With so many options available to consumers, it can sometimes be difficult to determine which home improvement outlet to visit when you find yourself shopping for power tools, paints, or whatever else you might need to make small repairs or give your home a proper glow-up. Price point will likely play a big part in the decision making process. If you prioritize overall satisfaction in your home improvement shopping experience, however, there is one major outlet that shoppers clearly prefer to competitors.
That outlet is Menards. According to a 2026 study undertaken by J.D. Power, the Midwest home improvement chain beats out even The Home Depot and Lowe’s Home Improvement when it comes to customer satisfaction. In fact, it outscored one of those big box competitors by a considerable margin.
J.D. Power’s Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction Study is based on eight different factors, including additional services provided; the digital tools they have available; level of trust in the establishment and the people who work there; products and supplies available; return policies; state of the store; and value for price paid. Per J.D. Power, those factors were built into a poll administered to real-world shoppers, with the results contributing to a satisfaction score based on a 1,000 point scale. Menards, the family-owned retail chain, ultimately earned the top spot on the list with a score of 690 points.
How other chains fared in the J.D. Power rankings
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If you’re curious about J.D. Power’s credentials, the outfit has long been recognized as an industry leader in the field of consumer analytics, utilizing data collected through targeted polling to determine rankings for products and companies in individual market sectors. As for this particular ranking, J.D. Power claims some 2,231 participants who’d shopped at a home improvement outlet were polled between March 2025 and March 2026.
On a 1,000-point scale, the 690 scored by Menards might seem a touch underwhelming. However, it earned the home improvement chain the top spot by an impressive 11-point margin. As for the second place slot, that honor was awarded to The Home Depot, with the ACSI-approved home improvement chain scoring a solid 679 points.
Taking third place on the list is Ace Hardware, which earned a score of 673 points. That was one point higher than the average score for home improvement retailers, which was 672. If you’re curious as to where Lowe’s Home Improvement landed in the rankings, the popular retailer took last place on the list, scoring below market average with 659 points. This was a big change for Lowe’s, as the home improvement chain actually took the top spot in J.D. Power’s 2025 survey. It’s a big change for The Home Depot too, which scored at the bottom of the ’25 list. Either way, both factions are no doubt surprised to now be looking up at Menards.
Alaskan cruising is big business, with nearly two million travelers boarding mega ships each year. These floating cities move through Southeast Alaska’s port towns ofJuneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan with long transits to and from Vancouver or Seattle. They must be doing something right. But the real question is: right for whom? Discover why UnCruise offers a more immersive Alaska experience—fewer crowds, closer wildlife encounters, guided adventures, and all-inclusive small-ship travel in Glacier Bay.
We recently sailed on UnCruise’s Wild, Woolly, and Wow with Glacier Bayitinerary and experienced Alaska at a human scale, up close, unscripted, and deeply immersive. What we found was a style of travel that felt less like a vacation and more like a shared expedition. Here’s why we chose UnCruise for Alaska and why we’d do it again without hesitation.
An All-Inclusive Model That Actually Includes You
Traditional cruising relies on a dual-revenue model: low-margin fares offset by high-margin onboard spending like drink packages, shops, specialty dining, and excursions. To make the math work, those ships need 3,000 to 6,000+ passengers and rigid itineraries built around ports and schedules.
UnCruise turns that model on its head. With fewer than 90 guests and truly all-inclusive pricing, the experience feels more like an adult summer camp than a floating resort. Their ships anchor in remote bays instead of lining up at docks, and exploration is led by an in-house team of naturalists and guides, not outsourced excursion operators.
You’re invited, not herded, to experience Alaska on its own terms. For us, that meant forming real connections with the crew, with fellow travelers, and with the place itself. We learned names quickly, swapped stories easily, and capped each day with shared meals and drinks that reflected the region we were sailing through.
When Alaska Is Your Window View
Our first morning in Juneau felt surreal. The harbor was wrapped in fog as we walked along an empty dock, with tens of thousands of cruise passengers still waiting behind raised gangways. As the mist lifted, the walkways dropped, and the quiet was instantly replaced by crowds racing toward shops and excursion buses.
