The big box store that is better than Home Depot, Walmart, and Tractor Supply combined 
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- Опубліковано 14 сер 2023
- If you’ve never been to Menards, if you don’t even know what Menards is, you’re gonna be blowing away to find out that there is a Home Depot/Lowe’s competitor that is bigger better and better in almost every way!
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I love menards, but it’s crazy to see it through the eyes of someone that doesn’t live by one to appreciate it
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Wish we had one
I have 2 an hour away but just recently discovered them, I love going there
I recently moved from the north to Atlanta....I miss Menards
Why do you love a bunch of scammers? Their whole rebate business is one big scam. It's not a rebate, it's store credit, and it's not even store credit, it's worse. It can only be used if you show up in person to one of their locations, even if you earned it online, and it has a short expiration date. A gift card around here has to be honored even years later as long as there's at least a few dollars on it and no bankruptcy court rulings int he mean time.
I bought once and I will not be falling for it again.
I set up one of their stores and worked there for a while back in 2006. Menards manages to have their new stores and merch paid for in full before the store opens to the public. The Menard family is very strict on paying cash for their materiel. It was a huge reason for their success.
Probably very smart from a financial standpoint...maybe that is part of the reason they are so regional...
I suppose, but scamming people out of their hard-earned money with a fraudulent rebate program is also a large part of their success. Even if they expand near me, I will never buy anything from a business that thinks that scamming people like that is acceptable. It's not a rebate if I can't either get the money in cash in my hand, and it can't be used to offset the price that I'm paying for the item I'm buying. The Menards rebates are basically just monopoly money that people occasionally can use.
The biggest thing you notice about Menards is that it isn't a mess like the other borgs. Every time I am in Depot or Lowes I am constantly saying if we had Menards I would be able to get what I wanted at a better price in a nicer store that's better taken care of and not a dark cave like Lowes is now with their recent lighting downgrade.
Oh and their food prices are competitive with local grocery stores too. Their lumber is far better quality than the other borgs as well. They also have allot more landscape stuff like fencing and stones.
Friend of mine helped relight Menards over the last few years here in the Milwaukee and Chicago area to save them something like 8-9 thousand a month on there electric bill
What I really like about Menards vs HD or Lowes, is the true hardware selection. Fasteners, electrical, plumbing, etc. Much, much more than either of the two alternatives. And their prices are better on a number of items.
Yay, finally a Menards walk through on the channel! Some know, some don't know but i'm an employee at a Menards myself. When it comes to the OPE, the Masterforce stuff is geared more for your pro level work and Yardworks is geared more towards your average home owner looking to just maintain their lawn. The batteries for the Yardworks cordless stuff aren't that expensive as well. When it comes to hand and power tools, we have a good, better, best approach with the good being the Tool Shop brand, better being the Performax stuff, and best being the Masterforce stuff. The area where the furniture is displayed is our seasonal area. It will have a little bit of Halloween decor around that time but the big change comes Christmas time. It's changed into what the company likes to call the 'enchanted forest' and it'll look nothing like it is now. If only you could see it yourself. Maybe another trip out this way, maybe to my store around that time, lol.
AFAIK it looks like Greenworks makes the Masterforce OPE.
@@timothystevenhoward yes the outdoor power segment of Masterforce is rebadged Greenworks - even the batteries are interchangeable..
Blessed to have Menards HD and Lowes all within 20 miles. Love Menards but Home Depot has better tools.
Where I live they are next door to each other. Home Depot, about 1/4 mile away left town.
Another good thing about Menards that’s better than Lowes and Home Depot is their bags. They’re made from a thicker plastic which is really nice. Way more durable than your typical plastic bags.
Glad that you done this walkthrough, I’ve always heard of them. Now you have taken care of my curiosity, so thank you.
I have so many good memories at Menards with my dad. It’s still my go-to for projects.
I agree. Visited one when visiting extended family in Illinois. Cannot believe that it actually has groceries.
