Menards - Why They're Successful
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
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Episode Description: Located almost entirely in the midwest, Menards is the 3rd largest hardware store chain in the United States. This video talks about the unique ways they've been able to grow and remain competitive against the two much larger chains.
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Save Big Money At...
Menards🎵
You should have played the extended version: "Plumbing, Electrical, Appliances too. The savings will always come right back to you! You save big money. You save big money. Save big money at Menards!" Theres also the holiday jingle: "Warm seasons greatings to you all from menards!"
Save big money at "my nards" - common joke in the midwest, y'know like balls.
6:18 sounds just like the ollies story.....we need a story on ollies....
I have been a manager for menards for years now, and I was just so surprised how well researched your information is even on info that is supposed to be much more hush-hush.
I have a very soft spot for Menards. When I was in HS, I helped my dad finish our basement and we took tons of trips there to get supplies. My dad would also always get a 5lbs bag of peanuts near the checkout line. Then after a hard days work in the basement, we'd sit out in the back yard and smash the bag of peanuts and just talk. Those times meant so much to me that even 20 years later I'll still swing by the local Menards on the way to their house because I know they'll have this huge bag of peanuts.
Beautiful!
Yesss the peanuts! My mom always went for the Brach's candy, but my dad went for the peanuts.
Those are the moments to cherish forever!
That’s a great connection. Thank you for sharing
The bag of peanuts is iconic. Will forever cherish the moment I spent with my dad on our drive to the menards in Franklin, WI.
Menards really is unlike any other store. You can buy lumber, toys for your pet, random Nic Cage movies, more obscure craft sodas, and even do light grocery shopping all in one trip.
This is spot on, the obscure craft sodas are always fun to shop
Store is cool, working there isn't. Only good thing is pay and even then so many places pay similar rates.
Spreche Cream Soda is crack in a botle.
I got my boyfriend the complete series of The Rockford Files on DVD from Menards.
You can even buy model railroad equipment around the holidays at menards too
The fact that the Menards advertising has changed very little since the '90s has always stood out to me. When I'm in the Great Lakes region and have local TV on at the hotel or whatever, the Menards commercials are still always the same straightforward tone; the commercials generally exist to make you aware of seasonal/promotional items your local store has in stock and why they're quality items. There's no marketing gimmicks, no cultural pretense, no stench of sketchy corporate behavior. Just a team working hard to provide good products and a good customer experience. Menards offers a vestige of an America that's critically endangered.
I moved out of Wisconsin in 1997.. went back there in 2017 and was in awe at the Menards commercial. It really has the same vibe.. made me smile during a tough time!
I remember from the 90s to today: "Save BIG money... at Menards!"
It's the same song John Menards payed 50 bucks for many years ago.
Ha! As someone that worked at a Menards and privy to a lot of the management thoughts and actions, you couldn't be more wrong...that 11% is one of the sketchiest "marketing gimmicks" ever! Fining managers for everything under the sun is indeed "sketchy corporate behavior". And to say that "they're quality items" is a stretch. Especially the Menards branded items that are mostly Chinese junk...and if a company run by a slimeball (look up the name Tomisue Hilbert) is your idea of a "vestige of America", then we're in deep sh*t as a country!
I have a black kitty kat, she likes to purr.
I have not lived in the Midwest since I was 10 but the Menards jingle from the 90s is still firmly implanted in my mind.
Shoutout Minnesota amen. 🇺🇸🇺🇸 the jingle is so recognizable
SAAVE BIG MONEY AT MEENAAAARRRRRRRRDSSS
The jingle is still going strong!
As kids we would always laugh about saving big money at my nards.
I've lived in the midwest for most of my life. I've been hearing that jingle since I was a kid. But I feel like if I moved away today and never heard it again it would still be etched into my brain in 30 years.
Menards was my late father-in-law’s home away from home. Every year that my husband and I were married, we gave him a Menards gift card for Christmas. Even though he practically LIVED there, he was always THRILLED with the gift, and would say “I know where I’M going tomorrow!” ❤️
Aw thats so cute!
so sorry for your loss ❤ thank you for sharing a sweet story!
I do love the fact that Menards sells grocery and clothing items as well as the typical home improvement materials. They are a very nice chain, and I usually prefer shopping there unless I need a specific item that's only available at HD or Lowes.
They also sell model trains
We don't have Menards in the south, but your description sounds a bit like Tractor Supply
@@engineer_alvnah, tractor supply is more akin to a fleet farm or a farm and fleet lol
For me the food thing is recent. I always thought it was a more country version of home depot or lowes.
@@engineer_alv naw, totally different. And tractor supplies in my area are about 5% the size of a Menards.
As a Midwesterner I see Menards as a local store while Lowe’s and Home Depot are just another national chain. Makes a difference in loyalty.
I don’t remember who was first, but the Menards in Holland MI moved locations to a giant new building and around that time Home Depot tried to sneak in with a bigger building. Home Depot closed within a year and the building has been empty for at least 10 years. Goes to show that us midwesterners always support Menards
As someone from North Carolina, I see Lowe’s as the local store since it started in North Wilkesboro, NC. Home Depot is the National chain from Georgia and I never heard of Menards.
@@ericbarlow6772I know a couple of people who worked at the DC there for several years. Also worked at the Henderson, KY Lowes for 6 years.
nobody cares. thanks.
Leave the Midwest don’t be so insulated
Menards is popular because they will open stores in smaller towns that Lowe’s and Home Depot will ignore (like Norfolk, Nebraska, population 24k, which has a Walmart across the highway). That gesture shows Menards has faith that the town is growing and will generate loyalty that cannot be easily broken. The employees are busy as bees but will happily help customers. The 11% rebate on almost everything is also a neat perk! I like shopping there and I’m glad to see it on your channel! 😊
GBR
That’s not why Menards is popular no offense lol. While yes they do that especially in cities like Norfolk and also Yankton SD. They are also in other growing cities. I’m not sure it’s a sign that Menards is believing the town is growing but they go there because they dominate the market.
P.S I worked at 3 menards stores lol 😂
The idea of Lowe's ignoring small towns is so weird to me as someone from North Carolina. Over here, Lowe's has stores in towns with less than 5,000 people.
