Menard's Has Opened!

Is this the one?

Sure looks like it.  But it's more impressive from I-70 at night.  From that vantage point it looks bigger than some small cities I've driven through.

My go-to Menards is a stones throw from a Home Depot. It's a giant two level store with an outdoor drive-up yard. It's nice to load lumber once.

Home Depot may have better brand name products in certain categories, but I choose Menards over the dingy Depot. Sometimes I'll venture over to the Depot after my Menards visit to find the store nearly empty. There's more than a few reasons for this. I have been to the blue box once...Lowes blows.

They already have the piano, just needs a cocktail lounge to go with it...

Now they got to get a rid of the Orang and Blue Boxes in So Cal

My other go-to Menards in Baraboo, Wi.

Hey Mark! Please come to Washington State!

Congrats on your new Menards store. Still waiting for Menards to finally build their store in Cuyahoga Falls Ohio. The anticipation for this happening is worse then waiting for Mark to announce a new train item............Paul

Enjoy your new store! I don't even waste my time going to the other guys any more. Menards has it all! Now you can get free shipping to the store and pick up your train goodies!!!!

I am sssooooooooooooo jealous! we need one in Virginia please.

John

North Jersey, please!

Now if Menard's would only come to southeast Florida, like West Palm Beach. They could put H.D. & Lowe's on the run.

Lee Fritz

I know Menards from travels for work. What most impressed me was the service. It was more "homey" and personal than other big stores. More like the lumberyards and small hardware stores that preceded the big box invasion that drove so many of those places out of business so very quickly.

So when the next price wars begin, remember where you enjoyed being, and maybe be a little less concerned with saving a dime on a board.

Shoot..nobody has the selections of quality merchandise we once saw from the little guys, but this is closer to what we once had....my new store should be done by spring. I sure wish they would have finished this year in time for the seasonal train goodies.

I just looked and Menards now has 3 stores in the KC area. Boy, that was quick. I am on the far west side and the Lawrence store is easier for me to get to. I have been there a couple of times and it is one impressive place.

I think it's time for another visit pretty soon. Not sure I have yet seen everything there, it takes a few trips to see it all. 

Love to see a Menards in upstate Ny, somewhere in the Binghamton, Syracuse area! Just sayin!

DON'T FORGET DALLAS TX-On HWY 30 near Rockwall would be better than a perfect location.

Brent

Great story.  As a kid, my trains came from the local hardware store also.

Wonder if Menards will venture into New England  area? One can always hope ? 

would like to see menards come to long island in  ny 

Wish I knew when the Menard's on the north side of Kansas City off 152 opened. Can't seem to locate an opening date anywhere. 

Menards is a store?

Ive never heard of this Menards

UH OH!!!!!  Here's my advice.  Seems like Menards has the opportunity to expand into many different areas of the country.  Sounds like a pretty good stock investment if they are a publicly held company.

Rick

PS  Nevermind, Menards is a privately held company.  300 stores in only 14 states.

GG1 2340 posted:

Menards is a store?

Ive never heard of this Menards

A store, and whole lot more...

There will likely never be a Menard's store anywhere in Arkansas because the state is the home base of Walmart, which will probably find ways to keep unwanted competition from Menard's at a distance.  It's just business ...

As I understand it, Lionel chose not to offer its products to Walmart stores as an unsuitable retail environment, but Menard's stores apparently passed their litmus test. Meanwhile, hobby shops in the vicinity of a Menard's store are probably anxious.

Mike

Mike H Mottler posted:

Meanwhile, hobby shops in the vicinity of a Menard's store are probably anxious.

Mike

...Or act as a stepping-stone to hobby shops.

We have nothing like Menards in Canada. Just Lowes and HD here in Calgary.

But, as an aside to Marty's buying trains in a hardware store ,my first train set came from a great little radio shop called COUVES RADIO in Edmonton  in either 1947 or 1948.  I remember it had a 2-8-4 Berkshire Loco with the Atomic Motor and a Smoke Bulb with the indentation on the top.    For years now I wished I still had it. 

Mike H Mottler posted:

As I understand it, Lionel chose not to offer its products to Walmart stores as an unsuitable retail environment, but Menard's stores apparently passed their litmus test. Meanwhile, hobby shops in the vicinity of a Menard's store are probably anxious.

