Wisconsin. I've heard he's an *******. He reportedly has fathered several kids over the years, aside from his own kids. Menards treats employees like dogs and customers like **** if they have a problem with an order. Yet I shop there every week because HD never has anything I need and if they do, it's higher priced.
Too bad they are replacing the brand name tools with made-in-China stuff. They'd be a lot more credible if they sold brand name tools (Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, etc).
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Empty Pockets
Well-known member
No Menards near my home, but my employer does do some work for them.
They have very specific rules for contractors in the transportation sector, but if you know and follow the rules, it's a good gig.
When I get to the stores, I will buy smalls and free after rebate items. I wish they had stores closer to my home
They have very specific rules for contractors in the transportation sector, but if you know and follow the rules, it's a good gig.
When I get to the stores, I will buy smalls and free after rebate items. I wish they had stores closer to my home
engineer2
Well-known member
There is a famous Menards story in the Chicago area. John Menard showed up at one of his stores at 7 am and found it was closed. They open at 6:30am. He drove his car through the front door to open the store. "We're open now!"
lol... my cousin was assistant store manager at one of ours, and a good friend of mine is manager in plumbing at the other. i helped my buddy remodel his basement and helped my cousin remodel his bathroom and kitchen. all things bought at menards. i'm not saying it doesn't happen, but i've never seen anyone treated like **** here in northeast iowa
sampsontool
Member
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2016
- Messages
- 6
isn't Christmas b4 Holloween?....who would know that shops mmmenards!
BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
Yep, They have Santa Claus flying around on a broomstick, with a Horn of Plenty hanging from His shoulder..
B_Bimmer
Well-known member
I hope this is true, cause it's hilarious. I'm not sure what this story is supposed to make me think, but it makes me like the guy. What a problem solver. I mean seriously, how many employees does he have to pay to get a store opened on time. They should have a contest to meet him at the little kiosk where they are always giving away a car, I would sign up for that.
Polski-Chevy
Well-known member
Thank you for sharing that article.
You just gave me several reasons to stay out of those **** stores.
Lahti35
Well-known member
They've got great peanuts and pop!
Their spray bomb section is massive and I buy lots of paint there but the 11% mail in rebate and friggin' banjo "save big money" jingle drive me nuts.
Their spray bomb section is massive and I buy lots of paint there but the 11% mail in rebate and friggin' banjo "save big money" jingle drive me nuts.
BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
??
I actually like their commercials and their "save big Money" lingo..
I just leave my billfold in the car and tour Menards singing it... works OK..
reader2580
Well-known member
The store should have been open, but who is stupid enough to drive a car through the door? How many thousands did he cause in damage to car and the store?
A while back I was visiting a friend and he took me to a Mexican place. It was closed well before closing time. My friend knew the owner so he called the owner and he showed up and opened the place back up. Employees were still there so we got our food.
B_Bimmer
Well-known member
It's his money, if it did really happen, it's up to him if he wants to burn a little of it to drive home a point. As long as nobody gets hurt I'll watch, point, and laugh. Anyway, it makes for a good story.
Nothing to do with Menards but this reminds me about time when I was a kid (around 9-10 yrs.) us neighborhood kids were riding around on our bikes and all of a sudden a car turns the corner and he's hauling *** (we recognized the car) and it's this man who lives a few houses down.
He slam's on the breaks in front of his house, gets out and tries to walk in his house but the door is locked.
He starts yelling, screaming and cursing from the top of his head, telling his wife to let him in but no dice ( I guess she was ignoring him
) but all of a sudden he rushes back to his car puts it in reverse and backs up to their large front picture window with metal window guards on it, gets out and gets chains from the trunk of his car, ties it around the front picture window metal window guards then ties the other end of the chain to the rear bumper of his car (remember this is back in the day when cars had real chrome bumpers) gets back in then peels out!Takes the whole window out on to the street!
My friends and I are just sitting and staring there on our bikes, in shock!
He wanted in and well he got in alright.
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As a building contractor who has worked for Menards my shadow will never darken their aisles.
B_Bimmer
Well-known member
I just got back from Menards. Sure is nice that they are open 'till 10. Now I am all set to pour concrete tomorrow, bright and early. Had everything I needed, priced right, and great quality to boot, heck, even 11% off for the price of a stamp.
Dirtydan69
Well-known member
I always shopped Menards over Lowes and HD, in that order. Moved to AZ and the closest one is Denver I believe. The only real issue I ever had was buying a water heater for an install during their Black Friday sale. Lines were out the door and they gave no preference whatsoever to a contractor needing to do a job. I was not about to what over an hour in line. I left it right there on a cart in the middle of the store and went to hd.
visionguru
Well-known member
Menards is one of my favorite stores, over HD and Lowes.
Their house brand "MasterForce" line of tools include ratchets, sockets, wrenches,...., screw drivers, all "Made in USA", pretty much same quality as Craftsman. I noticed that They don't sell!. I actually see dust gathering on those tools. Quality is so so, price are not competitive, just little reason for people to buy them or for Menards to waste their shelf space.