When Menards opened 4-5 years ago in my small Kansas town all we had was Home Depot and a couple Ace and Coast. I only shop at Menards now. It's great. Blueberry blast snack mix is excellent
They also have great deals on blemished interior and exterior doors, pre hung, and slab doors. They sold me two interior doors that matched for $25 each, they both had the knob holes drilled in them and the hinge routings, but they weren't pre hung though. Their Performax tools are okay but budget so so type tools. Their Master Force cordless tools are awesome and are competitively priced, very good quality!
One of the things I miss no longer living in Wisconsin is Menards. Especially at Christmas time, they go all out. The kids love it.
I have three of these stores near me. The next time your in one, tour the drive thru lumber yard. The selection is much better than any Lowes or Home Depot every dreamed about. It takes me back to the old Furrow store we had here in Evansville, IN. They also carry a larger selection of plumbing parts that you cant find at the other stores.
I think you nailed it in the beginning of your video. It's like the Walmart of home improvement stores. I have a couple of Menards in my area. When they first opened up they had good quality items. Later on it seems like the quality went down hill.
Yeah, sounds just like Home Depot and Lowe's...or just about anywhere else. Talk about prices going up and quality going down, have you bought anything at any of the major auto parts stores lately?..it's insane...
I love Menards. I first discovered them 30 plus years ago while visiting a brother in Indiana. It was like home improvement Mecca. More recently, one was built 40 mins. away and I used to look for reasons to drive and shop there. THEN, they built one only 4 miles away. I could live there. I have barely scratched the surface of the lumber and building supplies in the ginormous drive-through yard out back on top of everything else they sell. It's almost too big making it hard to find things sometimes. Our Lowe's is closer but I only go there for quick pick-ups of basic supplies. Everything else comes from Menards. The 11% rebate is always like bonus cash to me because they can be stacked together on any transaction.
"Save big money, you save big money, when you shop Menards" Annoying song that is played at every Menards. Love Menards!
Menards is our version of Buy N Large from Wall-E
It's 'save big money at menards'. Or from a kid we'd say, my-nards
I loved Menards when living in the midwest. When I moved to California, there was The Home Depot, and Lowes. We also have ACE Hardware. Menards should expand nationwide.
You missed the Menards store in Waukesha, WI while on your recent road trip on I-94. The Waukesha store is two stories tall and has an escalator and a glass elevator between the levels in addition to all of the things you mentioned plus a huge, covered lumber yard and landscaping section that includes almost every kind of blocks, bricks, plants and mulch you can imagine. BTW there's a HD directly across the street.
I used to shop at a Menards in Minot ND. When I was on a rotation in the oilfield there. I really wish we had one here in Louisiana.
Some of my earliest childhood memories are of visiting Menards with my dad more than 50 years ago. I miss my dad.
My son is a general manager at one of the larger locations. He loves it there and they treat their employees well. That transfers to the customers!
I love Menards. Shopped there one time when I went to Missouri on vacation. Wish they were in Georgia.
The place is open, plenty of stuff & is very clean. Wish Home Depot & Lowes were like this.
One question, are they pushing the battery operated OPE really HARD like Home Depot is?..HD is over the top with it...don't go to Lowe's as much(further away), so I'm not sure about them...
Went in one last summer when visiting family. really wish we had them up here in the northeast!
Something I appreciate in the appliances that seems to be getting harder to find ... Chest freezers!
Menards thank you I think that your store as what I need shopping at your store and have for years!
Midwestern homeowner here, we love Menards.
The tools are decent, rebranded like every store brand with a vast sourcing of manufacturers and they change constantly. Rebate dollars are your best friend and an open secret is that they'll still honor rebate receipts even if they're expired. Menards is a great place to go when they carry the same vendors as other big box stores because it's often cheaper: you pay probably 20% less for Nibco plumbng fittings, Southwire electrical products, etc. Regular everyday stuff. Appliances are all in the Whirlpool family including Maytag/Amana which are just fine for regular folks. Despite the fact that the tools are largely outsourced anymore Menards is still a retailer that's fairly dedicated to US manufacturing. They do also have a great selection of pet supplies which is often under-minded in these sorts of stores.
I live 90 miles from Eau Claire, Wi. This is where John Menard Jr. the founder of Menards lives.
I can remember when he opened his first stores. When they first opened they sold only lumber and building supplies at deeply discounted prices.