Mike

 

Walmart tells manufactures what they will pay for your products.....don't like the price you walk....no negotiations. I bet that has more to do with it than Lionel not liking Walmart. 

I like the animated highway in the Menard's video......that would be cool to offer!!!!

Menard's is less than 2 minutes from me. And don't believe the in stock inventory for train stuff as they call it. Went in to get furnace filter the other day. Well like candy bars at check out they had about 50 different cars on end cap across from register. Needless to say when I left had to go to bank and beg for short term loan.  

If they want to open here in Bakersfield, California, I know just the building for them....

GG1 2340 posted:

Menards is a store?

Ive never heard of this Menards

Menards is the store to end all stores.  It's like Frankenstein's monster - part Costco, part Home Depot, part Kroger, part PetSmart, part ToysRUs.   You could literally buy lumber, groceries and a mattress/box springs all in one place.  It's W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L.  

I wish they would open a store in Tampa Florida.

They seem to be expanding rather quickly. They have just opened 4 stores in the KC area. I believe that has all been in the last year or so. They have had a store in St Joseph, MO for quite some time, I would guess at least 10 years. That's about 60 miles north of KC, but it took a long time to finally get here to the KC area. They also now show quite a few stores in the state of MO, some of which I am pretty sure are also new in the last few years. Maybe everyone will have a Menards in the next few years?

I know of a couple great spots for them in Philly.

Read the history of Mr. Menard.

Where in KC area? Might justify a trip to visit a son in Olathe.

There is one in Olathe off of 135th st. I haven't been there, but I think it's on the east side, like around Metcalf or Nall & 135th. The other two are in Belton and Independence on the MO side. The other one is in Lawrence, KS. I live in far west Lenexa so I to the one in Lawrence, at about 31st & Iowa. It's right off the new 10 highway Lawrence bypass and easier and faster for me to get to than the one in east Olathe, much more traffic and stop lights that way.

Might be worth a trip, or at least next time you visit your son you should visit a Menards.

I will have to read the history, I don't know anything about Mr Menard or store's history. 

I just looked and the new stores showed up on the Menards website store locator and include maps.

On our way back to civilization (VA), we usually hit Menards in Sedalia. But they don't have trains.

If you visit in the off train season they may have had any remaining train stuff up on the 2nd level, kind of in the middle of the store. At least that is where it was when I was last there in the summer. I will try to make it to the Lawrence or Olathe Menards during the train season and see what all they have in the way of trains. 

How long has the one been in Sedalia? I haven't been there since around 2003-2004 or so, but they didn't have a Menards back then, at least not that I was aware of anyway.

I have no idea how long in Sedalia. I have found traffic on US50 better than I70.  I head north at Sedalia.

I asked. They said no trains.

Wonder if they have a smaller store there since it's a smaller town? 50 is less traveled than I-70 and possibly better road too, lots of big trucks on I-70. Lawrence is a small town too, but close to KC area. Lots of commuting between the two areas. Store there is anything but small, it's quite large, maybe 1.5-2 times bigger than Home Depot which is just about right next door.

It sounds like a store we could use here in Connecticut.  Lots of do-it-yourself folks, lots of growing families, lots of folks wanting to go to a one-stop-shopping location.  And, many are disenchanted with HD, given they have name brands but often have the manufacturer provide what looks like the same product but to a "different" specification.  I have bought several things from Menard's online and maybe if I buy a lot more my zip code will set off a bell and they'll consider setting up shop here?  

Menardsis a good store but a bit too huge for my tastes. I also dont like the lack of name brand tools but they do have a lot of good stuff. I do not partake in their train offerings tho. I buy equipment at home depot and supplies at menards. Most of my layout infrastructer came from menards

Heck, I drive 450 miles to go to Menards.  Well, we travel a lot to north Kansas, so we always stop in the Salina Menards on I-135.

MARK/MENARDS:  Seriously, though, I'll second the request for a DFW location.  Look at the data: We're one of the most steady growth areas in the entire country.  All the Yankees are moving down here (and I are one...).  All these folks are buying newly constructed homes, so every single weekend they flock to the orange or blue stores (and I don't mean Lionel) just for their never-ending project lists.  You need to do some homework.  (and, yes, I understand the infrastructure / distribution challenges...)