It's hard to be pride of Made in USA when nobody is buying them, I guess.
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highland512
Well-known member
My main go to in Menards is the Wilde punches and cold chisels. The masterforce tools are much like the last couple years of the USA Craftsman tools, yellow chrome and faint stamping. But they do still have the US made Apex RHFT 1/4 
Reasonable assumption. All firms eventually respond to consumer demand or go out of business. Sadly good, better, best has been replaced with probably broke in the package, will break trying to get it out of the package, buy 2 because it will break before you finish the task you bought it for. At least in the large retailers.
anndel
Well-known member
They're just doing what it takes to survive.
motorhead12
Member
My main go to in Menards is the Wilde punches and cold chisels. The masterforce tools are much like the last couple years of the USA Craftsman tools, yellow chrome and faint stamping. But they do still have the US made Apex RHFT 1/4
Dang! Now I have to pick one up; used one of those once and really liked it.
dnschmidt
Well-known member
What is the Menard's you speak of. Never heard of them out here in the desert.
reader2580
Well-known member
Yes, the prices are high on the Masterforce tools. What is even worse is the Gearwrench replacements are the same price! I accidentally bought a Gearwrench socket instead of a Masterforce a while back. I returned the Gearwrench as I wanted made in USA. The Masterforce selection is getting real thin as not made for a year or two.
itstippy
Well-known member
I often buy materials at Menards. I send in the 11% rebate coupons and use a sticky-backed address label to fill out the coupon card. Fast and easy. The problem is, the sticky-backed address labels I use are for Mrs. Tippy - a freebie from somewhere. She gets all my "Menards Money" refunds and uses them to go shopping when she's bored. Now the backyard's full of those solar-powered lawn ornaments from Menards.
motorhead12
Member
The reason you do not see Armstrong is that they no longer exist. Apex shut down that division, aling with Allen and KD.
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Super Sport
Well-known member
That post from mid-2016 was probably posted right around the time we first started getting that news.
This thread was brought back from the grave!
scary thing i noticed yesterday... i looked at the masterforce socket sets in the blow molded cases... noticed the lack of "made in USA" on the front so i flipped it around and saw the dreaded words on the back... MADE IN CHINA
all the individual sockets, ratchets, and small sets still say USA but i'm thinking this may be the first sign of things to come for the sockets/ratchets/wrenches under the masterforce brand
at least we still have screwdrivers
all the individual sockets, ratchets, and small sets still say USA but i'm thinking this may be the first sign of things to come for the sockets/ratchets/wrenches under the masterforce brand
at least we still have screwdrivers
reader2580
Well-known member
Apex closed their USA plant that was making the Masterforce USA stuff. Menards originally was selling Allen sockets and later had them private labeled.
The USA made stuff never sold well so I am not surprised they didn’t find another USA manufacturer. They still have USA stuff remaining even with no deliveries for probably a year.
I lived for a short time in the Springfield-Lincoln area of Central Illinois in the late 1990s. We had a Menards and a Lowes in the area (forget which town). We always liked shopping at Menards, just a different selection and store set-up. Sorry to hear some unfavorable reports about them. These were the stores we used for building supplies, lighting, lumber, and the like. But for all other hardware needs, there was one farm supply store that had them all beat. To this day, I've not seen its equal....
Big R
They had everything. If you needed any kind of metal or other materials for fabrication, they had it in spades. Needed a wheel bearing once for a Rubbermaid cart. No one had it. Not only did Big R have it on the pegboard, but had TWO choices, a premium and a budget. Yeah, it was that kind of store. The best work clothing selection, good tools. If you ever needed to fix or fabricate something on the farm, you just went there. Period. Surprised no one ever mentions them in here, but I understand they were only in a small region.
Big R
They had everything. If you needed any kind of metal or other materials for fabrication, they had it in spades. Needed a wheel bearing once for a Rubbermaid cart. No one had it. Not only did Big R have it on the pegboard, but had TWO choices, a premium and a budget. Yeah, it was that kind of store. The best work clothing selection, good tools. If you ever needed to fix or fabricate something on the farm, you just went there. Period. Surprised no one ever mentions them in here, but I understand they were only in a small region.
Bryanthegreat
Well-known member
I honestly haven’t noticed any signs of things going down the crapper at my local Menards. I shop at HD, Menards, and Lowe’s. All 3 are within 5 miles of me and each one seems to do at least one thing better than the other. I prefer the power tools and lawn equipment at HD. Hand tool stuff isn’t much to brag about any of them except for a few gems here and there. The Menards hand tool section is in sad Shape and it appears that it is not worth it to them to maintain it I do wish they stocked more Gearwrench items as their pricing is pretty good on what they have.
scubadoober
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2017
- Messages
- 511
I picked up a couple single Masterforce USA sockets yesterday before they went away.
+10 ........Menards is very much alive and well.........along with all the other BIG box stores.