Menards opening

[Jay Yoder]

Hey all. I just found out that Menard's will be opening in Massillon, OH which is about 25 mins from me. I have never heard of (other than on here) much less ever been in one. What can i expect? I am hoping good costs on good plywood? But i am holding my breath? anyones opinions? Are they just another variant of the Orange and Blue stores? Sure could use a closer hi quality wood store!!

[Phil Thien]

They carry U.S.-made plywood that is higher quality than Lowes/HD stuff. Price here for 3/4" maple with five plys (seven if you count the face veneers, which I think is actually customary), is about $50/sheet.

They carry some high-quality baltic-birch like stuff in 4x8 sheets at a decent price, too.

[Matt Ocel]

Higher quality - Ah No.
The best thing about Menards is they have a better fastener selection. IMO

[J. Z. Guest]

I agree that they have higher quality lumber than Home Depot.

Their tool selection has more really horrible quality Chinese stuff. Near me, they carry the lower end Makita & Bosch, whereas HD carries DeWalt, Ridgid, and some Porter-Cable.

Don't buy anything with the brand "Tool Shop". I was surprised to find out that they (Chinese) could even screw up a pipe clamp. I bought a trim router for $20, and even for that money, it was so bad I had to bring it back. They carry Jet stationary tools.

They carry Kreg, and also have some good deals on Famous Dave's barbecue sauces. :D

[Matt Meiser]

They moved into Toledo a little over a year ago, but a store on the side of town near me opened last week. I thought the sheet goods looked really good. Prices were on par with the local plywood dealers, but they are open evenings and Sundays making it easier for me to buy from them.

On tools, I think the quality of what they carry is lower than the other two--they are aimed more at the homeowner.

They have a huge selection of knobs, pulls, and slides. Some prices are as good as the mail order sources, others are higher. But again, you can get them on a Sunday to finish up that project.

What I like about Menards from what I've seen so far is that they don't carry the same stuff as Lowes and Home Depot. It seems like with things like plumbing fixtures, lighting, trim, etc, that if you go to Lowes or Home Depot and don't find something you like, you aren't going to find it at the other either.

[Matt Ocel]

They do have a good deal on Famous Daves, better yet is that they have the best deal on huge bags of huge Cashews.

[Mike Heidrick]

Their electrical department is 10X better than Lowes and HD, they sell an awesome affordable 10ga SJO, they sell S&D and can get 2729 (in green though) for your DC, they have a better Kreg screw and jig suppy than Lowes, they sell the $10 Outdoor remote many of us use with our DCs and relay setups, you can buy returned laminate for pennies on the dollar as well as cabinet tops super cheap (if any were special ordered and not picked up), they sell the Garage door screen that keeps the bugs out while letting you keep the door open, they sell a metal trash can that works with a DC seperator, They sell awesome cheap shop lights and bulbs in bulk, and they stock Sprecher Rootbeer cheaper than Sprecher sells it in Milwaukee, and you can get a gallon of milk or dog treats in case you forgot those at the store - Oh and they are the best place to buy Famous Daves Devils Spit bottles (and their other sauces) and Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce in bulk. :)

[Mike Heidrick]

They do have a good deal on Famous Daves, better yet is that they have the best deal on huge bags of huge Cashews.

You beat me to it!! I knew someone else would have recognized that!

[Bob Potter]

One thing that they have is a stack of random width oak that if you sort though, you can get some half way descent lumber for around $3.00 a board ft. Some may have a knot or a pc. missing in a corner but as I said if you sort though you can gets some nice looking wood.

Bob

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I'll second the crappy tool selection. Did get a decent tool box there once, but that was a fluke. I like the building materials selection better then the other two. Menards has better quality, in this area anyhow, then Lowes or HD, for any materials that I've bought.

[Brett Warner]

I agree that they have a nice selection of lumber. All the Menards by me have a ton of s4s red oak. They even have a limited supply of walnut, maple, mahogany, and cherry. One thing is they "shrink-wrap" all their lumber, but I never found it to affect the quality.

You can even special order plywood in walnut, maple, cherry, mahogany and I think a few others.

I also agree their tool selection is not the greatest. I've purchased a few Jet tools from them (12" bandsaw and 6" os jointer) but they seem to be clearing them out now in favor of "cheaper" brands (Performax?). I have also purchased a few Bosch tools from them.

