Menards--Should I be Disappointed or....did I goof up.

They usually have items in the stores before Christmas, but then on line ordering the rest of the year.

Got it Ross, I should have figured something like that, never crossed my mind though...

mtj54 posted:

... So when I got home I searched and I see Menards website where you can purchase and ship to home or ship to store. Finally my question...do any Menards stores carry any of this stuff in the store? Or is it all mail order online? Or did the associate goof up? I fully expected to see some type of section in a store as big as Menards dedicated to the trains I've heard so much about...

Thanks in advance!

The in-store associate person wasn't on the ball if they couldn't tell you that Menard's trains are only seasonally stocked (if that's the case) and otherwise only available through their web site. Good help is hard to find?

On the website you can click 'my store' and see what is available.  

The stores by me locate the 'Train Stuff' upstairs above the Patio Furniture area during the off season.

The Associates are always most helpful.

If you look on the website it will tell you what is in or available for each store. This time of year it is not much or nothing. In our store you have to ask at the service desk and they will tell you it is up stairs in returns and season items. And you will find it just placed on shelves to get it out of the main store, no dispay, just kind if random.

Interesting guys....I guess I've seen them (through the site here) release so much so fast that I just assumed to find it all in the store, that was all in my head, I was on a "train trip", nothing else mattered :-)

I would never hold it against one of their associates. For all I know he was new at his job or something. They were all very busy though, that I knew. I've been to this Menards a hundred times plus and they are always very helpful. In fact today may have been the only day I was "skunked" as far as what I was there for....still left with a bunch of items though, I love Menards! Far as the trains, It wasn't that big of a deal or I'd of asked at the Customer Service Counter....

Thanks!

Well, I do not have that problem.  M does not have a store anywhere near Houston TX.

Dominic....

Reading your comment and it just hit me why I expected there to be train stuff in the store. Because I've seen folks post on here asking for others to pick up this and that for them in order to take advantage of their 11% rebate they offer. But it never occurred to me folks might be ordering the stuff online and then having others pick stuff up.

I'm very fortunate, I'm right in the middle of "Menards Country"...they are all at least 20 miles from me but I can handle that...

I am willing to bet that many associates will look at you with an odd expression if you ask for train stuff. A lot of the floor sales people are very fluid. There are so many items in a Menards store that they have to know about, it seems counter productive to have folks know what is NOT there. As odd as it may seem to us, Menards is not a train store...not even a hobby store. Yet, they keep producing an affordable product that many of us anxiously await to see what's next. Each item that is offered will not fit everyone's need, but it is still fun to see what is being produced.

Rick

The Menards near us also has the train stuff in the upstairs area in the off season as others have said above. I couldn't find the train stuff the on my first visit either, but have since figured out where it was located. It was a massive store and I had not been to a Menards before. I spent well over an hour just walking around and taking it all in, not even making it to the upstairs area. The one near us now is a new store that just recently opened and like yours is only about 20 minutes from us as well. Before that the nearest Menards was about 60-70 miles away and I've never been to that store.

Update...and perhaps a tip for Menards....

Well guys, some pretty dang good tips. Been to Menards a million times and I didn't have a clue that the Mezzanine area was open to regular folks. I jumped online this morning and I see now how you can tell if they have something in the store or not. The store I was in yesterday had 2 or 3 pcs of track so I didn't miss out there, but today's Menards had just what I was looking for.

I have to say though, I realize Menards is huge, again, been there tons of times for home improvement stuff, just wasn't looking for "train stuff". But I think Menards might be missing the boat just a little here. That is if every sale  counts and I'm sure they will agree it does. Hopefully it does! On the way out, I had three different guys ask me about the track! Two of the guys in the checkout line asked me where I got the track and commented they didn't know Menards sold it. One simply asked me where it was in the store and when I told him he headed that way! (Hope he wasn't looking for track) Three guys in the span of waiting in the checkout line. Probably 8 minutes or so. A guy has to wonder how many more folks are missing it. I don't feel so bad now! But I got what I was after, but for the most part kind of wiped out their inventory...

so Mark the Menards train guy, I know you keep an eye out for Menards best interests, and I'm not sure if the suggestions I've seen in the past were solicited, but here is my humble opinion: make yourself look good, suggest Menards put a sign on the base of the Mezzanine stairs or something, "Trains upstairs"....better yet you have a whole row of summer toys, stick a couple boxes (approx 16" of shelf space) by the toys so folks know you handle "train stuff". I'm sure Menards has better things to market in the summer but I think this is a good suggestion. Must be a one liner in here somewhere, every sale you miss is a missed opportunity or something goofy like that....