They do that cause that's where there's no competition from Home Depot and Lowes
As a Midwesterner my allegiance is with Menards. They also have the 15% anything you can fit in a bag sale where they give you a paper bag and anything you can fit in it is 15% off.
standard size paper bag? I mean what are we talking about here
@@stephenm8725 Think paper grocery bag size. You can fit a good amount of things in there especially the smaller expensive things like boxes of screws or power tools such and so forth.
I'm a trucker. Whenever I have a delivery at Menards it's always a great experience. Everything's clean, neat, and organized. They'll immediately receive the delivery, receiving hours are the same as the store hours making my job a lot easier (scheduling multiple deliveries on the same day with different hours, many companies require you set up a specific appointment time 1 or 2 days in advance can be difficult) I can just show up at a Menards whenever I get there and I know I'll be taken care of. Also, the employees are very friendly. They treat people with respect and have a good work ethic. You notice the absence of a corporate beaurocracy. Menards just feels like a local ma and pa operation, even though its a huge company.
Love nothing more than receiving bulk freight right at store close and then spending an extra 2 hours breaking it down because no freight can be left overnight.
@@kb037 yeah... the average delivery I made to Menards was about 5 pieces. It's put away before I left, only took a couple minutes. But I understand where you're coming from not wanting to stay late and get overtime pay. Better to just let the trucker wait around for 12 hours until it's more convenient for you.
Nothing like Home Depot, they are the worst to deliver to
I love that their wheel chocks are all DIY'd too lol
@@kb037 - LOL, yeah, that was a common problem...be dead tired from standing on cement for 7-8 hours and then have to hump junk for a couple more hours because some trucker couldn't get there at a reasonable hour. That and spending countless hours setting sales...
Menards is the last bastion of retail, known for stocking the oddball stuff that everyone else wants you to order online. They've mastered the combination of big box, and old style hardware store.
Which is a no-brainer to me, if something is shelf stable, why not stock it because you grow loyalty in your customer and I bet you I see something on sale or I want and I'll buy it which I wouldn't have had I not gone there for the odd item I needed.
Living in Menards home town, I would have to disagree. There is plenty that they don't have. But he also won't let a Lowe's or home Depot into town which is shitty. But that means we have some awesome small hardware stores.
@@meegstomtom Sure, but they have way way more than Lowes or Homedepot. They don't have much of anything and I never go there (besides Lowes, sometimes they have cheap clearance plants)
@@Scene2it Doesn't matter, still love it. Still the best hardware store (minus small ones but not for the price they are).
@@Scene2itjust like every other big company
The thing that always suprises me about the Menards in The Highlands is how happy and helpful the staff is. Its a huge store with a local store feel.
I worked at Midwest Manufacturing for over 5 years. The reason why Menards is so slow to expand is that they focus on their manufacturing capabilities in the region before opening stores. They figure out shipping costs and that limits where stores are located. Fascinating company to work for.
I worked at a local midwest TV station in master control, meaning it was my job to take in and set up commercials and programs. Some companies would send us a few new commercials a month. Menards would send us up to a dozen new commercials every week, that would only run for that week, advertising their current promotion and whatever items happened to be on sale. Back when we used tapes, we had a tape dedicated to just Menards spots. They have an in-house production department to make and deliver the commercials -- most companies use an ad agency to produce and distribute. We probably heard the jingle more often than anyone who doesn't work for the company.
That jingle is iconic if you're from Wisconsin.
Legend
Have one here I have been in a few times in my part of the panhandle of Texas. Most here don't know the name/brand. I really have never seen any negative press about the company. Granted I am not in a big market where they are at.
Do you mind if I ask what station? I used to work at WTWO and WAWV in master control until corporate moved my job to Texas
@@thomasvlaskampiii6850 WREX in Rockford, IL from 2007-2020
Absolutely love Menards! As someone who just recently moved to the Midwest I find them refreshing. To have a big store that has everything you need but somehow still manages to feel like a small town business that has you in mind is special.
I'm so glad you mentioned Ray Szmanda! When he passed, many people sent flowers to their local Menards stores. He was family to all of us. ❤
Everyone loved Ray. But, according to his wife, his dirty little secret was that he wasn't much of a handyman in real life.
Fun fact!!!! Rays grandson was Greg in the original CSI tv show. He always referred to his grandpa as “Papa Olaf”
@@BB99234KJ Ray's son actually was my childhood dentist.
I live in the Midwest and have been going to Menards with my dad since I was little. While he would shop I would go explore their light selections, or during Christmas time, their walk through Christmas tree displays which I looked forward to each year.
Another thing I would like to mention is that Menards has a bag sale once a year, where everything you can fit in one paper bag is 11% off. My parents go to Menards days in a row during this time.
I forgot about the christmas tree walk throughs!!! Just got big flashbacks
The bag sale is 15% off, 11% is the rebate on everything
Menards feels like a really big old time mom and pop store to me. Employees are always nice, the store is always tidy, and they have a great selection of lots of different products. Home Depot is 3 miles from my home, but I drive 8 miles so I can go to Menards.
Just like Lowe’s and Home Depot 😂
Groceries. Gal of highland milk at 3$ while the next grocery store has their highland gal milk from 6$-10$. They also take care of their employees.
I really like Menards! If you painted all the orange stuff in Home Depot blue, or if you painted all the blue stuff in Lowe's orange... you wouldn't know which store you're in. They're both so industrial feeling with their products stacked to the ceiling on metal scaffolding. Menards is totally different. It feels more personal and accessible. As a kid, I always loved their selection of Christmas decorations.
The problem with lowes is that they became publicly traded back in the 1970s. I worked for then from 2006-2012, and they really went downhill during and after the housing bust around 2008. Became very commercial and cheap.
I can relate to this feeling a lot, I to feel the same with Home Depot & Lowe’s feeling more industrial vs Menards feeling more consumer/customer friendly, it’s always clean bright & well organized, I never had a bad experience shopping there, prices are much more reasonable as well I shop at Menards often and every blue moon I’d have to go to a Home Depot and when I do it’s never because of the things I need being on sale there, it’s almost always because I was price matching or I needed something extremely unique and even then at times I find myself saying “I should’ve went to Menards” depending on what it is.