[Phil Thien]

Yeah, their Chinese tools aren't so hot. But the Makita stuff is fine (I got my biscuit jointer and drill there).

Also, in their shrink-wrapped lumber department, they carry walnut, cherry, and mahogany. Now, the prices per BF are enough to take your breath away. But in the past (it has been a while) they have had sales that actually make the prices decent.

[Brad Townsend]

I've been shopping an Menards for many years and I agree with nearly everything that has been posted here. They have some surprisingly good plywood and, unlike Lowe's or HD, offer special ordering (takes about a week) of plywood they don't stock, like walnut or cherry. The tool selection is rather weak, though I did walk out with a Jet AFS1000B air cleaner one day for about $170. When I built my shop, I used their vinyl Crestline sliding double-pane windows. They were very inexpensive. I would never put them in a home (kind of cheesy looking on the inside) but they work great for a shop and seal well.

A couple of months ago, one of the building supply reps talked me into the Menards "Contractors Card". It's basically one of those credit cards they issue to avoid them having to pay the percentage when you use your Visa or Mastercard. At the end of the year, they send you a gift card equal to 3% of the charges you've put on it. I suspect Lowe's and HD have something similar. Not a huge deal, but I'll take it.

[Jason Roehl]

I'll second/third/fourth the comments about ToolShop brand tools. These are not even one-use tools. That said, I still shop there occasionally for some things, mainly construction materials. I don't buy enough of that stuff for price differences between Green (Menard's), Blue and Orange to be much of a concern, so I just buy from whatever is closest to me at the time. If I'm at home, that's the Blue Borg. For whatever reason, I don't go into the Orange Borg much, probably because they're the newest and I already know where most things I need are in the other two (three if you count that we have two of the Green in our area).

[jim sauterer]

jay where is it in massillon.i live in olmsted falls.thanks jim.

[Nancy Laird]

I sure wish Menard's would come to the Southwest. We are stuck with Big Blue and Big Orange, and a third choice would be so great. We went into a Menard's in Minneapolis in February, and I was impressed with their electrical department and the choices they had in lighting, and their overall stock mix.

Come on, Menard's. We here in New Mexico would like you too.

Nancy

[Karl Brogger]

you guys need to stop shopping at box stores.

[Matt Meiser]

Since none of my local lumber yards want to stay open during hours that cater to the DIY crowd, that's hard to do. The closest lumber yard is open M-F until 5. No weekends. Second closest is open until 5:30 and Saturday morning.

I do buy most of my hardware store type stuff from a local hardware store.

[Nancy Laird]

Since none of my local lumber yards want to stay open during hours that cater to the DIY crowd, that's hard to do. The closest lumber yard is open M-F until 5.

Same here, Matt. If we want to buy lumber from our supplier, either I have to go there alone while LOML is working (a big hassle getting it loaded and home), or LOML has to either (1) go on his lunch hour (it's a 20-minute drive one way), or (2) take some time off from work to go. His employer doesn't like option (2) very well. We do buy most of our major lumber at a lumber yard (a very good one, I might add), except the oak and maple which we get in Tennessee. However, occasionally we need 2x lumber or something that doesn't need to be "perfect" and the BORG is the place to go.

[Jameel Abraham]

I recently returned a sheet of plywood to Menards that was completely delaminated. I cross-cut it in half and the plies were completely separated right up to the edge. It was literally garbage. Literally. It was also made in China. The real clincher was that right after I returned it and went to purchase a replacement sheet, as I was looking about, the guy who took it out of my truck was placing the sheet I returned into the bargain bin! I told him "that thing is garbage, I can't believe you would sell it". And he responds, "You don't have to tell me, I get in trouble all the time for throwing things away, we're not allowed to throw anything in the garbage here." If you know what you're after, Menards can be good, but just like the other big box stores, you gotta take the good with the bad.

[jim sauterer]

just went to menards website nothing shows for massillon.is the store under construction.

[Matt Meiser]

Jim, the Toledo North store didn't show up on the web site until the day it opened.

[Karl Brogger]

I don't know if this is the case for most cabinet shop owners but I would be willing to order material or hardware for someone. If I were you guys that is what I would do. Visit some small shops and see if they're willing do it. I'd stay away from some of the bigger ones as they probably won't have time, or care anyway.