No room on the shelves, how about a vinyl banner that says "Hey, did you know Menards handles O Gauge Trains"....I'm fairly certain you'll gain a few sales because of it. In fact, there were some sofa's and loveseats etc at the base of the Mezzanine...I didn't realize how nice looking some of their furniture was. I just might go back and buy a $500 sofa, all because of a few pcs of train track.

I'm going to say this as politely as I can.

Large-volume retailers know how often merchandise on the shelves needs to turn over -- either sold and restocked or replaced with other products -- for every part of a store to perform well. That goes for big-box home improvement centers such as Menards and small mall stores alike, with some differences in margins and sales rates to account for space costs.

This sales strategy is thoroughly tested. If a product line, which can be tracked easily by a retailer these days, isn't moving, it is generally either clearanced off or put into storage (if it's a seasonal item that can be sold as-is the next year). 

The volume at which a full line of O gauge trains would have to turn over on a 12-month stocking basis would far exceed the rate of the typical hobby shop. In other words, a particular boxcar couldn't sit on a shelf all year long and into the next year just waiting for that one buyer.

At any rate, and this is where I want to be gentle, I don't think Menards is going to seriously take sales-strategy advice from anyone whose interests are so self-centered that they fail to account for healthy sales practices and a business' own priorities.

I have worked more than 21 years in retail (all part time, including a combined nearly 10 years at two hobby shops and nearly 10 years at a mall toy store chain). That's where I have witnessed the difference in small- and high-volume sales.

My full-time 30-plus year career as a journalist has taught me to view things objectively, not merely from my own perspective. 

So, with that in mind, I can understand why Menards is reluctant to seriously stock trains year-round in its stores. (The store in my area still had a few train items -- two boxcars, a building and a few pieces of track -- through June in the seasonal aisle that includes summer toys.) Since Menards offers online access to its full trains product line, with free shipping to stores, I can say that anyone who thinks Menards is missing out on something significant by not stocking the shelves with trains full-time is making an irrational argument skewed by their own biases.

Could that change? Sure, if Menards saw online sales from one area become so great, it could decide to give a store in that market a full line of trains, on a trial basis. But someone would be sticking their neck out pretty far to make that recommendation, giving the number of O gauge guys in any one market area of a store and the online option already in place.

MTJ54,

I should clarify. My response was inspired by your post, but it wasn't strictly about your post. You aren't alone in your view on this forum. And, for the record, I wish Menards had trains in store year-round. It would just make my Menards trips a bit more fun and, as a train guy, I might make a few more visits. But I understand some of how national retailers work, so I don't use myself as a credible argument to support my biased desires, and thought I'd offer my insights -- for you and others to consider.

This Menards issue has come up repeatedly in different forms -- from those thinking Menards should offer rebates online to those thinking Menards should invest in more expensive tooling for locomotives.

(In the past, I have suggested that those who believe Menards should offer rebates are not considering that the chain's rebate program is designed to get people to come back into the stores and spend more money. It's simple retail strategy, yet some feel that their own interests should exceed a business' interests. But I would love it if I could use my rebate checks online, too. I just understand why it's unlikely.)

So ideas flow freely here after all.

On the other hand, if you and I are going to make suggestions, we are going to have to understand that others are going to comment, sometimes in disagreement.

I have a menards trip story here. The other day I went there looking for train stuff and found none. Thought ok they only stock it at holidays. Then saw this post and did not know about the upstairs clearance section. The next day I went back and walked directly up thier and again no trains. Ok guess they were gone or sold out. Decided to go back down stairs where they normally are during the holidays. Now I find box cars,some buildings,those goldline alaska flat cars,some sets. I know I did not see them the day before. Must have just put them out or found them in the back and were told to put them out to get rid of them. Funny though how I went there first and found none then go there the next day and find some. Just thought it was odd thats all.