Hey. Does Menards sell that automated track shown in the video for the cars and trucks it sells?

mopac01 posted:

GG1 2340 posted:

Menards is a store?

Ive never heard of this Menards

Menards is the store to end all stores.  It's like Frankenstein's monster - part Costco, part Home Depot, part Kroger, part PetSmart, part ToysRUs.   You could literally buy lumber, groceries and a mattress/box springs all in one place.  It's W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L.  

Here's the store map from Menards' website. The chain has been expanding outward for decades.

That map of Menards locations resembles a forest of free trees! LOL

play trains posted:

That map of Menards locations resembles a forest of free trees! LOL

Talk about a forest of trees, I was waiting all day today for you to show up to help plant mine.. my back is sore.........LOL

Get a bigger crane!! LOL Next you'll want me to start painting your 200 free box trucks!!

RJR,

Had breakfast with a friend of mine that I used to work with today (we're both retired now) and he said the new Olathe Menards is near 135th & Blackbob, so it's farther west than I thought. Just a FYI update.

He and I may go for a visit next week sometime.

My son lives off College near Rte 7.  Should be a short hop to 135 & BB.

My Mother in law called yesterday asking what everyone wanted for Christmas. Since she lives by a Menard's I told her anything O scale Train related! She said she didn't know they carried train stuff, which I replied they have great stuff! I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I've been visiting my Menards all week.  I'm surprised by the lack of train stuff on the shelves.  Last year the shelf was near sagging there was so much stuff.  I'm figuring the online selling must be so robust they are having difficulty stocking the stores.  It's been so thin, it looks like post-Christmas last year rather than black Friday.  That said, I scored a War Bonnet Sante Fe box car!  Booyah!

mike g. posted:

My Mother in law called yesterday asking what everyone wanted for Christmas. Since she lives by a Menard's I told her anything O scale Train related! She said she didn't know they carried train stuff, which I replied they have great stuff! I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Tell her to check in the toy department, so she doesn't have to hunt around in a 200,000-square-foot store.

Good information, now all I have to do is get the wife or kids to buy me some Kadee 740's

Was at a train show today and had a chance to see the entire collection of Menards $19.95 rolling stock. The cars had metal trucks, the painting was attractive and the graphics were well done. From what I can see, all of the Menard's cars are being made on new molds. Also saw their structures.  IMO, they are of equal quality  with anything out there, excellent value at a very affordable price. Will Menard's high value engines be next?

Too many people have pushed the idea of a Menards locomotive. That's a whole different level of risk that I would be surprised to see Menards take on. 

Most of Menards freight cars have been produced from existing designs -- Williams boxcars, for instance. It's likely Menards had its Chinese maker reverse engineer the cars from existing models, including postwar Lionel. 

Locomotives? That's a different story. Components such as motors, electronic reverse units and other working components require more extensive design work and production coordination, and the return on investment is far from guaranteed, especially if performance disappoints. 

Menards could buy an existing set of tools for a locomotive, but the cost of acquisition along with the limited interest in something that isn't truly new keeps the risk factor high. 

I agree with Jim........I hope Menard's does NOT go into the locomotive field. It's a whole new ball to go from a box car to a command control state of the art loco.  Now if the Menard's model train division gets so big and successful that they need to go into the loco field......maybe they will just buy someone already making good locos.

I get to help in the plastic model industry......it's very difficult to turn out a great product from an idea......can't imagine doing the same with something that has to run well too!!! 

If they did make a loco, I doubt they would begin in the command or even steam sectors. A decent conventional diesel though, especially one not made yet, would provide a good toe in the water. The command can be added. Williams Bachmann seems posed to move the brand slowly into scale and command offerings and if that happens, it would leave a further growing void at the simple, and/or cheaper end of offerings at an age were we have lost even the reletivly late comers to the hobbies production. Don't be quick to poo poo the idea of a reasonably priced alternative in the future from them. It got RMT, Wliiams, Kline, and even mth and others, started into the game.