As a home owner, I like having a Menards near me. I actually worked at that same Menards about 20 years ago as an asst. department manager. I remember being sent to the nearby Lowes and Home Depot to check the pricing on windows, doors, and trim.
I work at menards in the millwork department right now. I’ve been sent on missions to the competition to see their prices too lol
I worked for Menards. I met John Menard and Rsy Szmanda. Great company
Worked there and absolutely hated it lol. Did it for an internship and it was useless.
I've previously worked at Menards and read a lot of the policies, here's some fun tidbits:
1. Managers are contractually prohibited from building their own house
2. A significant portion of a Manager's pay is tied to a "Manager Bonus" which is docked for practically any minor transgression. It's legal because it's "discretionary"
3. Menards maintains MASSIVE stockpiles of disaster equipment and/or contracts with suppliers that can deliver massive amounts of product on request. It will be delivered within 2 business days. As an example, my town has a local Menards and the town was hit by an EF3 tornado. Menards had 4 semi loads of generators, 2 semi loads of bottled water, and all the miscellaneous disaster cleanup supplies you could imagine (chainsaws, chains, tarps, plywood, etc).
4. Menards is MASSIVELY anti union. They will not hire any previously unionized employee and managers will have their pay docked 70% per their contract if their employees unionize.
4. I'm sad you didn't mention the 11% rebate. Contractors and people buying large home remodels will come in with rebates worth THOUSANDS of dollars. Same if you use the BIG card.
5. Pre-covid, Menards used to fly all their managers out to Eau Claire in private jets for product knowledge meetings directly with the reps, hence the aforementioned large product knowledge. It's drilled into you weekly via product trainings as well, I worked in paint and still can remember the relative strengths and weaknesses of the different brands and different glosses.
6. Keeping with the paranoia, the general office will routinely look through store CCTV cameras and give write-ups for product stockings that are incorrect/employees on phones/etc.
7. The company wide rumor was that the Eau Claire west store opened late one day because both General Managers were late. John Menard saw the crowd forming at the door and proceeded to ram the front doors down to open the store. The GMs were then unceremoniously sacked.
8. Everything in the store for store use is second hand. Computers? Remanufactured. Toner cartridges for printers? Remanufactured. Radios? Remanufactured.
I work at menards, I didn’t know any of this, very interesting. Thank you
for sharing :)
This is super interesting, and honestly not negative stuff isn't surprising. I was also surprised that the 11% rebate wasn't mentioned, and hardly even brought up in the comments. Where I live there is a Menards right across the street from Lowes and the 11% rebate is the only thing that keeps me going to Menards. Their app is dogshit, Lowes is much better. But that 11% adds up!!
What a terrible place to work.
That if they Hire you and you work in one department and it pays, $8ph and they want you to work in another for a bit, you sign out of yours and sign in to the other, and if it only pays $6ph, you don't keep your $8, you get the $6.
If You want a Raise of $0.10, You are Forced to take a Test and would have to know the Entire Store and what to do in Each department. And if You Fail, You have to Wait 3-6 Months before you can take it again...
That even If you work Part Time and LAW Says PART TIME Employees Set Their Own Schedule... that they schedule you to work days that you Can't because ( Insert Any Reason Here ), they Will Fire you...
That Even Tho You get paid an extra $2ph to Operate a Forklift in YOUR Department, they will NOT Pay it if they need you in another department and have to operate the forklift... and get paid less for working in a different department...
That Even IF you are on Break, they will Make you Work and NOT let you Finish your Break Later... So if you only get to take a 5 min Break of your 30 min Lunch Break and they want you to help a guest, they will Not let you finish your last 25 Minutes of your Lunch Break...
Plus all the other stuff I posted in my reply.... Yeah, They SUCK!
Lord, this sounds more like a cult.
It’s always nice to see Company Man do videos on these regional chains, maybe he’ll do a video on Meijer someday.
I live in the area of Meijer corporate head quarters and about 5 miles from one of their stores. So yes on Meijer. Also Menards is my preferred goto store for building supplies.
Don’t forget to leave a penny or two on Sandy’s pedestal on your way out
Ahh yes, a company I had never hear of, until they started signing my large paycheque. Same thing with Menards, I like the private companies, something about being less evil-overlordy
Both places are on my to do list for tomorrow.
i was pretty glad when meijer moved across the lake to wisconsin. they're no aldi, but they're cheaper than every other grocery store besides them.
We have a Menards in Maplewood, MO that has two levels. It has a moving stair case that take you and your cart to the 2nd level. It has a glass surround were you can look down to the lower level. It is like 2 home depots or lowes in one store. Also, food and pet supplies are a big draw for me. Very open isles, and organized shelving and employees everywhere to help. It is also a good place to walk for exercise!
I just wish the staff at their Ballwin store was better. I remember them being very indifferent to people.
@@thomaseriksen6885 There is an elevator.
@@TheHobbyShopFilms The one in Lewis Center has 2 levels as well
The one in Waukesha WI also has 2 levels.
I love how Menards carry Sprecher products, the most delicious root beer you could ever wish to taste, Menards definitely is a better home improvement store than Home Depot and Lowes.
They also have the cheapest price on Sprecher products, and that’s no mistake. They have an exclusive deal with Sprecher, and the only place to get it cheaper is from the brewery itself.
Sprecher cream soda is the cream soda by far
the grape soda goes hard
@@JukeMix I just finished my four pack of grape. Very good
All 3 are terrible. Bad customer service, and kill the local competition.
I've lived in the Midwest all my life. And I'm almost 30 now and have owned 3 houses. Although not exclusively as I do sometimes shop at the home Depot and Lowes. Menards has been a huge staple in repairing the 3 houses I've owned over my life.
As Floridian this the very first time I've ever heard of this company. Good to know there is a third major hardware store out there. Love this channel!
There aren't any in the south. Sad! We had them in Missouri, but that's about as far south as they go. 😢😢😢
Menards started producing and selling their own selection of model trains and accessories and to me that's the coolest thing about Menards. They have a model building of a Menards store that plays their jingle. So cool.