I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone glanced out their cabin window and felt a flicker of FOMO. If only they knew what mornings on UnCruise looked like. Day after day, our views were of waterfalls spilling into secluded bays and glaciers calving in the stillness of early morning, no crowds, no commentary, just Alaska doing its thing.
Closer to the Heart (and the Ice)
Growing up, Geddy Lee’s voice urging us to be “closer to the heart” felt like a creative manifesto. Forging our creativity, molding a new reality, and sowing a new mentality… Closer was better. Closer was where new ideas formed and deeper connections took hold. That philosophy plays out beautifully on UnCruise.
In Glacier Bay, we had an unobstructed view of Johns Hopkins Glacier, while a mega ship lingered somewhere farther out in the fog, barely visible. We could hear sea lions barking as we passed and orcas exhaling as they surfed our bow wake.
And when “close” still wasn’t close enough, we boarded skiffs. Close enough to feel the surge from calving ice at LeConte Glacier. Close enough to taste ice that had traveled decades from mountaintop to sea. Close enough to hear bears splashing as they fished below Pavlof Falls. As Rush put it, “There’s something here as strong as life.” We felt it.
Days Built Around Doing, Not Watching
A typical UnCruise day included both a morning and afternoon adventure: skiff tours, kayaking, or bushwhacking through rainforest. Each option took us deeper than the ship alone ever could, with kayaking bringing us closer still.
Trading engines for paddles let us hear waterfalls crash into Waterfall Cove and study freshly calved blue ice glittering in the morning light. Bald eagles watched from high pine perches while harbor seals lounged on stray ice floes, eyeing us just as carefully as we watched them.
Where Boots Matter More Than Deck Chairs
Some experiences require boots on the ground, and this is where UnCruise truly excels. They don’t just provide sturdy rubber boots for muddy landings, they bring the expertise to use them well.
Their skiffs deliver you to remote shorelines and return at just the right moment. On land, you’re guided by wilderness professionals with advanced medical training, GPS navigation, and safety protocols (and gear) for everything from bears to sudden weather shifts.
That preparation opened the door to unforgettable moments: wandering through old-growth forests spared by their isolation, snacking on wild blueberries still wet with morning dew, scrambling up rocky outcrops for sweeping views, and sinking ankle-deep into muskeg bogs. It felt unapologetically, unmistakably like wild Alaska.
Eating as Part of the Journey
Twice-daily adventures worked up serious appetites, and the UnCruise culinary team rose to the challenge. Meals weren’t just filling, they were thoughtfully designed to reflect the region we were exploring.
Our onboard chef, Rachel, originally from the Northeast, described Alaska as New England elevated. She leaned into the freshness of local seafood, serving dishes like butter-poached, fresh-caught halibut. And of course, there was the crab feast featuring sweet, delicate Dungeness crab with tender, flaky meat that exceeded even our lofty Alaskan expectations.
Evenings That Deepen the Day
After full days of movement and fresh air, evenings onboard were about understanding what we’d seen. Instead of shows or casinos, UnCruise offers Arctic education that builds context and meaning.
On bear-watching days, we learned how salmon runs support the entire forest ecosystem, right down to the trees. Entering Glacier Bay, we explored how microscopic life on ice underpins one of the planet’s most complex ecosystems. It was the perfect complement to what we’d experienced firsthand.
Born of Alaska, Not Just Passing Through
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
UnCruise is headquartered in Juneau, and founder Captain Dan Blanchard was adopted into the Tlingit tribe in 2013—a reflection of his deep, long-standing connection to Alaska. For more than 30 years, the company has focused on immersive, active travel with a strong commitment to environmental stewardship.
The “Un” in UnCruise is intentional: unplugging, unhurried, and undeniably different from traditional cruising. For us, choosing this road, or route, less traveled made all the difference. We may never be as truly Alaskan as Captain Dan, but that week in the wilderness left a connection that time won’t erase.
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Hi! We are Jenn and Ed Coleman aka Coleman Concierge. In a nutshell, we are a Huntsville-based Gen X couple sharing our stories of amazing adventures through activity-driven transformational and experiential travel.
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