Ie, IMO many will cry about it, but most would buy a unique conventional and convert it anyhow. Shoot, seems like many folks swap the command or sound system for another brand often as is.

Our Menard's store in Sioux City has about 10' dedicated to trains down from a lot more next year. The buildings are offered in ones and twos as are the cars. Few vehicles, much less than last year.  Kinda strange to sell 3 rail O. The buildings seem to be made of swathmore board.

Dick

Adriatic posted:

Don't be quick to poo poo the idea of a reasonably priced alternative in the future from them. It got RMT, Wliiams, Kline, and even mth and others, started into the game.

Ie, IMO many will cry about it, but most would buy a unique conventional and convert it anyhow. Shoot, seems like many folks swap the command or sound system for another brand often as is.

OK, consider this. Aside from the Menards structures, which are now mostly unique and still priced reasonably, Menards has earned accolades here for offering value priced models mostly between $20 and $25. 

If Menards had to pay for locomotive tooling, with outsourced motors, newly designed electronics and reliable quality control, such a model would have to cost at least the street price of a Williams model. A diesel would cost at least $250 --- still a relative bargain, but not cheap enough to have everyone running to Menards to buy it. To amortize the costs, Menards would have to sell thousands of those units. At $250, that's not quick or easy. 

Again, everyone is happy with Menards because of how inexpensive its products are. It's easy to make a $25 purchase without hesitation. And frankly, everyone who makes this loco suggestion always does so with the expectation that the price will be so low it's irresistible. 

It simply doesn't add up to a safe risk for Menards, and John Menard didn't become as successful as he is by taking huge risks for small net gains. 

IMO, Menard's is carving out a market niche for new collector/operators that have never been in the hobby and one for established collectors on a limited budget looking for fill in pieces. You can build a very nice  layout with Menard's products without spending a small fortune. . For what one can spend for a "starter set" the consumer can have equal quality at a lower price on rolling stock.  I can visualize their entry into the below $100 conventional engine market and if you think about it much of the old K-Line tooling has to still be in China unused.  I predict more is coming. 

Carl Orton posted:

Heck, I drive 450 miles to go to Menards.  Well, we travel a lot to north Kansas, so we always stop in the Salina Menards on I-135.

MARK/MENARDS:  Seriously, though, I'll second the request for a DFW location.  Look at the data: We're one of the most steady growth areas in the entire country.  All the Yankees are moving down here (and I are one...).  All these folks are buying newly constructed homes, so every single weekend they flock to the orange or blue stores (and I don't mean Lionel) just for their never-ending project lists.  You need to do some homework.  (and, yes, I understand the infrastructure / distribution challenges...)

Well, there is this small town south of DFW called Houston which is growing..... If you can get your suppply system that far south!

Mill City posted:

Mike H Mottler posted:

Meanwhile, hobby shops in the vicinity of a Menard's store are probably anxious.

Mike

...Or act as a stepping-stone to hobby shops.

We (LHS-MI) have two Menards stores in our area.  Not a problem!  As Mill City sez, they're a complement to our business!  

Yes, they have on-line sales of trains throughout the year, but their displayed trains are fairly seasonal....like NOW!  It all helps encourage participation in the hobby, IMHO.

Besides, you've gotta build benchwork if you're into the hobby, right?  Well, Menards is the ONLY big-box guy to stock/sell......(drum roll, please)....HOMASOTE!!.....a favorite for keeping things quiet!   For instance, a few years ago.....before Menards arrived....I thought I'd try some Homasote on a client's layout I was building.  So I went to 'Big Blue' and their 'Contractor's Desk' (the concentration of expertise in things-construction........)  I simply asked if they carried Homasote.  Reply: "What's Homasote?"         BONGGGGGGGGGGGG!

Menards?.........You'll be glad when they come to town......believe it!

KD

Looks like all Menard's are no more than one car driving day away from Wisconsin.

I'm gonna be Debbie Downer here, Menard's does not usually sell model train related items for most of the year.  When they close out an item, it gets deeply discounted. So if you are at the store and you think you are seeing a very good price, it probably is. Don't assume it will be there tomorrow. For instance, I saw a 4 pack of Fastrack 10" straights for $10 a few days before Christmas, gone the next day.

