This is why Menards online ordering is a scam...

[Kiki]

"The bank" attached to my card is about 5 states away.
Not really worth the gas to drive to it.

Go open an account at your local bank.

 

[gtaus]

"The bank" attached to my card is about 5 states away.
Not really worth the gas to drive to it.

I don't use my card for cash withdrawals either, because of the fees. I live in northern Minnesota and my main bank, USAA, is in Texas. However, they have a list of local ATM's that will allow me to withdraw cash without fees. I used that a few times years ago, but eventually I opened up a small bank account in a local bank for my cash needs.

 

[gtaus]

Go open an account at your local bank.

Depends. Many of my local banks now charge a minimum fee of $10 per month, or more, just for the privilege of them holding on to and using your money. I still get "free" checking by transferring a minimum amount of money into the account every month. Then I transfer it out a week later, but it meets the requirements for me to keep the account open without monthly fees.

About 20 years ago I opened up an account at a small local bank. They were great. Then they got bought out by a bigger bank in Minneapolis. Service was less great. Then they got bought by Wells Fargo. That's exactly what I was trying to avoid 20 years ago by opening a local band account.

Other than providing local access to cash, Wells Fargo has never done anything for me except to try to sign us up for insurance that was not authorize or find out that I somehow had a credit card account opened in my name. Although I still have a small local account there, I don't trust that bank at all.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Go open an account at your local bank.

Why though?
I don't want a bank account.
The one with my card was an add on well after I had the card.
The card was a prepay card that I only got and intended to use to get paid. It only charged if I loaded cash onto it which I wouldn't do.
Electronic crap was free.
They went behind my back. Ya they didn't even ask me first and attached themselves to a real bank. Now there's a monthly fee unless I deposit $500 minimum a month which is covered by my pay so I at least don't have that fee.
Not a fan of the system so don't see the point of opening any more accounts or an account that would cost me more then what I have to pay now.

 

[Kiki]

Why though?
I don't want a bank account.
The one with my card was an add on well after I had the card.
The card was a prepay card that I only got and intended to use to get paid. It only charged if I loaded cash onto it which I wouldn't do.
Electronic crap was free.
They went behind my back. Ya they didn't even ask me first and attached themselves to a real bank. Now there's a monthly fee unless I deposit $500 minimum a month which is covered by my pay so I at least don't have that fee.
Not a fan of the system so don't see the point of opening any more accounts or an account that would cost me more then what I have to pay now.

I meant open an account at a local bank so you could withdraw cash and not be charged.

 

[gtaus]

Now there's a monthly fee unless I deposit $500 minimum a month

Sounds like the terms I have at Wells Fargo. The trick, or course, is that you can make a $500 deposit one day and transfer it out the next. In my case, I automatically transfer $500 a month into the local Wells Fargo account, wait a week, and have it automatically transferred back to my main bank account. I think the banks just don't want to have a lot of small, dead accounts. At least when they see activity, they don't charge you a fee for having an account with them.

But I know a lot of people who live paycheck to paycheck, and I think all those bank fees and requirements really hit them the hardest.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Sounds like the terms I have at Wells Fargo. The trick, or course, is that you can make a $500 deposit one day and transfer it out the next. In my case, I automatically transfer $500 a month into the local Wells Fargo account, wait a week, and have it automatically transferred back to my main bank account. I think the banks just don't want to have a lot of small, dead accounts. At least when they see activity, they don't charge you a fee for having an account with them.

But I know a lot of people who live paycheck to paycheck, and I think all those bank fees and requirements really hit them the hardest.

Ya, I live paycheck to paycheck and that's my deal. I only make so much so I'd rather not pay so many fees. They would add up.
Exactly why I wouldn't open a local bank account. What I'm doing now doesn't cost me anything as long as I'm ahead enough to wait the 3 day max for my transfer to go through.
I do the slow transfer from the cash app it's free. With my pay moved to the card the card fee is waived. If I don't do cash backs or pull money from random ATMs there's no fees there. And now I just have to watch for fees for using a card at certain places.
I'll skip those places or use cash. I sell birds at auction and they issue a check that is free to cash at their back. That puts real cash in my pocket as would selling something on CL or such. Even an odd job here or there usually would pay cash in my area.
For now there's ways around stuff. Might not be for a lot longer but I'm stubborn about change and advancement so I'll do alright holding out on handing my money away for convenience sake.

 

[gtaus]

Update on the "Local Delivery" charge at Menards.

I was in Menards this afternoon and talked to some guys that have worked at the store for a few years. I asked them why the heck this "Local Delivery" charge was so expensive. They said you get charged a $99 flat rate to start the truck, then so much per mile. I only live about 7 miles from the store, so somehow that came to an additional $16 to make the total "Local Delivery" charge on their online order at $115.

It has nothing to do with the size, weight, or quantity of the load. So, a truck full of lumber supplies delivered to your house would cost just as much as a small box like this Kreg Crosscut Station.

They said they don't see many requests for "Local Delivery" at their store.

I am assuming that charge is mainly there for contractors building houses and such to deliver big loads of lumber and supplies to the work site. I can't see anybody else needing that service.

 

[saysfaa]

My brother used it to have the Ondura panels delivered to reroof the barns. He could have gone for himself but it would have taken four or five trips to the store more than an hour away (one way). At the time, he lived in a different state than the barns and had two weeks of vacation to get as much done as he could (not just the roofing).

My sister built her own house, her sister-in-law's house, her son's house, another house, and is building a spec house as a winter job - over the past twenty five years and in three different counties. I'm not sure if that is considered a "contractor". She had the trusses, the studs, sometimes siding, and the singles delivered. I'm not sure she bought all of them from Menard's but I know she's bought most of the materials from them. Theoretically, she could have rented a trailer (multiple times) to bring them home. And a crane or something to unload at least the trusses. For a lot more cost, risk, and inconvenience.

Since it wasn't me that ordered the materials, I didn't think of the difference but there is a place for it even for individuals. I like that there is the option.

 

[gtaus]

Since it wasn't me that ordered the materials, I didn't think of the difference but there is a place for it even for individuals. I like that there is the option.

By contractors, I was thinking people that had large building supply orders to be delivered. By individuals, I meant someone like me who just needed a simple box brought to the house.

Certainly, I have had building materials delivered to my house when we were building a garage. I am not a contractor. But it was a lot cheaper to pay for the delivery charge than renting a large trailer and making multiple trips back and forth to the lumber yard. So, I am agreeing with you that it is nice to have that local delivery option for large orders.