What to do with Menard's rebate for out of towners

Grampstrains, I am not sure I understand your statement, "They settled my worries." You can track your rebate on their website. It takes at least 6-8 weeks to get the rebate "check" that can be used for purchases in the stores. If your statement meant that you did not think you would ever see your rebate through their process, I would turn to the many people who do go through this process and do get their rebate check in the mail. It comes in the size of about two large index cards folded unto each other and has nothing on the outside that says it is from Menards.  Some might even think that it is junk mail and toss it if they did not open it up. The return address is Elk Mound, Wisconsin. Here is the website to take a look and the rebate locator: https://www.menards.com/main/rebates.html

As for Don's question, if you do not live near a store, your options are limited.   1) You could stock pile them until you might be visiting a city that has a Menards.    2) You might try to find a forum member that would be willing to exchange even cash for the rebate checks through normal mail.    3) Not fret too much about the rebate checks since the items purchased are actually a very good deal no matter what (for my purchases, the rebate basically pays for the gas to drive as far away to a Menards to be able to use the rebate checks). 

I have offered other forum members option number 2, but have never been taken up on the offer.

Rick

Since there are no Menards on the east coast I just consider the loss of using my rebates as an insignificant extra expense.

I do the rebate and put a friends address in Mich. who uses it and he sends me a check = 1/2 of it every so often 

It has been explained the reasoning Menards does this.....to get people into their stores, not to sell more train items. Trains are a very, very small part of their market. It just seems huge since we talk about it all of the time on the forum. Even at the Christmas Holidays, what is displayed at each store takes up only one side of one shelf in a huge store as large or larger than any Lowes that I have been to. As to your rebate, have you tried the locator to see where it may have gotten fouled up?  Here is a picture of the rebate, closed, then unfolded. As you can see, it does not look very exciting. I had forgotten I was even expecting one and really though it was like much of the junk mail I get. Glad I pulled it apart to check inside. (Heck, this one even has enough for the gas there and back with a down payment on maybe one item!!!)  There will be little to none train stuff in the stores close enough to me to redeem it on any train related items until maybe November. 

Rick

Just face they are totally use-less! They do make a nice product but try to impress people with your rebate. Buy many trains there so far a been pleased with every purchase so far.

Don, thanks for stirring the pot..... :-). The rebate debate never seems to get too old or explained enough.

Rick

No stores in CA, but my brother- in-law uses them in WI - they are transferable -thanks for that MERNARDS

I would be glad to take those pesky rebate checks off your hands for free !!!!  How I work it with the wife is I buy the stuff she wants like paint, carpeting, mattresses, lighting, lawn furniture, etc. for all the "honey do" projects around the house.  In return, I keep all the rebates to spend on model train stuff.  It's a win-win. 

Sorry everyone. Just asking. thank you for the responses.

One of my forum friends mails them in with my name and address. I have received $12 worth, when we reach $20. I will mail him a check for $10. We both get something from them.

wild mary posted:

Since there are no Menards on the east coast I just consider the loss of using my rebates as an insignificant extra expense.

Give them to a friend who lives near one?

Find someone who lives near a Menards with a food section, have them purchase things for the local church or food pantry and donate them?

While the rebate is nice, we purchase the train items because we like them. Have given the rebates towards yard items for some seniors who needed a few things. They offset the cost of some flowers you might purchase for their pots, etc.

Used to get Kroger (aka Fry's, Food For Less, Mariano's, Roundy's, etc.) gas rebates, with no food/gas stations around us so we just sent them to a friend in another state.

I don't bother with the rebate promotion...

I simply wait till the 'incentive' is a free freight car, then I place my saved-up orders

---PCJ, in NYC

I just wait for the free stuff instead of the rebates and order then.

645 posted:

Two other options are available to those of you who don't live local to a Menards and don't want to order online:

1 - Relocate your residence to be near a Menards store - then the rebates are a nice bonus perk of doing business with Menards.

2 - Buy Menards items at inflated prices off eBay or at train shows - no rebates to worry about doing it this way!

"2 - Buy Menards items at inflated prices off eBay or at train shows - no rebates to worry about doing it this way!"

HaHa!!!

GRJ's strategy works for me.  I bought a four-pack of flatcars with jeeps and got a free flatcar with an army van.  Even with including the shipping charges and the additional $1.40 in processing fees for the free car, I ended up paying just a bit more than $16 per car.  Can't beat that. 

You could mail the chits to a Disabled American Veterans chapter or Purple Heart chapter(www.purpleheart.org) in an area which has a Menards.  The men in those units buy wood and hardware for wheel chair ramps and other projects.  John in Lansing, ILL

My son lives in Deerfield IL.  I send him the rebates.