Oh, Menard's ...

I currently have four pending orders with Menard’s, three of which are directly tied to the patio project.

The oldest of these dates back to Sept. 15; the most recent is from Monday. I don’t yet have merchandise on any of these orders. I need to start by saying that, overall, I like Menard’s. They’re helpful. They have a large selection of merchandise and, in general, great prices. (I’m also liking the current 11 percent rebate, though it does have some sticking points for me.)

My biggest problem with them: delivery timelines. You might recall this started off on the wrong foot with my very first order when my brick delivery was delayed by multiple days.

On the columns that will wrap the posts on the patio, three to four weeks has now surpassed six and is on its way to seven weeks. New storm doors, which should have arrived at the end of last week, are still en route to a distribution center, not yet on their way to the store. Shingles, which were supposed to be in-store in six days (Oct. 26) were shipping yesterday.

On Monday, while placing a fourth order, I learned that I wasn’t being given accurate tracking information on the shingles. “I don’t know why the Internet had these as special order,” said Art, the guy who I’ve placed multiple orders with. “I’ve got these in the store.” Wait. What?!

So, it was with some hesitancy that I placed a new order for some vinyl scallop siding. After going into sticker shock from the estimate I got from Lowe’s (where we’d purchased what’s on the house and shed around 2007/2008), and getting a call back from Home Depot with pricing that was less than Lowe’s but still significantly more than Menard’s, I quizzed Art. “It’s November this week. Weather is not on my side. Is three weeks really THREE WEEKS … or is it six or seven?” Unlike some of the other companies who handled the products we’d bought, Art says this one is serious about their schedules.

Hmmm. Let’s hope so. Because I’d REALLY like to finish this project before we get snow.