That is cool. I'm from a different region, and only know about them because their logo was on my R.C. truck as a sponsor to its real life counterpart.
Nice to know they're good for hobbyists.
I think that many of these Wisconsin stores like Culver's, Menards, and Kwik Trip hold so strong because of the values the stores share that identify with the midwest people.
Very true! And Kwik Trip now has over 800 locations. More than some national gas stations have despite being spread across most of the U.S., Kwik Trip just opened its first-ever location in Rochelle, Illinois too. Like in Iowa, the stores will be called "Kwik Star" in Illinois to be distinct from "QuickTrip" (With a Q). This is why Kwik Trip only keeps its proper name in Wisconsin and Minnesota since QuickTrip doesn't have locations here.
@@GalaxyFur Kwik Trip is the only gas station I will willingly eat food from, their breakfast sandwiches are rather good for what they are. The fact you know the bathrooms will be clean is also great incentive to make it a pit stop on road trips.
@@RacingVagabond Caseys has much better pizza and their new mac and cheese slaps
@@RacingVagabond Also, the fact that you're always pretty close to a Kwik Trip when driving around Wisconsin is nice when needing a restroom.
@@brabblemaster401 that slaps.
I was just in a local Menard's today and I like the shopping experience in the store. As the video mentioned, the stores are clean and very well-organized and the prices are reasonable. I also like the variety of food items available too as I have purchased some of those too at the store. The other thing that is very cool at Menard's is that they have someone playing a piano on the weekends in the store and that adds a certain "class" to the shopping experience too!
As someone from the Midwest who started working at a Menards a few months ago this is a cool video to see. Another thing to add that helps us retain good and knowledgeable employees is that Menards pays a lot better compared to other hardware stores and retail around me. I'm making somewhere between $4-6 an hour more working at Menards than I would at the Home Depot down the street while also getting a yearly bonus that goes up every year to up to 15% of my total yearly paycheck as long as I work more than 1000 hours in a year which even our part time stockers will do. Menards also pretty much exclusively promotes from within, we don't hire from the outside for higher level roles so every person in middle and upper management has been in the trenches on the sales floor, in receiving/ the yard, or pushing carts. They understand how it is and it shows. The level of detail for merchandising is insane, its very well communicated to us as employees and everything is super detailed. We also still go to other stores in the area to check their prices to see if we can lower hours and its even part of our management training.
I also work at menards and it’s been awesome. I’m just a teenager finishing up high school and am going into the management training program right when I graduate.
Better watch your wages, he was sued for wage theft a couple years ago and lost
it's a great place to work part time or early in your career but is sucks to be a manager for that nut and his brother was worse
I'm weirded out seeing all these positive comments on working there, I don't think I know a single coworker in my entire store that enjoys working at menards
@@damiansconberg4715 coming from both menards and 10 years in the contracting field the majority hate them
There are a few more facts of Menards and that "customer experience" that sets them apart from the other two stores: they have a fully-featured "supermarket" area in the center of the store and it can be shopped at for just your weekly grocery shopping. The lighting department is next to nothing--two floors and selling of a lot of unique fixtures and light bulbs the other stores don't carry! They have a very large "outdoor living" department for outdoor furniture as well as swimming pool and barbecue needs, and then at Christmas time, that area becomes the "Enchanted Village" Christmas shop and sells a far larger variety of Christmas trees and other decorations than what the other stores have, and all in a "traditional-style" Christmas Village type area.
I think you hit every high point of the store. Yes, the Christmas village is one of the things I've loved going to ever since I was a kid. It seems as though I'm able to find a lot more things I need there as opposed to the other two, especially how they have better prices. I'm doing some electrical projects here soon and can get much better deals there. One thing I know that my area Menards used to have, and I don't know if this was every store, is that towards the back where the groceries are, they had a small area with vending machines with a few small table where I'd always buy a cold drink and snack. It was decked out to look like a pitched roof facade made up of faux logs. I've often told people I could live in the store an entire week since they have plenty of groceries, blue jeans, shirts, and socks. Just drag one of their electric water heaters over to a supply hose, and boom, now I could shower too, especially since there's shampoo and shaving razors on the shelf! Oh, I almost forgot, they have mattresses too and a DVD and book section!
I use my great grandfathers antique glass bulbs. When they eventually all break. I will replace them with more antique US made glass bulbs. No Christmas section at any store is going to have that.
I think you meant to say that their lighting department is second to none. Not Next to nothing. It makes it sound like they don't have any lighting
@@ScottCleve33 Confused me as well. Had to reread a few times to correctly infer the poster's actual intent.
@@trekzilladmc You can barely move through the village it gets so crowded.
Thank you for listening to your fans and making this video!
I lived in areas which have Lowe's, Home Depot, and Menards. Menard's is pretty good at low cost DIY home improvement tools and just about whatever else you may need. Their prices are low. We try to go once or twice a month to stock up on snacks, because they are usually a less expensive than most of the grocery stores in the area. Their lumber/outdoor/dock yard is easy to access. The Lowe's and Home Depot's I've been to are not great for this stuff and the loading area can get a little busy. Their product selection is also MUCH more diverse. We we're looking for closet organization hardware and they had a HUGE section. Multiple isles, various styles, additional organizational accessories. Basically a one stop shop. While Lowe's had a very limit section of maybe 3/4 of a row. Menard's is also the ONLY home improvement store I've been in recently who ALWAYS has multiple cashiers. Lowe's and Home Depot often only have cashiers at the contractor register. If they have a retail register open it may only be one. Doesn't matter if it is the afternoon of a Saturday. Self-checkout only. Insanity. I shop mostly at Menard's this days unless there is something only one of the other store's have to offer or a very good sale/deal.
I've lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for 67 years and Menards has always been my go to place. I get hardware, paint, food, sometimes even clothes, there. I love their rebate program because I can use it to save up for big ticket items like a garage door opener or even a new stove. I like the way the store is laid-out and it's well lit. My husband goes there pretty much 2 to 3 times a week for whatever he forgot to get last time he went, and he doesn't even mind. He likes to walk around and look at all the things he wants to get in the future.
