Trump Tariffs: Right for the Wrong Reason?

Thought I would share with Critical Eye readers a letter I wrote Menard's this week, which I suspect is the experience of many of us. The economists and Mr. Trump never consider it, but the American people must: cheap, "disposable" products are filling our landfills, endangering our water.

Dear Menard's:

Let me tell you, I was perfectly flabbergasted to look up your headquarters and find you are a Midwestern company, in view of this complaint—a series of fabulously shabby products:

1)      Taped to the top of this letter is the paint coating of a “universal kitchen basket strainer,” which peeled off 6 weeks after I bought it. I took it back; they replaced it, and in six weeks the same thing happened again. The steel(?) seems to be holding up but the white paint coating does not adhere.

2)      A far more expensive item was a fire pit I bought spring 2017 for a reunion that fall, but which I installed in the yard in July, when the bottom fell out of the one I had. Though the new pit retailed for over $100, the grill that holds the wood cracked in 2 months. I went back to Menards (DBQ) and asked for a new grill, so I didn’t have to throw the whole fire pit in the landfill. No help from them—my brother fabricated one out of old rebar and it is still in use.

3)      That summer I also bought an Ames yard cart. It was so new and got such light use that the notification attached to the inside saying you could transport 250 lbs was still affixed to it. Early June, I went to the neighbors to get some free dirt and roll it back down the hill. One of the wheels got stuck, became flat and the cart would no longer roll. My fix-it brother said there was nothing he could do. Menard’s replaced it.

4)      Early this year, my old garden hose bit the dust. I bought a new one 5/8 in diameter, asking the clerk if it would be problem to attach it to a regular size hose. She didn’t think so.  I exchanged it for longer one because my yard is very large.  The first night I used it, I forgot to turn the water off and when I got up in the morning there was a “fountain” in my yard where the brand new hose split and was spewing water in the air. When I brought it back, returns would only give me half the $ back—something that had to do with the computer and the previous exchange.

I thought enough is enough. I went to Lowe’s down the street and bought a hose Made in America. I paid $10 more for it, but look at the waste of time, gas and contributions to the landfill these cheap products generate. While I am no fan of his, I support Trump’s tariff on Chinese products, because they are cheap junk. In the end, I conclude they cost us more. This letter is to encourage the Menard’s Corporate leadership to draw the same conclusion.

Critical Eye has served one company notice that the way we are doing business is not acceptable. Feel free to copy the letter, insert your own product tales/descriptions and send it to the corp headquarters: 5101 Menard's Dr., Eau Claire, WI 54703.