As we stumble through our daily routines, most of us rarely look for something out of the ordinary. When was the last time you were picking up supplies and actually took a few minutes to walk the aisles and check out the new products? Then again, when was the last time a new product was brought in to your dealer’s stock?
While on a recent trip to Michigan, we tramped down the aisle of Menard’s in search of a bucket of mud. Menard’s is one of the few remaining building material retail outlets that has not only dodged the hand of “Depot” doom, but is reasonably thriving in the process. Its success appears to be the result of offering everything under the sun in an atmosphere where both men and women feel comfortable. You don’t feel the eminent threat of a pallet of sump pumps dropping on your head or the nerve-grating toyish toot of a forklift horn while you’re trying to navigate your way to empty your pockets at the register.