He is also into model railroading, they carry all kinds of train stuff durning the holidays. Back in the day, some stores had barrels of peanuts at the entrance. They also have the best lumber and lighting selection.
Sounds like a nightmare for people with peanut allergy lol.
they actually sell the models all year round in certain stores, they are just hidden in the off season areas, but they still able to be purchased.
@@midnightmook948 yep, up on the second floor
John Menard is so into model railroading that if a store takes a loss of inventory, that is if they find their counts off and have to change them in the computer, that store gets an email wanting to know whats going on. Its the only line of products in the store that I've ever heard of him taking a personal interest in.
Oh that explains it. I had no clue it was meant to be a home improvement chain I always just knew it was were my dad sometimes got model railroad stuff.
I live in Baltimore, but my mother has one by her in Cincinnati. When doing home improvement projects for her, I do look forward to a visit to Menards. It just presents itself well and is quite likeable. But my favorite thing about it has always been that the name sounds like something a pirate would say when kicked in the balls.
The Cincinnati one is really nice. They have these delicious craft sodas too
We own a masonry/excavation business. Menards is convenient when it comes to getting pallets of concrete blocks and other materials in bulk without having to drive all the way to suppliers away from job sites. Their rebate system is a win as well. I personally believe more contractors go to Menards then any other store in IL.
Concrete blocks are one thing I know they manufacture themselves.
I love Menards. It's hard to nail down exactly why it works but it's one of the few stores where it's actually fun to shop there, just because they have so much eclectic stuff. It's like the Target of home improvement.
It's "hard to nail down"? Nice 1!
"eclectic" and "fun". You nailed it!
We used to plan our weekends around a trip to a Menard's 35 minutes from us because it was so unique and. . .eclectic. We now have one in my city, and it's slightly less fun now that it's not a destination, but I still love going there just to walk around.
I agree I just really enjoy shopping at Menards. I actually want to go there unlike Walmart which I try to avoid. I’ll never turn down a trip to Menards.
One of my local Menards stores is a two-story store and has something that many people probably have never seen - a ramped moving walkway between the floors. This enables shoppers to take their carts and flatbeds with them up an escalator. I've literally only ever seen this at Menards.
They have one at the IKEA by me! That sounds like such a cool store
🎶 You save big money, you save big money, save big money at Menards 🎶
Yeah Menards is the best go to home improvement store which my family preferred the most since I was a kid.
Also greetings from Columbus, NE which yes we had a Menards store.
Yep Save big money.
Hell yes 👍🏻
I love Menards! I was very happy when they opened stores in the Metro Detroit area.
that moment when he said "your gonna have to get ready for this" before the jingle, it was already playing in my head
Love the whole menards experience. The employees aren’t actively hiding from you and even younger staff are willing to seek you out to help. As big as it is it keeps that small town feel.
When I lived in Indiana I preferred Menards for the huge selection in all of the departments. I could actually find the hardware, oil, jeans, patio furniture, etc I needed all in one place.
It was like a harbor freight, ace, and tractor supply inside of a Hone Depot.
Menards is basically just another hardware store to me, but my dad loves it a lot. That ad jingle is one of the most memorable things ever though.
Menards is like the Meijer’s of hardware stores, even though I mostly prefer Home Depot, I like Menards way better than Lowe’s, because they have lots of unique products that their competitors don’t have available in stock! They’re actually second to Home Depot in sales in the Midwest!
Good on you for properly spelling “Meijer’s” according to proper Midwest standards 😅
@@peacefrog0521 my friend’s wife works at Meijer’s in Ohio.
Meijers another great Midwest store chain. Too bad they got rid of Tekton tools (GR based as well) instead it's Stanley garbage now
@@williamrogers8299 I remember Tekton they were kind of like Craftsman, until Stanley bought them out and made them instead.
Going to The Enchanted Forest has been a Christmas tradition for my family for years and is one of the things that makes Menards special
When he first started racing I meet him and his driver herm Johnson racing go carts at his track in eauclaire wi. After the races gave me a tour of his Indy car shop. I found him to be a great guy.
I used to work at Menards... their success is all in the vertical integration... they make a bunch of the goods. I was able to tour many of the plants and it's simply amazing the business they have built. The store is much easier to shop and provides more of the goods in each sku category.
I used to work at Menards and it always surprised me how they did such a good job with organizing the different departments and, at least at my store, had some out of season items available for purchase.
All of the out of season stuff is upstairs in my local store.
Menard has a HUGE presence in racing, even sponsoring the ARCA Menards Series, a nationwide series. They sponsor cars in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and entries in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
pretty sure that comes from John Menards' son, he was big into racing to the point he was a NASCAR driver.
@@TheAciddragon069 I don't know as they were big sponsors in Indycar with Tony Stewart with John as team owner.
@@TheAciddragon069yep. With Paul Menard. The 2011 Brickyard Cup Series winner. And Then Menards won a Indy 500 as well.
Some of us employees believe the Menards stores only exist so that John can watch cars drive in circles.
@@lucaslightbane Or make the occasional rihgt hand turn on a road course.
I'm a convert from being loyal to Home Depot for a LONG time. We have all three all over my area, but once a contractor friend introduced me to Menard's after years of reluctance, I only go there unless I'm desperate for something they're out of (which is very rare). They pack a TON into those stores and they literally have just about any piece of hardware you could need or imagine. Their lumber is much higher quality (probably because they're buying for 400 stores instead of 4,000). Their lumber barns are INSANE with their size and the amount of products they have in stock. They also carry every size in 2ft increments from 8ft to 20ft in stock without having to special order. I love their trim and millwork selection. At the store near me, that department alone is the size of the entire lumber department at a HD or Lowes. They also seem to be very good at keeping the stores well stocked which is a big complaint I have with HD and Lowes. I really like some of their in house brand stuff, especially the Mastercraft doors and windows. I find they are far higher quality than a comparably priced item elsewhere. I'm starting to acquire quite a few of their branded tools and have had nothing but good things to say. I really like that I can get what I'm looking for in one trip 99% of the time and it will be quality.
"Their lumber is much higher quality" - that is NOT my experience with them. I put on a treated deck a year and a half ago and ponied up for the better wood. Turns out it was complete trash and I'm going to have to replace it all...
