I have always liked Menards. My favorite lumberyard. Through many remodel jobs and new construction projects, Menards has been my go-to place for just about everything I needed. We all know that if we shop there very often that “Save Big Money” jingle is stuck in our minds forever. Menards is almost a date for most couples. My wife finds things to put in the cart as well and then while I am in search of a few elusive items she will relax on a sofa or recliner in the home goods section. When I am finished, I will find her there waiting for me.
There have been amusing times at Menards also. I recall when I was remodeling our house in 1999, my daughter Hayley and I witnessed one of the funniest sights of the year. A young boy of about ten years old was following his father into the store and while the dad walked through the gate the boy decided to make a dramatic entrance through the turn style. He planned to hit it at a fast pace and spin it when he went through. The plan went awry because he failed to notice it was intended for exit and not entry guests. When he hit the bar just about belt level, he folded in half and executed a perfect, yet unplanned gymnastic move. A complete summersault in mid-air, wrapped around the shiny chrome bar. Fortunately, he was not hurt because we were laughing to hard to help him in any way. We saw him and his dad a couple times in different parts of the store that night and every time we just looked at each other and began laughing again.
I have saved my store receipts from each visit and mailed them in for the 11% rebate for many years. I understood very well that I would receive a rebate by mail in the form of a post card and it would be clipped to the visor in my pickup truck to be used when I paid for my purchase on the next visit. I have not met anyone that doesn’t understand that process. Imagine my dismay when I read this article last week.
Wisconsin-based Menards has agreed to pay a combined $4.25 million to settle a lawsuit from 10 states related to deceptive marketing for its 11% rebate. The states attorneys argued that the Eau Claire retailer misled consumers in some cases that the 11% rebate would be a discount that customers would receive at checkout instead of a rebate that needed to be mailed in and returned for a later store credit. The company agreed to make payments to Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota.
“Figuring out how much you’ll have to pay to buy something should be straightforward,” Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement. “It shouldn’t be an adventure. Menards’ deceptive marketing left many customers believing they were getting a discount, when, in fact, the store was only offering an in-store credit for future purchases,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement. “Customers deserve to know what they will be charged when they make a purchase, without deceptive deals and fine print. I’m pleased that this settlement requires Menards to end these practices, and I will continue to work to ensure Illinois consumers are treated fairly.” Menards agreed to pay Wisconsin $450,000 and Illinois nearly $947,000, Iowa nearly $447,000 while each of the 10 states will receive payments.
The shocking thing about this lawsuit is that no money was paid to the “phantom shoppers” who couldn’t figure out the rebate was mailed to them and not deducted at the time of purchase. No, this money was paid directly to the state government, that cares so much about the shoppers. And these attorneys care so much about the deceptive practice that they want Menards to cease from offering savings to customers in the future. Just a shakedown of a business by a government with an insatiable appetite for funds. Pretty evident who the real criminal is.
Happy New Year everybody.
