PDA

View Full Version : Gift card; Lowes vs Home Depot Vs Menards?



Bill Dufour
10-03-2018, 12:46 PM
I will get a gift card for my nephew who bought a new house. Never heard of Menards is it about the same as the other two big box stores? The store locators for Lowes and Hoe Depot turn up nothing for his area of western Wisconsin.
His wife gets a a target card, nearest target is about 20 miles ,but the locator on the target website says 175 miles?

Bill D.

Matt Day
10-03-2018, 1:10 PM
I’m looking forward to having a Menards after we move, as I’ve heard good things.

But, that being said, an Amazon card is sure to please.

Ben Rivel
10-03-2018, 1:13 PM
Id go with Amazon too. Especially if you dont know the area well that they are moving to.

Paul F Franklin
10-03-2018, 1:17 PM
I have all three near me. I buy from all three. They are roughly comparable in terms of the general types of products carried. I prefer menards for building materials, including fasteners and plumbing/electrical supplies. For sizeable building material purchases I go to a local lumberyard. I prefer HD or Lowes to Menards for general construction tools. For appliances, I look for whichever has the best price on the brand/model I want. I've found Menards to be best when special ordering items.

I wouldn't hesitate to give a Menards gift card to anyone needing big box type stuff. If he's not familiar with Menards, the key is to time major purchases to fall when they are having their 11% rebate sale, which seems to happen about 1 week out of every month or so, sometimes more. The rebate is in the form of a store credit coupon, but that's never been a problem for me.

Jim Becker
10-03-2018, 1:27 PM
Menards seems to be well likes by folks who have them in their area.

That said, I agree with the Amazon suggestion...much, much more versatile, IMHO, especially for a new homeowner.

John A Murray
10-03-2018, 2:08 PM
In general, I would agree with the Amazon card as well with the one caveat that they are a Prime Member, otherwise shipping could eat up some of the value of the card.

Tim M Tuttle
10-03-2018, 2:26 PM
Menards seems to be well likes by folks who have them in their area.

That said, I agree with the Amazon suggestion...much, much more versatile, IMHO, especially for a new homeowner.

I've got all three in my area. Menard's lumber yard is 10 times bigger and better than HD or Lowe's yet not at the level of a hardwood dealer. Their offer a much bigger selection of just about everything; construction lumber, plywood, dimensioned hardwoods, etc. Most of the time it's cheaper than HD or Lowe's as well. It's the only big box store in my area to offer MDO. Their plywood is on par with HD (other than Purebond) but they offer a lot more of it and it's stacked much better.

Their tool selection is probably the worst of the three overall.

In regards to MEP, they are cheaper and have a bigger selection than HD or Lowe's. For instance, their 6" pvc sewer pipe is around $15 compared to $35ish at HD.

The shopping "experience" at Menard's is hit or miss. Customer service is pretty good but the aisles seem tight and the layout is not ideal. For instance, I went to buy a gallon of Titebond II which they said they had on their site. All of the small bottles of Titebond are in the tool section but their large bottles are in the paint section which is on the complete opposite end of the store. The good thing is that when I asked a rep where the large bottles were she walked me right to the spot. That's something that Lowe's used to do but now it's just mumbling and pointing.

I'd go to Menard's more often but it's a 30 minute drive compared to Lowe's, HD, True Value and a Do It Best store all within five minutes of my house.

Stan Calow
10-03-2018, 2:37 PM
Menards also has food (not fresh - boxed and canned), pet supplies, more work clothes, some toys and kitchen stuff. Its much larger than the HD or Lowes around here, and has more variety of things lumber, paint and home improvement. But its so large that its a long trek from the front door to where you want to be.

Dave Lehnert
10-03-2018, 4:23 PM
One of the Menards here in town has a second floor like this one in the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv1InQzj7Iw

Wade Lippman
10-03-2018, 4:55 PM
My son is in Madison and has all three close to him.
I love Menards; it is like a cross between HD and HF.

You can generally find Lowes gift certificates on line for 90% of retail, so they make great gifts.

Jamie Buxton
10-03-2018, 6:01 PM
Geez, give him cash. Then he gets to decide where he wants to shop.