I have watched the stores slowly morph into what they are today. It didn't happen all at once. Mr. Menard definitely has a great team that developed his current business model into the stores that you see today. I shop at menards 2-3 times a month.
There are great deals on everything from 2x4's to bacon. 😁
love Menards! the 11% rebate for everything is awesome. when i replaced my garage doors i got hundreds back for tools. i was surprised when i saw the variety of stuff they have too
It's a scam. Those aren't rebates. Rebates involve cash back into your bank account, money off the purchase, or at least a gift card that can be used whenever or traded to other people. The ones at Menards are not rebates. They're very tightly controlled in terms of they'll let you get them for online purchases, but you have to go in person to a location to use them, you're not supposed to trade them and they have a short expiration date. Even gift cards are worth more than the "rebates" do.
I'm personally glad not to have that cancer anywhere near me, as the other options at least pretend to not be trying to scam me.
I go to menards almost daily for work. There tool selection isn't top tier, but they have a good range.
The masterforce line of power tools is really lacking though which is unfortunate. Tried a few different ones trying to stock my workplace in a new battery line but we ended up going the Hercules route. No regrets there.
The hand tools are great actually. They have a variety of lower end to higher end tools and I've got no regrets buying them.
Have purchased all kinds of stuff from Menards. Merry st recently, I snagged that 10 inch Skil sliding miter saw. It is super sweet! I went back and forth on that one because I’m a DeWalt guy. But hey, I used my rebate check and got a beast of a saw from Skil.
Menards will give you a free gift on your birthday if you have a Menards card and you get a quarterly reward too. When you get the 11 percent rebate they will give you the rebate on purchases paid for with the rebate money so you are actually getting 22 percent. I replaced all the flooring in my house and paid for all the materials needed to redo my porch roofs with the rebate. If you plan ahead you can stretch your budget on home remodeling projects.
Hey man, love your videos and the amount of effort you put into researching things talking to engineers and speaking on facts and truths
I've been wondering what trade do you do for a living?
Lucky to live where there are all of these stores, Lowes, Menards, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, Fleet Farm, Farm and Fleet (owed by brothers who stopped getting along) Northern Tool, and Harbor Freight. My favorite is HD, my wife's is Menards.
Grew up with them in Wisconsin and we hit the Menards when we visit there. Sooooo much better than a HD, Lowe’s, or even Tractor Supply for most things. Can’t wait for them to make it across the Ohio border into western PA…..
I have a couple Menards in my area, but they're in very busy areas that are a drive, for me, to get to. I have about 6 Home Depots the same or closer distance to me than the nearest Menards.
Menards is amazing. Materials, consumables, and DIY supply is consistently better than HD. I'm a Masterforce fanboy as well. Hand tools have been good enough. I agree with you about the prosumer vibe. I've been doing 70% of my Christmas shopping in Menards.
Any Of My Trips to The Midwest, Menards Is Always A Must Stop, Wish We Had Them Here In New England! IMO, Far Superior To The Other Big Box Stores! Thanks For Your Report!
A couple of years ago, I visited Ohio and stopped in a Menards. I was amazed on how big and how much different stuff they have. I was surprised to see an outdoor pool section. I did buy a pair of cargo pants and shorts. I didn't get to see the second floor they had. I was blown away on the huge lighting department. Puts HD and Lowe's to shame.
I was a Menards Virgin, until last Thursday, they had a 2 horsepower irrigation pump for half the price of any of the other places. I drove from Northern Colorado to Cheyenne Wyoming.. and fellers I'm not easy to impress.
Man you guys in the states get all the good stuff!!
The Den of Tools... Thanks for the walk through. I wish we had a Menards here in Florida. Would be nice to have another option.
Yes, it would be nice to have another option besides the orange or blue...they look to be very thickly concentrated in their region, the midwest, but they seem very reluctant to spread out much beyond their "comfort zone"..kind of like White Castle...