I kind of like that attitude. Get it out and free up shelve space for something that will sell. Unlike going to a hobby store and seeing dusty boxes of Lionel locos from the 1980's still trying to get $400 for them.

Much prefer Menard's to Home Depot.

Give Sprecher's sodas a try if you find them in the store.

Dennis LaGrua posted:

IMO, Menard's is carving out a market niche for new collector/operators that have never been in the hobby and one for established collectors on a limited budget looking for fill in pieces. You can build a very nice  layout with Menard's products without spending a small fortune. . For what one can spend for a "starter set" the consumer can have equal quality at a lower price on rolling stock.  I can visualize their entry into the below $100 conventional engine market and if you think about it much of the old K-Line tooling has to still be in China unused.  I predict more is coming. 

There is no K-Line tooling just sitting around waiting for Menards to pull out of a box. Maury Klein transferred most of his tooling to Sanda-Kan when his legal troubles with Lionel mounted. Sanda-Kan was subsequently purchased by Kader, parent firm of Bachmann. Bachmann then bought Williams. Kader isn't going to let K-Line tooling be used for a low-priced competitor's use.

Now we have the suggestion that there can be a $100 locomotive from Menards?

RJR posted:

My son lives off College near Rte 7.  Should be a short hop to 135 & BB.

I'm just a little north of him a few blocks north of Prairie Star and west of 7 a few blocks. The one in Lawrence might also be easier for you to get to, I think it is for me, but I am going to check out both stores in the next few weeks and compare. Will see which is faster and easier to get to. 

Now, where did Williamsget molds?  From PW Lionel bodies?

Correct. Williams Reproductions filled a void when Lionel MPC seemed to have abandoned some of its postwar line. The models were reverse engineered in cheaper production facilities.

Using the same process today, Williams would suggest a retail price well in excess of $250 for a diesel.

Same for Menards.

Now there have been some locomotives near the $100 mark in the past 15 years that I thought were an incredible value. K-Line's initial A-5 steamer is one great example. Lionel's diecast Docksider is another.

The latter is the most intriguing. I believe Lionel saved on the development costs of this locomotive somehow. I know that exact model was offered during the same period in Large Scale (USA Trains) and HO scale (Bachmann) with similar construction likenesses, leading me to believe a factory (Sanda-Kan?) designed it and then offered it to importers.

Now if Menards could find that kind of production deal, who knows? Maybe a low-cost quality loco would be possible. Unfortunately, the Chinese landscape has changed in terms of production costs in the past 15 years. It's not so cheap anymore.

Basil posted:

I've been visiting my Menards all week.  I'm surprised by the lack of train stuff on the shelves.  Last year the shelf was near sagging there was so much stuff.  I'm figuring the online selling must be so robust they are having difficulty stocking the stores.  It's been so thin, it looks like post-Christmas last year rather than black Friday.  That said, I scored a War Bonnet Sante Fe box car!  Booyah!

Basil,

My only guess is that your store had a busy week for trains. As I'm sure you know, there is free shipping to store with pretty much any train item on our website. That's one way to make sure you get what you are looking for!

Great score on the War Bonnet boxcar. Those are becoming increasingly more rare!

-Mark the Menards Train Guy

 

 

Now if Menards could find that kind of production deal, who knows? Maybe a low-cost quality loco would be possible. Unfortunately, the Chinese landscape has changed in terms of production costs in the past 15 years. It's not so cheap anymore.

Production in China has changed drastically.  If you are new and do not have  a long term relationship with a manufacture you will pay MUCH more today.  Tooling, labor and don't forget shipping has almost doubled in recent months.  All this makes a new loco a very difficult prospect. And then on top of it all you need a service department and a recent big train producer is showing this is not easy. 

I run conventional so if they did produce something I like....I'd buy it.  But I think a loco could become something that drags down the entire line.  IMHO o

AMCDave posted:

 But I think a loco could become something that drags down the entire line.  IMHO o

Amen and Amen!

Loco production: It's the 'Bit Shallot' () zone...no one is ever happy with  whatever is done....or not done!  Not to mention the drain on better-spent capital.

 Just as Williams has resisted the whiz-bang, tooti-fruiti electronics miasma, staying conventional (), Menards should hang tough with their current products direction.  

