As far back as 2002, Menards included a grocery sack in a Sunday paper in January. Almost everything you could fit in the bag got a 25 percent discount. That was quite a deal considering that Menards is considered by most shoppers to have lower everyday prices than Home Depot or Lowe's.
Then the discount started to fall. In 2007 it was 17 percent and I think it went down to 15 percent after that. Still, it was a good deal and Menards should be applauded for it.
This year, the offer has been watered down. It's still a better storewide discount than any of its competitors are offering. But the "discount" is now 11 percent and it's not an immediate savings. It comes in the form of a merchandise credit check GOOD FOR FUTURE PURCHASES mailed to you later. Everything you buy through Sunday will have a "rebate" form printed on the receipt. Those must be mailed in to get a credit check that arrives in two months or less.
What's really confusing is what the competitors are doing. Home Depot and Lowe's always accepted the Menards' sack and honored the discount as a price match. I called two locations of Home Depot and asked if they were honoring the discount. A woman who answered the phone at the Minneapolis Home Depot in the Quarry said the ad was being honored. A rep from the Home Depot in Richfield said no. A rep at the Plymouth Lowe's also said no. I wouldn't assume that any store will match the 11 percent discount unless you have the ad from Sunday's paper.
Once a competitor sees that the 11 percent is in the form of a future merchandise credit, I suspect you're not going to get the discount. Still, it might be fun to try.
I suppose you could argue that Menards is making us work too hard for too little reward, but if I were spending $500 or more on a remodeling project, it' would be worth it to me. It takes a lot more time to save $50 clipping coupons that the it would take to save the same amount at Menards during this sale. Still, you have to spend even more money to reap the savings, since it's in the form of a store credit used toward future purchases.
Do you think it's worth it?