Actually, I work at Menards and they are drastically spreading east and south. My store in Barboursville West Virginia is one of 10 stores built in 3 years. They have plans to be as far south as Roanoke Virginia by 2029
Hmm..Roanoke Virginia isn't very far south from their present region for 7 years in the future...sounds like they are very cautious, or reluctant, to go outside their comfort zone...maybe that's a smart business decision, I don't know. I live in Georgia, so sounds like I won't be seeing one in the foreseeable future, not within a reasonable driving distance. Unless they can (successfully) spread southeast into Florida and the Carolinas, into the mid-atlantic and further into the Northeast, west into the REAL midwest( Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Dakotas, Colorado), into Texas and finally to the west coast, they have no chance of running with the big boys...@@soldofsolitude
The masterforce tool chests are fantastic for the money. They're on par with the US general line in my opinion, but the grip latch drawer is my favorite part. I have a 42 in box and a 16 side cabinet after having an older 42 for close to 10 years. I prefer it over my 72 in series 2 at home.
Agree. They are decent boxes
home depots Husky line of toolboxes takes the cake
Nice for you, since Menards is based in Wisconsin.
I'm in the South now and can't even drive to a Costco Business Center.
I agree Jeff. There's a Menards 30 minutes from my home. It's awesome! 😊😊
His passion is very inspiring, I admire him
I like how you can drive into the lumber part of the store to load your lumber so you don't have to handle it twice!
I love Menards, it's got it all and prices are usually better then Home Depot or Lowe's on building materials and mill work. They have so much stuff that other stores don't have in those departments. Plus all the extras
They have various designers on their site for post frame buildings to decks. You can design it and have the stuff delivered. I built a post frame shop from one of their kits and it was awesome. You get real, professional, high quality steel and hardware. The non-lumber stuff is fulfilled by Midwest Manufacturing. They do a great job. That is one of the amazing things. And I got the 11% on the building purchase. That was amazing.
Never been in a Menards. Appreciate this overview. An amazing place. Too bad I am never likely to see one.
Menards is pretty awesome. They do have a lot of weird stuff, but that’s also a positive point. If you need to find a random radio shack type part that was popular back in 1995? Menards will probably have it in stock 😂
OMG... How cool is that !!!
A lot of people like the masterforce boxes over the US general.They are 24 inches deep which is really nice.I personally dont see a problem with the draws last 2 inches not coming out as its still easily accessible.I like the service cart style tool boxes that us general has though..
I just did a road trip to Menards, went to 3 of them, Cheyenne, Scottsbluff, and North Platte, was planning on a few more, then came down sick, so drove home ( Wash State), this was in July.
I love Menards! I love that they are in my area.
So I'm just north of OKC, we don't have Menards, but Wichita has two. They have a program online where you can design your own polebarn, on a whim I called them and asked if they'd deliver a 40x60x14 to me, they said sure, it would be around $600 as I recall. Now I don't own a 3/4 ton truck or a long gooseneck trailer, I'd have to borrow one to pick it up, then there's unloading it, $600 is unloaded with a DonKey forklift. $600 sounded worth it as its 2.5 hours away.
It is. Wish we had them in FL 😭
Being in Georgia just outside of Atlanta, we don't have Menard's. It's Home Depot and Lowes around here. There is a few Ace Hardware and Tractor Supply sprinkled in but no Menards.
This looks almost like the Bismarck, ND Menards!! 😊
My Local Menards is straight across the street from Lowes. I go to Menards the majority of the time. My town has two Lowes and two Menards. No Home Depot though. The closest HD is about 30+ minutes away.
OH MAN YOUR IN WISCONSIN! I WISH I KNEW ID LIKE TO OF SAY HELLO! I used to work at Menards I now work part time at FleetFarm thats a major tool place for me now. Thanks for making the video! God bless! and remember always make time to read the Bible daily !
Store has the Sears store vibes. I wish we had these out west.
The grocery section is handy as hell when you've got a winter storm coming in.
Love it. Never heard of this place.
Best and most complete lumber yard I have ever been to. Indoor and outdoor lumber sections with the outdoor lumber section that is covered so you can drive in and load your truck. The outdoor building materials and lumber yard is gigantic.
Now the only thing that can top this is a walk through of Hartville Hardware. 😂
Ive seen videos of that place and it makes Menards look small! I'd love to actually go there myself one day.