Jim R. posted:

MTJ54,

I should clarify. My response was inspired by your post, but it wasn't strictly about your post. You aren't alone in your view on this forum. And, for the record, I wish Menards had trains in store year-round. It would just make my Menards trips a bit more fun and, as a train guy, I might make a few more visits. But I understand some of how national retailers work, so I don't use myself as a credible argument to support my biased desires, and thought I'd offer my insights -- for you and others to consider.

This Menards issue has come up repeatedly in different forms -- from those thinking Menards should offer rebates online to those thinking Menards should invest in more expensive tooling for locomotives.

(In the past, I have suggested that those who believe Menards should offer rebates are not considering that the chain's rebate program is designed to get people to come back into the stores and spend more money. It's simple retail strategy, yet some feel that their own interests should exceed a business' interests. But I would love it if I could use my rebate checks online, too. I just understand why it's unlikely.)

So ideas flow freely here after all.

On the other hand, if you and I are going to make suggestions, we are going to have to understand that others are going to comment, sometimes in disagreement.

Well said Jim, very well said. I would never in this world take issue with anyone who has a different opinion than mine, only with anyone who doesn't wish for me to have an opinion. Clearly that isn't you, Thank you.

By the way, looks like we're both in "Menards Country, we're practically neighbors (I'm only 1/4 miles south of the Wisconsin State line)

LionelZWL....I'm going to adopt a new strategy....every time I stop at Menards, which is quite a bit, my first stop is to the customer care counter and I'll ask them every time where they keep the trains....perhaps they'll get so tired of me asking they'll dedicate some shelf space to me :-)

WOW! Someone posts a suggestion based on their observations in a store they visit and they are biased and self-centered? Unbelievable. Not everyone knows the in's and out's of every business, nor should they be expected to. There isn't a Menard's within a few hundred miles of my house and I thought they carried trains as part of their regularly stocked items. This is based largely in part due to the posts I have seen on this forum. Had I visited one of their stores and not found any trains and had other customers asking about trains, I would have been inclined to suggest they stock them regularly myself. Not for my personal bias or selfishness, but because I truly believe it would be a good idea. Just because someone has knowledge of a particular business doesn't mean that those without are selfish or biased when they make a suggestion. That 'polite' response was fairly harsh, IMO.

The only reason I go to Menards is for the trains. I was in our local store this week and of course, they are out. As was stated above, it is too bad they can't or won't carry stock all year at the store level.

Dick

Somehow, I think there are more people at any given time in Menards check out lines buying tools, hardware or other home improvement stuff than folks here complaining about how Menards sells trains.

Rusty

Good Morning Everyone!

I just wanted to remind everyone that almost all of our train items listed on www.menards.com/trains may be shipped directly to your local Menards store for FREE! I know it doesn't solve every problem but it does solve many problems listed above .

Thank you,
Mark the Menards Train Guy

Mark,  it seems like some of the complaints (maybe a "softer" term would be suggestions) are from folks who seem to be late to the party. From day one, most folks knew of the policy and the reason that Menards did not stock railroad items year round. Menards stocks a bunch of stuff. The Menards that I have gone to in the summer have replaced train items with things that are more seasonal that people would buy. If the shelves were empty as if to tease us toy train enthusiasts, I would be more sympathetic to their "suggestions", but they are not...they are stocked full of spring, summer, and fall items. For the "suggesters", ask Ace Hardware where their Christmas Village Buildings are in summer, Lowes where their "pine trees" can be found for those villages, and so on.

As you have said, all items that are either in stock or deliverable are available. It just takes a bit more research than store browsing.

Rick

Well Gentleman,  I better unpack before I go pick up my Mountain Dew & Coal cars, or someone is likely to phone Hoarders on me.

I don't mean to complain, But why is there no Southern Pacific Rolling Stock?  I am a S.P. Fan and I like to add new cars in that logo. I also run other RR Cars, I like to have SP be the major line with other lines as in real life. Can we expect any SP rolling stock?

just thought I might ask.

Dr.Fu-Manchu posted:

I don't mean to complain, But why is there no Southern Pacific Rolling Stock?  I am a S.P. Fan and I like to add new cars in that logo. I also run other RR Cars, I like to have SP be the major line with other lines as in real life. Can we expect any SP rolling stock?

just thought I might ask.

Dr.Fu-Manchu,

I am fairly certain we will produce a few Sothern Pacific items. However, I don't have a timeline for you. The best I can say is keep an eye out.

Thank you for asking!
-Mark the Menards Train Guy