I'm a little new at the hobby but thought I should chime in on this one as some people seem to have a very negative opinion of these cars (can't make everybody happy). I have been researching rolling stock (and locomotives) for three months now and have personally come to the conclusion that the Menards rolling stock are by far, the best bang for your buck. I just received my early Christmas present from my wife of the 6 tanker car pack (one of each line) and love them!
Now granted, I am no expert, but I know how to compare items regarding price vs. quality etc.. I have bought one Atlas flatcar and one Lionel flatcar, and yes, they are better quality than the Menards rolling stock. But they cost almost $65! My Menards tankers were $16 each and look beautiful. The only issue I have with my set of 6 is that one of the axles is a bit misaligned. I emailed Menards the same day and they're going to replace the axle/truck. Problem solved.
I'm not trying to instigate an argument Gregr but you said in your post above that each of your 8 boxcars had to have the tabs bent up so they wouldn't snag your uncoupling tracks and switches right? If that's the case, maybe the switches are the issue and not the boxcars? If the trucks are all that bad, please post some pics as I'm very curious and would like to compare them with my trucks.
Regarding the couplers, all of mine work fine. They mate up perfectly with my 1957 Lionel switcher and Lionel/Atlas flatcars (see pics below). Additionally, when running at full throttle, there is no "wobble" with any of my cars (I just mentioned that as some folks had issues last year with wobble and it appears they fixed that issue).
Regarding your last statement "Good customer service never outweighs poor quality control" - I think millions would disagree. Bought anything from Kroger lately? 
Once again, I'm not trying to start an argument but your post was a bit harsh. After all, you paid $16 bucks for a scale sized O model car right? And Menards will fix the issues right?