I love my Menards. I drive past HD and Lowes to get to Menards. I am a diy guy, the 11% back rebate does add up
We have two Menards stores near me. when they built the second store a friend work on security and told me that a took over 700 semis to fill it up.
Never heard of them until I started watching you
In Kalispell we're getting a new tractor supply in the old Kmart Building.... big building. I wish Menards would have come this far west..... maybe someday.
I've only been in a Menards once while visiting relatives in Ohio (no stores in Pennsylvania), so my experience is limited, but I was blown away by how much they have! I admit I get a bit disgusted as Lowes and Home Depot add more "non-core" products and product areas because the store size stays the same and it typically means they take other stuff away. But Menards is 3/4 larger than the typical Lowes, so they have the room for all the extra stuff. It really is like they connected two or three other stores all together.
I'm not sure how I'd feel about going to one regularly for the same reason you mentioned in another video - that it takes longer to navigate the big box stores than it does to go into a smaller specialty store to get what you need and get back out. On the one hand, there are times that I stop several places to get a variety of things and it would be nice to make a "one stop shop." But other times I'd just spend most of my time walking through the Menards to get to the one or two things I need.
One on Cabela drive on the Pennsyltaxia West Virginia line near Wheeling off I 70 and another in Morgantown West Virginia. Rumor has it one is going in Washington PA and Greensburgh PA too.
So they're slowly moving east. I'm near Harrisburg, so they're still three to four hours away.
Menards is a midwestern gem. The tool selection isn't as good as at HD but they leave both HD and Lowes for dead when it comes to building materials. My local store's wood section alone is bigger than the entirety of my local HD... and it's one of their smaller locations!
Bullshit
Loved Menards in Ohio wish we could get some here in Montana.
It feels like Menards isn't looking to go hard after the pro market, but if I need some oddball plumbing connection or other hardware they seem to always have something at a reasonable price. I've never seen a more bizarre collection of oddments, like their selection of light bulbs. I shop there constantly. P.S. Their prices on fasteners are fantastic.
I went to one for the first time not that long ago. NOT what I expected! Home Depot meets Sam's Club! What a surprise.
Sort of a cross between Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot and Big Lots. What's nice is if you need a toilet flapper and it's not one of the 2 or 3 at Lowe's, you can find it in the 8 different ones they carry. They have a lot of parts to fix things
I would love to see them come out to the West Coast. We need more stuff like this... 🍻
Yep, I'm in the southeast...until they are coast to coast, they matter not to me....
@@dyer2cycle I still like to see them, and I don't plan to live on the west coast forever, so nice to know what's out there. Still, would be great to get them out here anyway.
Some things I like about Menard's:
1: Epic supply of fasteners. I've found that if they don't have a fastener I need, I'm hauling myself to a specialty fastener store.
2: Much larger supply of lumber and bigger selection.
3: The markdowns... ooooh, the markdowns. Seasonal stuff is often times marked down to push it out the door fast, unlike the other stores where it's like "HUGE end of season savings of 5% off!". A good majority of the time you will find clearance stuff at very reasonable prices instead of them letting just sit on the shelf and rot for years.
4: Rebate. I know, it's not a true rebate, but you just spent $2000 on a project, you're getting $200 to spend on something else. Only downside is that it takes about three months to get it back. They really need to update that to enter rebates on the app (but I get why they don't, so people will "forget" to do the rebates and they don't have to send them out).
5: Hand tools for days. Their socket selection alone puts Lowe's and Home Depot to shame.
They're also pretty lenient on when you mail the rebate back. I've mailed them back months after the final postmark date and they still give it to me.
After hearing my dad rave about Menards from Minnesota, I went to the Menards in Salt Lake City. This was before COVID. it was dark, dirty, confusing, and maze-like. Never been back.
There is no Menards in Salt Lake City. It's a regional store in the Midwest that's very slowly expanding towards the East Coast.
I moved from Illinois to Texas....I miss Menards.