@@Snarkapotamus same here... I think it's really what wood you're looking for, when and where. They seem to have really good cedar planks but the regular treated deck boards are garbage the last time I went... and I'm assuming it varies from month to month.
@@jasperz9359 could not agree more with you - definitely some things worth buying there, but Menards run-of-the-mill trim, lumber etc are absolutely not "much higher quality"
I have worked for Menards for almost five years now. One story you forgot to mention is how John Menard is banned from one of his stores in Wisconsin. A store in Eau Claire, WI didn't open on time so Mr. Menards idea was to drive one of the company trucks through the front doors. While the job hasn't always been the most desirable place to work, especially during the pandemic, it has provided a lot for me. The pay has always been some of the best, for retail, there are a lot of bonuses, and my managers have always worked with my college schedule. I have also made some of my closest friends and even met my fiancé there.
So he's banned from one of the stores that he owns? For driving a truck, owned by his company, through his own doors? That actually sounds kind of awesome. Sort of like something John McAfee would have done if he went into retail. I can't really understand how a person can be banned from a place they own, but I wouldn't doubt there is a legal way to do it either.
I was born and raised in Texas but my mom’s family is from Chicago. For my grandpa’s birthday and/or xmas we’d always get him a gift card to Menards.
I didn’t understand what was so great about that place when all I knew was Home Depot and Lowe’s.
I really enjoyed your video and it’s nice to think that maybe my grandpa had the same reasons for liking Menards as you.
I think I will stop by and see for myself next time I’m in the area. A nice reminder of my Grandpa Jim and I want to hear the jingle in the store 😂
My favorite thing about menards is being able to buy all sorts of things there, and all the interesting brands you dont see in big chain stores, it makes the items you get there more unique and memorable. They are also cheap which is great!
As my uncle once said, “If you can’t buy it at Menards, you probably don’t need it.”
Also, everyone at Menards seems to enjoy working there. There’s no shortage of employees to help find what you need, and they’re always happy to do it - and to make sure that you’re ONLY buying what you need and not spending unnecessary money.
I’m presently doing A LOT of home renovation, and I am at Menards often 2-3x per day. They also sell a lot of grocery items, so I can one stop shop and pick up some groceries while I’m looking for a part that I need.
As someone that've worked at 2 Menards, relations between co workers are always good, but the management, specifically the GM and assistant GM's are a pain in the ass and stuckup.
@@SgawCules Gotta love middle management
Worked their. John Menards is an insufferable terrible person. You better not try to talk to him if you work there. He doesn't like the peasants daring to talk to him.
@@SgawCulesagreed. Co-workers are great but management is horrible. I’m glad I only had to work there 12 weeks for an internship.
We moved away from the Midwest a few years back and every time we have to walk into a home Depot or Lowe's I say how much I miss Menards. Specifically how much I miss Menards lumber area
The 'giggle', "Save Big Money at Monards" does play often through the store speaks.
As a kid when your parents are spending what seemed to be hours looking at the wide selection of fans i started singing, "Waste Big Money at Monards!"
I love Menards. It just feels so much more comfortable than Home Depot or Lowes. I would take trips there just to look around and get ideas for my own home improvement. Also, their products and brands are more unique than the other two.
In my city, We've had a Fleet Farm for years before anything else. We had a Home Depot open in the 10's, as well as a Menards a few years after that. Today, Fleet Farm and Menards are still there, the Home Depot building is now a factory.
Big Menards guy, they have the best selection of everything! I was so happy when I realized my new house was two miles from a Menards! I'm there all the time!
As someone who use to work there I can say even working there was a pretty good time. Everyone genuinely takes the time to learn their stuff and try and help everyone out. Also all my managers did an awesome job trying to help out the workers with scheduling and promoting
I worked there for 5 years in the mid 2000s and I have to respectfully disagree.
@@audrisampson Yeah I agree it was by far the worse job I've ever worked in retail.
the menards that I work at is the best place I have ever worked. The culture is incredible. They just genuinely care about the humanity of their employees
@@applesaregoodeatings The one I worked at didn't. It was my first job 10 years ago. Yet again I worked as a carryout so that may of been a contributing factor. All depends on the department you work in
@Eric Stark , I started at part time and worked my way up to Assistant manager in Cabinets and appliances. Felt bad for the carryout guys, they were treated like pack mules.
My favorite John Menard fact is that he named two of his sons John Menard. One got the middle name and his John III the other is John Paul Menard, former NASCAR driver, who went by Paul.
egotistical
@@davidschick6951 - He definitely is that!
flew up from Indy with Paul well before he was in Nascar, he was a dick then too
I miss Menards so much. The one I used to go to was two storeys tall and literally across the street from a Home Depot. I never once saw Menards parking lot barren or half full. They had a very good following and customer base and I do deeply miss shopping there.
My Wife and I worked there for a combined 5 years of service. I ran Outside and Receiving, while she ran different departments like Kitchen and Appliances. My Wife earn many service awards for assisting customers and completing training for various things like cabinet hardware, etc. The only thing we hated was the weeks leading to Black Friday.
How was the pay? Good management? Job security?
To be fair, any store is a nightmare before black friday.
Going to Menards is often a motivation for me to plan home improvement projects. It's the prices, it's the weird products, and its the honest old school vibes that place oozes which make lowes and home depot feel soulless
they sort of remind me of the Big lot or Odd lots of the Home improvement stores.
My god, I miss Menards. Having a real selection in everything was so nice. I literally hate shopping at Lowe’s in the Northwest.
The biggest reason I think most of us Midwesterners go to Menards is for the 11% rebate, it REALLY is a win win on big ticket items you get your 11% back and buy the smaller things that are needed, or if you're like me, you save your rebates for the big ticket items.
Or the 15% off bag sale every January. A great time to pick up those physically small items that never go on sale and save a little more than the frequent 11% off rebate sales. Plus, with the bag sale, the discount is on the spot; you don't have to "front" the money and wait for the rebate to come a month or two later.
been going there my entire life. i rarely use the rebates.
It's a scam. You're better off paying a couple bucks for a Lowes 10% off or a $20 off of $100 coupon and have it taken off at the register!
