Mendo Mill & Lumber Co

I want to like this store, really I do.
But I’m disappointed every time I shop there.
Mendo Mill has ‘special sales’ all the time. Every other weekend or so there will be a 20% discount off of some department within the store. Unfortunately the discount is almost always wrong at checkout. The receipt they print doesn’t show the regular price, just the discounted price. The cashiers are clueless and do not understand when you explain that you’ve been overcharged. They just keep repeating ‘that’s the price in the computer and there’s nothing I can do’. Even with a discount, the identical item is still less $$$ at Home Depot in Ukiah.
Out of convenience/​laziness I attempted to purchase a couple of items this afternoon. There were three registers open with four people in line ahead of me. One of the registers was handling a return or something else that was confusing to the cashier. One of the other two cashiers abruptly closed her register — even after a manager/​supervisor asked her to stay open until the ‘rush’ was over. That was enough for me, I left my items behind and drove the mile or so to Home Depot where I found both better and cheaper replacements — and no line to checkout.

I like the convenience, but am put off by the incompetence and lack of customer service that is evident in other local building supplies. the hours of operation are nowhere to be found on the official website. my dealings with returns have been time-​consuming (all experienced by homeowners, especially if you are the contractor), and frustrating. They try to be streamlined with headsets and the such, but it doesn’t beat having real-​time info from the internet and adjustment from every employee that is currently working. I guess this means: welcome to Lake-​a Billy county.

Friendly staff, good selection (and if they are out of stock be sure to check if they have some in storage in the back but they can also order for you), sometimes during the weekends you can get 20% depending on current deals, and remember to get ACE club card to earn points and get more discounts!

Mendo Mill is the kind of hardware store my soul yearns for — mostly. They have a surprisingly large and really great selection, not just wood and nails, and general construction materials, but they also carry a wide range of household goods ranging from brooms to pots and pans and beyond. Their selection of adhesives is the best in the valley.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like many of the employees there are very happy. The older ones look like alcoholics or have shrill, stressed voices, and the younger ones look like they’re getting the short end of the stick. So, while I prefer going there to, say, Home Depot, where there isn’t the slightest possibility of having my questions answered, it does make me uncomfortable to go in there, and I prefer to go to Ukiah Valley Lumber if what I need is in their inventory.