A great day to go to the home center

Today started with a call from a roofer that I was supposed to meet tomorrow who happened to be in the area today and wanted to know if he could stop over. It worked out well for me too, so we agreed to meet. I really liked him - personable, smart, good communicator and professional. Addressed all of multitudes of questions, is willing to work with my other contractors and comply with all city requirements. He gave me some good ideas too. I still want to get the recommended two more quotes, but assuming his price checks out, I'd be happy with him.

We then went to the home center, which is sheer torture for C. It's a good thing I like to go because that way at least one of use isn't miserable. This was a particularly gruelling trip however, and even I was unhappy when it was time to go home 3 1/2 hours later. We made a significant dent in our shopping list, which was good. We are trying to accumulate as many selections as possible before placing our order to save on delivery fees. I hope to have a massive order placed by the end of the week.

Oddly enough, the worst thing to select so far has been the bathroom faucets and showerhead. Maybe it's because I expected them to be easy. It took us two hours and we (especially C) were not that picky. It's difficult because you want them to match, and maybe you'll find tub and sink faucets but not a showerhead in the same set. Or you find the set but it doesn't come in the finish you want. Or you find the set and it's $1,200 for just one faucet (yes they really have one for that price!). Or you find a set and it will not work for your setup. Or you find a set and it's discontinued. The store set up was not helpful either - the displays were up high and were very mixed up. The catalog was also mixed up - the sections were sorted differently, making it difficult to go from section to section. Also, someone took the pages out and put them back in the wrong order. This was not a fun time!

Add this to the "I don't get it" list. I asked the salesperson about the lead time for ordering our tub. He called the manufacturer and they were closed (it was Sunday). He said to call back tomorrow and he would check it out for us. I asked "Can you just call me with the information?" His answer was no, I had to call back tomorrow to ask the same question I was asking now. He stated it would work better for both of us if we did it this way (and it wouldn't happen at all if I didn't). How is this better? Have you ever tried to get a person on the phone in a specific department of your local home center store? It often takes 15 tries just to get put on hold in that department and then they cut you off. He was unconcerned with this. I also stated that he could call at his leisure and call me whenever he had the information rather than doing it whenever I called, which might not be convenient. He disagreed, and refused to make the call until I called him tomorrow. At that point, I gave up. He had the upper hand, and I didn't want to shut myself out. But seriously, does this make any sense?

On a positive note, Superbowl Sunday is probably the best night of the year to go to the home center. We had the place to ourselves, and had the personal help of a really nice bathroom designer for an hour. I think this is why we were able to make such progress on our list.