Sheat stock is going to be fairly competitively priced no matter where you go. In fact the box stores are alot of the time cheaper on sheat goods. The handfull of times I've gone to a Menards, Home Depot, etc to get a half sheat of oak MDF or whatever I'm ALWAYS dissatisfied with the quality of the material. In a pinch you do what you have to do though.

For solid stock I think many of you are screwing yourselves by not shopping around. For red oak the price around here is about $1.85 for select & better. When I hear of people paying close to twice that I cringe. Good cherry is basically impossible to find, and you pay through the nose when you do find it.

Hardware is another one. Granted I get it at wholesale pricing, but the same company I buy stuff from also has a retail side. I remember a post a while ago somebody was buying Blum soft close undermount slides from Rockler or another Rape's-R'-Us store and paying over $30 a set. I pay $10 less, and the retail side of my supplier sells them for around $24 a set. Thats alot of money when you buy three or four cases of slides. Heck, that's alot of money on one set!

Tools its hard to beat pricing on stuff from the box stores. I can't argue that. Although service leaves something to be desired. For small power tools I go through a local company that deals in nothing but powertools for masonry and carpentry. The nice thing is they have a truck in my area once a week, and will swing by whether its a $800 belt sander, or an $8 router bit. Plus they service what they sell, and will pick up and drop off as well. That's service, and to be honest I pay a bit more for tools because of it.

Before anyone blows up on me let me just say that I realize that these things aren't all an option for all of you. But saving money is an option with a very small investment in effort. Shop around, see if others that get good deals on this stuff will pass that along to you. Hell, they're making 30% just by writing off the expendature if they aren't declaring the sale. At the very least ask around, and stay out of Rockler type stores.

[Scott Schwake]

One advantage of Menards over the other box stores is they have an outdoor lumberyard where you can load lumber directly into your truck instead of loading it onto a cart, and then reloading it into your truck. When I was building my deck, I found their cedar decking quality to be marginal at best. My local lumber yard had much better quality decking, but at a higher price.

[Bruce Haugen]

Karl,
Whatever happened to Northern Hardwoods in Cannon Falls?

Bruce, in Hutch, MN, who would make the drive for some things.

[JD Dolan]

What you're in for at Menards is the most idiotic song played over and over again while you're trying to find stuff in their idiotic, maze-like store: Save big money at Menards...

I much prefer Lowes, and if I need especially good wood of whatever sort I go to a local lumber dealer.

About the only thing I buy at Menards are those Sterling racks to store lumber...but I may have to try those cashews.

J.D.

[Karl Brogger]

Karl,
Whatever happened to Northern Hardwoods in Cannon Falls?

Bruce, in Hutch, MN, who would make the drive for some things.

Closed up. Tom is running a resort somewhere up nort' I guess. They were just buying from Metro Hardwoods and reselling it anyhow I believe. It was handy for me, that place was 20min from my shop. When I'd run out of something I'd head there. Hutchinson is a hike from Cannon Falls.

[Jeff Heil]

Menards is getting better. They had stopped carrying many national brands in favor of their "tool shop" or other house brands (Titebond glue has been back for a while). My dad bought a bench grinder and exchanged it twice before getting his money back on the third that died within a few months.
Their 2x construction lumber is okay, if you don't mind going through 100 2x4's to get 15-20 good ones. Their sheet goods are okay, but lower grades (B2 oak ply last I looked)

Many of their light fixtures are house brands only sold in their stores. Their electrical department has a better selection than the other Borgs in my opinion. A good friend who is a master electrician won't install their recessed cans and some of their fixtures due to his perception they are inferior.

I shop there for household stuff, landscaping supplies, shellac, construction screws etc, but not hardware or tools and definately not hardwood.

They have the same lack of employees when you need to find one and lack of anyone that knows what they are talking about as the other Borgs.

They also sell really sharp plastic printed oak 6 panel doors!

It's a nice store with long hours, but nothing special over any of the other Borgs IMHO.

[jerry heike]

Menards does have some good hardwood ply but watch out for the chinese luan ply. It delaminates badly and the delamination goes half way through the sheet. I did check out the shrink rapped hardwood but on seeing the price sticker Istarted to sweat and felt light headed. Dropped the board and ran, never to return to that section again.