I mean, how many more locomotives does the toy train hobby realm need?????  

Now,  re innovative, affordable rolling stock, buildings?............bring 'em!

KD

OTOH.......If they want to poke the lazy paradigmers,....release a quality O3R loco that runs on (Li-Po) battery power with a remote (ala today's R/C products: drones, airplanes, cars, boats, etc.).  Ooooooooh.......I can hear the gnashing of dentures already!

Part of the speculation is Williams not staying conventional,  but slowly moving towards command only.

I could be wrong,  but I think Bachmann conventional versions of ho and On30 have been skipped already,  offering only full dcc versions. While the full dcc can run conventionally,  its a big increase in price over non dcc. Sometimes near double (dcc compatable=non dcc but plugs for decoder / dcc equipt means a decoder)    So, anyhow, Williams following suit behind the parent eventually is what I expect. If that happens we will have 0 makers of lower cost conventional engines, because as is, they are the only one. The new Williams locos have already crept focus towards the upper end pricing scale and they are cutting some PW copies. 

   How is that an overflow of "plenty" on the low end?

  That Whitcomb being over double the price of most expectations could be an indicator of what is in store for us from the future WbB.

Adriatic posted:

Part of the speculation is Williams not staying conventional,  but slowly moving towards command only.

I could be wrong,  but I think Bachmann conventional versions of ho and On30 have been skipped already,  offering only full dcc versions. While the full dcc can run conventionally,  its a big increase in price over non dcc. Sometimes near double (dcc compatable=non dcc but plugs for decoder / dcc equipt means a decoder)    So, anyhow, Williams following suit behind the parent eventually is what I expect. If that happens we will have 0 makers of lower cost conventional engines, because as is, they are the only one. The new Williams locos have already crept focus towards the upper end pricing scale and they are cutting some PW copies. 

   How is that an overflow of "plenty" on the low end?

  That Whitcomb being over double the price of most expectations could be an indicator of what is in store for us from the future WbB.

Well........

WbB O 3 rail is 100% conventional in 2016-17 catalog. 

Bachmann HO is more conventional than not. All sets but a handful are conventional only. All loco's but a few high end are ALL offer in 'DCC ready' conventional OR DCC on-board. So they must not be sold that command control vital. 

So conventional is still viable in my opinion so we agree there. But I still do not think Menard's needs to enter the loco field.....but that's just me......having just an idea of the issues around selling locos. 

I just buy 2nd hand stuff that is conventional or 'out of style' PS1 and PS2 locos that folks dump for new stuff. Plenty out there to buy. 

Adriatic posted:

Part of the speculation is Williams not staying conventional,  but slowly moving towards command only. 

...which, due to Bachmann's (WBB) long-standing repair policies, leaves me confounded.  

Their repairs/parts are, essentially, only available to their retail customers.  They do not cater to an alumni of 'Bachmann Service University'....there are no Bachmann/WBB Authorized Repair Centers or nationwide distribution of trained personnel.  

Couple that with a basic fact that DCC (HO, N, On30, G, ....all 2-rail) is based on an industry-wide accepted set of standards/practice.....Thank you, NMRA!  The sumo-wars of O3R command have no such shared standards/practice.  So, which O3R command-only structure will WBB "move towards"?.......risking the customer base preferring the alternative(s)?  And in following their current repair policies, what costs will they incur to service the same......and pass on to the MSRP of future products??

Sometimes the credibility of a company/brand is more respected for adhering to their own vision/direction, rather than assimilating that of others.   For example, Bachmann single-handedly created the On30 mass market segment of the hobby.  (I believe that was even credited to the late Lee Riley of Bachmann)  In a like manner,  my suggestion re battery (Li-Po) powered remote controlled O scale engines....which naturally could use industry-standard DCC/Sound technology...would be a way for them to keep a unified command focus throughout all of their model railroad product lines, as well as lead with a new O scale approach.

.....which they could then naturally parlay into a new line of their proven E-Z track......for O scale 2-rail!!!

It's the sort of thing one might expect of a company 180+ years in the making.....successfully. 

But that's just IMHO, of course.

KD

I think this thread has gone a tad off topic.

Second that!

A tad off how kind, I would say way off.