11 Shopping Secrets From Menards’ Famous 11% Rebate Week
For fixer-uppers who crush on Menards – the big box home improvement chain clustered mostly in the Midwest – there’s one time to shop. Okay, it’s several times a year, but that time is the 11% rebate week.
I’m late to the Menards game, with a history of bouncing between Lowe’s and Home Depot, until a handyman who worked on our old Victorian gushed to us about their prices last year. He praised Menards with a fervor I’d only ever seen in Costco fans, so my husband and I decided to check it out while prepping for a total overhaul of our third floor attic apartment. It was a bit overwhelming, so when we learned about their famous 11% sale, we held off on the biggest purchases until then. With a marathon shopping session (pro tip: eat before you go!) we really racked up the rebates.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. You need to go NOW. The current sale runs through this Saturday, March 24. Check their sale flyer for your area first to start building your shopping list. They currently have a $100,000 HOUSE for sale in mine. That would be one doozy of a rebate!
2. The sale is in the form of a mail-in rebate that gets you a store credit totaling 11% of your in-store purchase. Mail it in with your receipt and, some weeks later, you’ll get store credit in the mail. (So spend a hundred bucks and you’ll get what’s basically a check for $11 valid at Menards). We rang up more than a thousand bucks on our two-shopping-cart mission during our renovation, so got back well over $100 for our next shopping trip.
3. You have to watch your mail carefully; I almost didn’t open our rebate because it looked like junk mail. It’s folded over on a very plain postcard with a Wisconsin return address.
4. There’s no rush to spend it; the rebate checks don’t expire so you can rack up a few and then go on a free shopping spree. Ooh, and why not double dip, and make your return during another 11% rebate period?
5. But you do have to be patient; it takes about six to eight weeks to get your rebate check. If you’re chomping at the bit to know when it’s coming, you can go to their rebate tracker and plug your rebate number in to check the status.
6. You’ll have plenty of chances to earn rebates – the sales happen frequently. According to a Redditor who says they used to work there, last year there were 14 weeks of 11%, and even more were happening this year.
7. You can combine this offer with manufacturer coupons and even other Menards rebates. There are entire rabbit holes online dedicated to maximizing these free after rebate (FAR) deals.
8. There’s no sitting at home in your PJs shopping with your rebate check. Nope, you have to go back to Menards to spend your prize money.
9. Menards may be a home improvement store, but that’s not all they offer. You can also shop for groceries and goodies for the house, so the rebate sale is a good time to load up on all those things you have to buy anyway – or treats you want. (Besides paint and floor tile, I also stocked up on already-discounted C.O. Bigelow soaps and lotions during our rebate run.)
10. Don’t worry about buyer’s remorse if you spend big and then the sale hits the following week. Menards will honor the rebate if you go back during the sale and ask for the 11% Price Adjustment Rebate form (not to be confused with the 11% Rebate Form!). Or you can live dangerously and go to this site, where people post scans of the form.
11. Like this whole 11% rebate idea but just aren’t that into Menards? Home Depot, which you may already know matches competitors prices, also matches this rebate offer at certain locations. Download a form to get a Home Depot gift card for 11% of your purchase during the Menards sale dates.
What other tips have you learned from shopping at Menards during the 11% rebate week?