Menards Sales: Love/Hate

[BravoXray]

Delivery Drivers are often under appreciated.
Many things are not complicated.

Under appreciated and over abused. All too many shippers and consignees think a driver has nothing else to do, except wait on them.
I called a receiver a Menards one time, which the shipper seriously frowned on, and after a long wait on hold, when he finally answered the phone, I asked him what his job was. "Unloading trucks."
I told him my truck had been there for over an hour, no other trucks were waiting to be loaded or unloaded, and still wasn't unloaded yet, so do your f*****g job and unload my truck, or I'll call the store manager and talk to him about it.

Yeah, I got a call about that, but my trucks got unloaded pretty quickly when we went back to that store.

I was also known to have my truck leave the consignee and take the load back to the shipper after we sat there for a few hours and still not get unloaded and had missed our reload. I told them that they had plenty of time to unload it, so they must not have needed it.

Sometimes, you have to draw the line.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Wish we had a menards.

 

[mcfarmall]

I was looking to buy new fart fans for three bathrooms in the house. I wasn't prepared to choke down $120 each for all three at once so I waited. And waited, and waited, and waited. I learned that the model I wanted goes on sale once per year in February. The good news is that I saved every rebate check for that year and got them "for free" when they finally went on sale.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

For a long time, I wouldn't set foot in a Menards store. Here's why.

For many years, up until 2012, I was the house carrier at a local plastic pipe manufacturer, and my trucks hauled many truckloads of plastic pipe to Menards stores. Many loads. They were always a complete PITA. With rare exceptions, we would have to drop pipe at from two to six or eight of their stores. You had to have unloading appointments at each store. If you could find a receiver at a store you were lucky, I think they all hid out in the break room if they saw a delivery truck pull in. Even if we only had a few racks of pipe to drop at that store, you were lucky to be out in an hour, so many times we would be late getting to the next store, and it would snowball from there. Then, we would either be late for reloading or completely miss our reloads. If we had to lay over to load, we missed a whole day and a day's revenue. Unless the wheels are turning, we aren't making money.
Eventually, after we refused to deliver to their stores, and no one else would either, they started shipping the pipe to their DCs (distribution centers). Usually, you could get in and out of a DC in two or three hours, but not always. Menards always tried to get trucks that delivered to the DCs to reload there and take loads to the stores for restocking, but often you would have to move to several different places to load lumber, shingles, skidded cement, fence panels or whatever, and end up being there for four or five hours to get loaded. After a couple of those fiascos, we never loaded at DCs after that. Besides, they didn't pay squat for the reloads, so we just refused them. We could deadhead 100 miles to another shipper and get loaded, and still be on the road in less time and make more money.

I go to Menards occasionally now, but only of I can't get it anywhere else.

That is just another day in the life of a truck driver.

They ALL treat you that way. All of them. No reason at all to single out "Menards".

And I speak from experience, from driving OTR in early 90's. Even our own internal dispatchers treated us like excrement. But every. Single. Drop. You were treated like garbage and told to wait for one stupid reason or another. They knew if you were sitting still, you were going broke. And I firmly believe that they did it anyway, just because they "could", and they got off on the power trip. It is a crap life, a crap job, and I feel sorry for anyone that still does it. I'm glad someone is willing to put up with the BS, but I got out of it long ago and never missed it.

Menards is just one of a hundred thousand that all do the same thing.

 

[ultrarunner]

A little understanding goes a long way..

In the last 3 years I called my FedEx ground once saying we were desperate for a package.

He didn't have it as it was in the wrong truck... but he made it happen.

All the drivers told me Do Not give out their cell numbers and I have not.

On a typical work day 2-3 UPS, 3-4 FedEx, Costco once a week, Office Supplies two times and medical deliveries all day everyday.

For years I received in all the Drugs because I was here. Policy changes require RN to receive...

Whereas we were first out curbside 5 minute max now takes 25-30 minutes and we are now dead last..

Pulling RN to delivery dock takes time and drivers not allowed passed receiving due to Covid.

20+ years never a discrepancy on the count but opioid crisis changed everything.

Looking forward to the mix the new to us Menards brings after hearing about them for years on TBN.

 

[TheMan419]

I live near what is billed as the Largest Menards in the country....... it is pretty big. I still prefer Ace Hardware.

 

[caver]

My version of their jingle is save big money,save big money, when you shoplift at Menards
It was inspired from my old hometown Menards. The manager got busted for stealing thousands from them. Probation Jail Time

Their 11% thing I guess is a way to get people back in the stores? They also figure small purchases people won't take the time to send in the rebate ticket. Then if I do get a rebate, which seems to take forever, I feel the need to spend it on junk I may not really need.

 

[Cycledude]

i am definitely a big fan of Menards.

 

[super55]

For me. All my dimensional lumber, corrugated steel panels and fastners all come from Menards. At least my store the lumber is 5x better then the others and I only have to handle it once. Get my receipt go to the yard and load it. Also there fasteners and hardware has a much better selection then the other.

Now when it comes to appliances or outdoor equipment I use HD almost exclusively. I'm a big fan of Echo power equipment and their appliance free delivery from online sales is very streamlined. I even bought a 2-post car lift from HD.

 

[tomplum]

I liked Menards when I lived in the Midwest. Lots of variety on building supplies. Couldn't figure out why you'd go to Home Depot and have to load up your lumber and drag it through the store. Of course, the guy at the gate at Menards was packing heat for some reason. Though I don't know if they are still armed. That was 25 years ago. Just an odd remembrance.