Adding a room to our house and Menards is a regular trip that we take currently. Been going to them for everything I need since becoming a home owner.
I was helping my son-in-law with a home remodeling project in Manhattan, KS. We got nearly all the materials at Menards, my first visit to a Menards. We went to Home Depot for some additional lumber later (that’s how projects go, you always need something).
I’m surprised that you said Menards quality isn’t always the best since I thought that their lumber quality and inventory was better than HD. My only complaint was that I was unaccustomed to Menards store layout and it did take me a bit longer to find things.
I also liked that at Menards, we placed our order for the lumber at a sales desk, checked out, then drove into their lumber yard to load up the pickup truck with lumber. I don’t really like pushing a cart of heavy lumber through a Home Depot or Lowe’s and like Menards approach better.
One of the strong suits to Menards is that they offer a variety of products that feel expanded compared to what you can get at a Lowe's or Home Depot. Feel like grabbing a model house for your trains? See a nice cat toy? Forgot to get bread and sliced ham from the Krogers? They have all of that.
The biggest thing that keeps me coming back is the 11% rebate that is honestly pretty painless and absolutely worth it for how old fashioned it is.
You _like_ the rebate? Hmm, I avoid the stores because of it. You see, rather than simply lowering prices by 11%, they built and maintain this convoluted system that knowingly, and unnecessarily, hassles the customer. This is just rude. Oh, and you don't get cash back - it's a store credit. So, you can never really get your 11% back.
Dear Mr. Menard, stop playing games just lower prices and show your customers respect.
@@TonyPombo I have a pretty specific use case of buying their wild bird seed that is more affordable per pound than all other chain stores, so the rebate credit I get tends to cover the price of that bird seed that I'm already going to be buying weekly anyway.
@@ONlSan Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
@Tony Pombo - the rebate thing is not for everyone, but I don't mind it. It is actually a lot better than about 15 years ago, when they had rebates on specific items, then they streamlined it for discounts in the whole store.
Once you know how to play Menards' games on the rebates (and save ALL your receipts, because if they have a 11% rebate next week you can get a form to apply it to your purchase from this week), it works out well. When I lived in Menards country I tracked all the rebates I submitted to them, thousands of dollars' worth. They never cheated me out of a single penny.
From Northern Illinois, and I love Menards. Can't forget the 11% rebate events they do for all items, and they do those very often. The one near me carries Sprecher craft soda products too, which I enjoy a lot. Staff is always extremely helpful when I go there. Just a unique experience compared to the two big chains.
*11% mail in rebate
I was in my local Menards 2 months ago getting Wagos (since Home Depot and Lowe's don't sell them for whatever reason). And I stumbled upon the massive amount of Sprecher products they have. I was so surprised on some of the flavors they had, ones you will pretty much only find at the brewery.
@@andykillsu The original cherry one they have is my favorite; so good.
@@andykillsu They also have some decent brand of cheese. I forget the name but its the only block cheese in the cooler. Though they have shrunk sometime in the last two years.
@@andykillsu not only do they have basically every flavor of Sprecher that's available on market, they have it for a buck and a quarter a bottle, or 4 bucks a 4 pack, and often it's on sale for much less. I think the lowest I've seen was 2.50/4 pints of soda, but that was in the Before Times™.
As a current Menards cashier, this is really cool to see people making videos like this! We’re taught most of these things upon being hired, but it’s really fun to watch other people learn too!
Are you also taught about spying on your personal life outside of work?
@@bobroberts2371 Wait, you get a personal life outside work?
Last time I visited my local Menard's, there was a guy playing the grand piano in the middle of the store and I had no regrets about making the 15-minute drive rather than going to the Home Depot right down the road from my house. Their stores are enjoyable to take your time browsing.
Was that the Waukesha store you are talking about?
@@Beatertruck Nope, Richmond Heights, MO.
@@alscrob Interesting. I thought only the Waukesha, WI had the piano in the store. Learn something new every day!
There's one in a metro Detroit store too!
We have 2 Menard's in the Toledo area. Both are amazing. They have the best seasonal section for every holiday. They are basically Home Depot or Lowe's with a full grocery section.
I LOVE Menards, and I have a choice of all three (Menards, Home Depot, Lowe's) and can see all 3 stores from each other's parking lots, and I constantly choose Menards over the other two almost every time.
You nailed a lot of the biggest reasons, price, customer experience, but there also just seems to be a better selection of specialty stuff at Menards.
Like if I'm doing an electrical project, and I need a big disconnect, some heavy gauge wire, a big breaker, and fittings etc for a 240V or 480V circuit, I'm much more likely to find everything I need at Menards, whereas HD or Lowes might not stock a breaker that big, or a commercial grade disconnect, or the weather tight fittings that I need to finish the project! I look at Home Depot at a place where a couple of middle aged homeowners go to pick out a ceiling fan, or to buy new drawers handles for their kitchen cabinets. Or where you might go if you were going to drywall a room in your basement and need a couple sheets of drywall, and some joint compound and a gallon of paint. But if you're building a new garage and need everything from electrical, doors, windows, lumber, prefab trusses, plywood, roofing materials, insulation, etc.. shoot.. you can even buy pre-made plans/architectural drawings right there at the lumber desk! I can only imagine what kind of nightmare it would be trying to source all of the materials needed at Home Depot or Lowes, and then there's the price! It would cost at least twice as much for all of the materials from HD or Lowes.
And the final nail (pun) would be trying to find ANYONE at Lowes or HD that could help you get all those materials! At either store you'd likely end up being helped by some young girl, who has been working there for no more than 6 mos, where as at Menards, it's not unusual to be helped by the manager of the millwork dept or the lumber yard, and the guy at my local Menards has worked there for 9 or 14 years, depending on which one helps you that day.
The last thing is all the stupid, cheap, goodies you come across. Part of the fun of Menards, is leaving there with a big bag of chocolate covered nuts, and a stupid little waterproof magnetic solar LED light fixture that sticks on the inside of your swimming pool and changes colors that sells for $40-50 on Amazon, but only cost you $19.95 at Menards! Lol.
