@pdxtrains posted:Mail order may not be that important. With Menards, it's almost as if they don't want to do mail order. I know of no business that does mail order and charges you an upcharge to shop that way. Like I said, when I want something I buy it there and it has to be mail order because there are no Menards stores within hundreds of miles. I guess I'd prefer they just built their costs into their shipping charges,which is what I'm sure other businesses do with mail order, rather than this charge that makes me feel like they really don't want my business. Bottom line--if they are trying to discourage mail order, I'm sure other people besides me are put off by the useless rebates and the upcharge for pulling items off the shelves. I just don't think it's very inviting for a customer. But they must have their reasons, and probably could care less what I think about it!
It’s almost as if Menards is a 15-state, 350-store expanding home improvement chain that sells mostly bulky items (that most online buyers avoid because of the shipping costs) and deals heavily with local building contractors, has a huge lumberyard and essentially only makes and stocks trains because its founder is a train enthusiast.
John Menard is 80 years old. He doesn’t manage the company day-to-day anymore but has convinced the executives who do to allow him to manage this train line as long as it doesn’t interfere with the company’s main operations. After John is gone, it’s highly unlikely Menards will continue the product line. And it’s highly unlikely Menards is going to change its rebate program because a bunch of hobby-focused train guys think it should.
One more time. Menards is not making train stuff for the money. It has $10 billion in revenue annually. Train sales account for a fraction of 1 percent of its sales — very likely a small fraction. Very small.
I would bet those executives have spent a lot more time deciding what works best for the company and have succeeded, unlike other major retailers who are closing stores everywhere or going out of business completely.