My only gripe with Menards (and it's a BIG one) is that almost all of their sales are done with a rebate that forces you to return to their store in order to benefit from the sale (but I could deal with that). Their rebates used to come in the mail as a post card and everyone could see that it was a rebate from Menards. That is like putting a stamp on a 10 or 20 dollar bill and sending it through that mail. Anyone could just pocket the rebate, go to Menards and use it. We complained because we had not received several rebates, they told us that they have had other complaints and were going to change that. Now they come folded over (whoopie), but still they have Menards plastered on it so everyone still knows what they are. I would rather just get the sale price in the store. But I'm pretty sure there are some people that really love Menards' rebates.
I've probably gotten 50 of them, and have gotten every one I sent in. I've even gotten rebates when I sent them in after the expiration date.
Gotta save big money!! As a side note, all that area where the furniture is located, turns into the Christmas area!
I have never shopped in person at Menards. We do not have these stores in Alabama. But I do shop online and then have it shipped.
Hey papa bear, you forgot to mention that they have a full-size lumber yard. I've been shopping Menards most of my life here in Illinois. Love that store. Go almost once a week. Three times a month. But yeah you need lumber they got it.
I would LOVE to see Menards here in CA - HD and Lowes suck. I went to one in Illinois and it was amazing.
I am very blessed to live in Menards country, and I gotta say there Masterforce brand tools are pretty darn good
Harbor Freight sells a lot of the masterforce tools under their Hercules line. I have the corded multi tool, and like it better than my Makita.
My 11% rebates always end up being spent on Masterforce hand tools. It feels nice using the 11% credits on something I will have for a long time.
I wish we had a Menards in my area but they are only in the Midwest. They are not nationwide. Yeah 29 gallons is the biggest compressor harbor freight carries but the 29 gallon fortress is certainly a good deal compared to the price on craftsman and Milwaukee. I've also heard the US general series 3 has better reinforced drawers. Everyone said the series 2 had wobbly drawers and supposedly they have fixed that.
Man o man, I wish they had one in the Sacramento area 😢
I love our Menards store in bay city! ❤
I’ve only been there once , and it was amazing
Menards is awesome I've found some really good deals there and I also worked there from 98 to 2001 and the only reason why I quit was due to a dream of an offer that I couldn't refuse and it was to live on a hobby farm so my Mom and I bought a hobby farm in Missouri and lived there for a few years and then the job situation got bad so we had to move away. Anyways while I worked for Menards I was treated very well by managers and John Menard I got gifts for the Holidays and my birthday and got pretty sweet bonus at the end of the year. In the past 25 years I've bought a lot of stuff from Menards and I go there to buy oil for oil changes and it's about 10 bucks cheaper anywhere else and I also bought a 4ft laminate counter top for about 20 bucks for my desk and Lowes and Home depot were charging almost a 100 bucks for one. The Menards I go to is huge and it's a 2 story one and really nice. I think Menards is maybe going the costco route a little with the furniture and food and all but that's great.
Living in the Midwest, I have grown up with menards and never really appreciated it. I’m usually there every weekend for landscape stuff.
Have two of them here in Springfield Mo and one at Branson! They have great help too unlike HD and Lo.
Menards is basically the "everything store" for me as a building maintenance person. I'm there once a week if not more.
Menards is good for oddball lightbulb sizes for appliances or display cabinets.
Had to drive 55 miles to get to my local Menards while living in North Dakota. Don't even have one here in Arizona. They had things that you can't even get at Home Depot.
Totally agree, I live in south suburban Chicago area and I have a Menards across the street from Home Depot walking distance from my house and a Lowes 10 minutes away. Menards is awsome!!! Get a 2x4, pretzels and a hat or shirt with some AAA batteries and a couch LOL I’m literally there every day !!! I really don’t like their house brand tools so I go across the street to HD. Menards is the COSCO of home improvement +++++++
Competitive pricing for sure. My go to place. And you can order stuff too!
Love Menards! Watch out on the Depot 11% match though. It’s regional and most important they exclude about 2,000 items.
Menards is what a general store from back in the 1800s would be like for a community back in the day..a little bit of everything and what they don't have they'll order..
Oh have you ever been to a Rural King? I love that place.. It's like a tractor supply /fleet & farm on steroids
omg!! Rural King is my favorite. They even have baby rabbits & chicks for sale. lol along with shotguns & ammo. Great store