Mark from Menards question

Jini5, I am a bit confused. Why did you not order on-line and then pick up your order when they came in? The 11% is not really a sale. It clearly states it is a "Rebate". It has been discussed on the forum many times before. Whatever item you buy, whether it is train related or not, is not an instant 11% reduction in your purchase price. You must send in your rebate and in six weeks or so, you get a rebate check at which time you can use to help purchase anything in the store....but it must be used in-store and not on-line. I do not think you gained anything by driving to the store. I am in a similar situation. I order on-line and have my purchase sent free to the store where I can pick it up when it comes in, also about a 40 minute drive. The rebate information can be downloaded and printed and the process can start right away.

You will notice on their web-site and on any flyers you may receive that everything in the store is eligible for the rebate, not just train stuff,  but you must jump through a few hoops to get it...there is no immediate gratification on the sale. 

Rick

Jinis, you are not alone in misinterpreting Menard's use of the term "rebate."  There are tons of threads and posts on this topic.

And Rick is right in noting that the Menard's rebate is not "instant gratification."

Perhaps, Menard's should identify it as a "rebate coupon."  This might stimulate the buyer to read the terms of the "rebate" since many do not.  The current terminology and procedure is not a problem for those buyers familiar with the process.  But, for new buyers, it's definitely a source of confusion and, perhaps, some angry/disappointed shoppers.

I went to the store with cash in hand. I expected to special order the item and pay cash. I was told they could nt get the order to go through. I know how the rebate works.   I wanted to get the order placed this week before the rebate offer expires.

Well, I must be misinterpreting the offer then. I assumed as soon as the purchase was made on-line that it was that date that determined the rebate, not when it was received by the rebate firm. Maybe Mark will clarify. 

Rick

Things I hate: Rebates. I don't mind transactions. If I buy your product with a transaction, be it in store or online, don't expect me to mail in a rebate stub, sales slip, or anything else either by snail mail or online. Any business' "rebate", IMO, has a value equal to zero. 

It frustrates me to the point that I will tell the salesperson that their rebate isn't worth them wasting their breath. I've done them in the past, and by the time I received the rebate, I've forgotten about the sale and usually end up tossing the debit card in the trash. The envelope usually looks more like junk mail than anything else. BTW, I get mostly junk mail and toss them quickly. That is my character fault. 

There's absolutely no need for the rebate program to be confusing.  If Menards would just put the rebate coupon in with the packing slip when it's shipped there should be no problem.    Why complicate a cheese sandwich.

jini5 posted:

I went to the store with cash in hand. I expected to special order the item and pay cash. I was told they could nt get the order to go through. I know how the rebate works.   I wanted to get the order placed this week before the rebate offer expires.

I'm still confused by your response. You can order online late on Saturday night just hours before the 11% Rebate sale ends and still qualify. The order doesn't have to arrive before the rebate period ends, as long as you paid online when you placed your order.

Why would you go to the store to place an order? Is it because you wanted to pay cash, which obviously you can't do online?

Jini5, was it a problem with the store associate that you could not order????. A  day ago I ordered the Morton salt on line and told them to send it to the Massillon store. My online receipt had the attachment for the 11% rebate to send in. It is misleading until you understand their rebate program but if you are close to a store they are worth it...........Paul.

paul 2 posted:

Jini5, was it a problem with the store associate that you could not order????. A  day ago I ordered the Morton salt on line and told them to send it to the Massillon store. My online receipt had the attachment for the 11% rebate to send in. It is misleading until you understand their rebate program but if you are close to a store they are worth it...........Paul.

The store clerk was friendly. I just wanted to pay cash for the 6 pack of hopper cars. I walked up to the order desk and the clerk said the system was not letting her order the item. I went to a second desk at the same store and that clerk could not get the order to go through either. I have no complaints about the store or the employees or the rebate program. My only issue is that I drove for for 40 minutes to place the order and pay with CASH......yes, I said CASH (old school, I know) and wanted to get the order in before the 11% rebate ended but was not able to do the order. I came home and checked Menards website and the listing also stated "not available on line" for the 6 pack of UP hoppers.

         FOLLOW UP.................I received a phone call today from the ordering person at the Menards store. After a few more attempts, He was able to get the order to go through. I had him print it out and I picked up the order paper later, then paid cash. Since I was there I also ordered a 6 pack of the Morton hoppers.

     I was sort of looking for Mark from Menards to let me know if the hoppers I was attempting to order were sold out. I was thinking that may be the reason the order would not go through.

 So, in a week or so I will be going to the Massillon Menards for a 3rd time to pick up all the hoppers I ordered today.

 Yes, I could have done the ship to home, but you pay a shipping fee and I didn't want to use a credit card.

 Had I known I was going to have an extra 40 minute trip involved, I might have used the credit card.

jini5,

These aren't sold out, so I'm not sure what happened. Sorry for the inconvenience and I'm glad you were able to order them.

-Mark the Menards Train Guy