Bill Dufour
10-03-2018, 7:22 PM
Geez, give him cash. Then he gets to decide where he wants to shop.

yeah but. We have several hundred in brownie points with our visa card that we can redeem for a gift card

Jamie Buxton
10-03-2018, 7:53 PM
Geez, give him cash. Then he gets to decide where he wants to shop.

yeah but. We have several hundred in brownie points with our visa card that we can redeem for a gift card

Can you use those points to buy yourself a gift card? Then you get to buy one where you know you're going to shop. And the kid gets cash to shop wherever he wants.

Jerry Bruette
10-03-2018, 7:58 PM
Only two things missing from Menards.....Ammo and Alcohol

Frederick Skelly
10-03-2018, 9:14 PM
Menards seems to have a far better assortment of things that blue or orange borgs. For example, instead of 1 or two types or those stones you put around a flower bed, they had 4 kinds. I spot checked other items and got a similar result on all of them - just a much wider assortment of a given thing.

Jim Andrew
10-04-2018, 5:27 AM
What I like about menards is, sooner or later whatever you want to buy is going to be on sale. They have a crazy days sale, when they sell special order windows for 17% off. I ordered 4 windows for the house, and 2 for the shop.

Jerome Stanek
10-04-2018, 7:24 AM
Only two things missing from Menards.....Ammo and Alcohol

Try buying a Dewalt power tool they don't carry them anymore.

Curt Harms
10-05-2018, 8:36 AM
Can you use those points to buy yourself a gift card? Then you get to buy one where you know you're going to shop. And the kid gets cash to shop wherever he wants.

If where to shop is a concern, get a Visa/Mastercard gift card, seems like it'd be safer to mail than green paper. Around here at least, the number of mechants that don't take Visa/Mastercard can be counted on one hand (and probably have a few fingers left.)

Jamie Buxton
10-05-2018, 10:11 AM
If where to shop is a concern, get a Visa/Mastercard gift card, seems like it'd be safer to mail than green paper. ...

Okay, mail a check. Gift cards only benefit the merchants, not the recipient.

Brian Elfert
10-07-2018, 8:11 PM
Okay, mail a check. Gift cards only benefit the merchants, not the recipient.

I don't see an issue as long as it is a place I normally shop at. Yes, cards can get lost, but so can cash or check. Now, I hate prepaid Visa cards because it is a pain to use up a little bit of remaining money.

The OP has credit card points he can use to buy gift cards which is why he wants to go that route.

Matt Day
10-08-2018, 7:31 AM
Why is it a pain to use up the little remaining? You can use multiple forms of payment in a transaction; a gift card and a credit card, a gift card and cash, etc.

I don’t like prepaid visas because there’s a fee when you buy it.

Dave Lehnert
10-08-2018, 10:11 PM
Why is it a pain to use up the little remaining? You can use multiple forms of payment in a transaction; a gift card and a credit card, a gift card and cash, etc.

I don’t like prepaid visas because there’s a fee when you buy it.



Some cards may be different but I have a pre paid credit card now from referring a friend to a business.
To use it, you have to use it for the exact amount. $10 in this case. So you need to pay your bill first with another payment down to $10. Then use the gift card. Try doing that with a kid running a register that they cant run it anyway.
No, you cant use it first.

Andrew Seemann
10-09-2018, 1:48 AM
If he is in western Wisconsin, go for Menards. They are based out of Eau Claire. Everyone in this neck of the woods shops there. Like the guy at the Orange store said when they didn't have what I needed in the plumbing department, "Try Menards. They have everything"

Brian Elfert
10-14-2018, 2:51 PM
Why is it a pain to use up the little remaining? You can use multiple forms of payment in a transaction; a gift card and a credit card, a gift card and cash, etc.

I don’t like prepaid visas because there’s a fee when you buy it.

I use self checkout a lot and I'm not sure if the machines can even charge only a certain amount to a credit card. It is an extra thing to deal with for a human cashier. It seems silly to ask a cashier to charge a card for 75 cents or whatever is left. Store gift cards are not a problem because they know exactly how much is remaining when the card is used.