I worked for them for 15 years very structured on how things were done. The only thing that sucked as a manager is getting your paycheck docked when your not even there for what happened in your department.
I worked at Menards for 4 years, and that place was wild. I love to shop there, but I will never work at Menards ever again because that place gave me depression and +40 pounds from all the stress eating I was doing after every night shift.
I try to avoid the place like the plague even though I resigned in 2014. After how they treated me, they do not deserve my money.
Menards supports a lot of motorsports racing, which is huge in the midwest. Me, along with a lot of mid-westerners who love the industry appreciate companies that put a lot of money into it. We're loyal people here in the midwest.
Being from the midwest I've really seen that there. They love the stuff they can say is theirs! And they'll be really loyal to it as long as those companies treat them right!
The founders son was a NASCAR driver.
@@rustyshacklefordrefined5756That's correct, Paul was a NASCAR driver.
But John supported motorsports since 1980 at the earliest with his IndyCar team aptly named Team Menard. He fielded cars for drivers including Herm Johnson, Tony Stewart, Al Unser Sr., Scott Brayton, Arie Luyendyk, and Robby Gordon. The Indy 500 is a staple of midwest culture, and I'm certain John knows that.
Menards also sponsors the ARCA Series and puts a lot of money into that series, which is a few ranks below the Cup Series. Without John Menards' investments into the series, it likely would've been long forgotten about at this point.
I live all of six blocks from a Menards and while I don't need to go there often it's always been a good experience. Despite being huge it does still manage to have that hometown hardware store feeling to it, and they've always had exactly what I needed.
I work as gate guard for Menards from what I hear from contractors and constructions workers it’s the easier lumber yard and ability to bring your car around back and load up your material instead of waiting for someone to pull it out of the store
Yeah when I went to visit my inlaws in Jersey I was baffled that the store had a tag system where you need to park in front of the store, wait like an hour & the employees would bring it to your truck in carts when they got the chance. How is having a loading dock so friggin foreign to busniess owners who sell large quanitities of lumber!? The inlaws were so confused when I told them about Menards the only hardware store I'd ever been to before that weird AF experience.
@@BusyBusyPanda yeah the lumber yard the way Menards does it is the better way without a doubt
Good video. I think you hit the main things I like about Menards.
I love Menards. It's just fun to walk around and get ideas for projects.
Lately since inflation was starting to hit high in 2022, my family started to hit other stores that weren't Meijer (another big mid-west supermarket chain -- please do a review on them!). We hit Aldi and Mendards specifically. We'd go to Menards for anything we couldn't find at Aldi (unless it was something like veggies). Menards definitely helped us!
Menards doesn't do produce...to hard to wrangle and too much spoilage.
I never overlook Menards. It's awesome. You can get groceries and home improvement items. Things are easy to find and it's beautiful inside too 🇺🇸
Man, your channel is such a gem. I absolutely love your content. I watch every one of them and use them as ways to try to think outside the box or learn from others mistakes that came before me. Thanks for what you do and introducing loads of folks to the world of business in a more casual sense. Will be back for the next one!
Menards will always be so nostalgic to me… every time I hear the Menards jingle… I think of Black Friday shopping and the Christmas season in general. It’s very warm and cozy!
From Michigan. Menards is the happy place for home projects
We lived in Wisconsin and now live in Arizona. I miss Menards. It is the Culvers of home improvement stores.
Yup.. we have the furthest Southwest store .. in Southwest Kansas. In Garden City.
It has everything. So one of my examples is.. ductwork. You can have them build custom metal ductwork for your HVAC. Usually much cheaper than anyone local can do it.
They are the only ones to carry rubber EPDM roofing. It is such a relief to just be able to drive to the store for repair materials. No more shipping via LTL truck line... because they always have several rolls in stock ready to go.
The inventory, while is never perfect, they usually have everything. All sizes in conduit and pvc.
Their website, while about as slow as the others, usually has the correct inventory count. If it doesn't, I'll let a department manager know and it is usually fixed in a few hours.. so more automatically comes in on the next available shipment.
As a new (and 1st time) home owner, I spend so much more at Menards than I planned to.
I worked at Menards in the lumber barn just after highschool and I have fond memories of it. They are very customer focused, in fact you will be corrected if you fail to address the customers as guests. Also the head of HR of the store I was at came to Menards from Lowes. One thing guests really liked was the "Made in America Sale" where they put out an ad featuring exclusively American made products, each marked with the town and state of manufacture.
In really surprised that person came from Lowe’s, as they don’t usually hire someone from there.
I've only been to Menards twice in my life because I live right on the edge of their territory. They're beginning to expand into this area now, and I'm really excited to see them have a presence here. Those two visits were very good experiences. I drove 90 minutes one way to go to Menards to purchase some ceiling panels. Their price and quality were so much better than Lowes, that even though I can practically see a Lowes from my house, it was still worth the time and driving cost to get those supplies at Menards. A new one is going in within 10 miles of where I live in the next few years, so I'm really looking forward to it!
Menard's is new to our area. We were fascinated when we first visited. It is a fun place to hang out, especially if the weather is awful outside. It can be overwhelming if you only want to get one or two things. But if you just want to peruse and have fun, this is the place. You can get hardware, food and even DVDs and books! It does feel more like family than most box stores.
Never been to a Menards, but as a NASCAR fan, I see their logos every week on track.
Menards is a great store. They also have a great selection of unique lumber for wood crafting.
Since you did Menards, You need to do Meijer's. They are always next to each other if they are new. They are basicly another Midwest Walmart like company.
I live in Eastern Iowa, Menards is freaking awesome. Part of it's that Lowe's is much further away and still pretty new (last 10ish years or so) but we've always had Menards to get materials or paint or plants or darn near anything.
Hello from Jasper County
I’m from eastern Iowa as well lol.
Iowa City myself!
Hello from Dodge
Hello from north linn!
Very reliable stores, they usually have what I need. I worked there during college and after "seeing how the sauce is made" I still respect the company. I hope it never changes.
Menards makes me so happy! As someone who moved from the Midwest to the South, I'm always happy to see Menards, Culver's, Kohl's, or Target.
Menards is awesome. Not like a warehouse, more like a store! Easy to shop.