Mail-Order Monday

Yesterday was a great day to get stuff in the mail.

First up: rear baskets for my bicycle. When bicycling to school, I've been pretty unhappy with having to lash my bag to my rear bicycle rack with a bungee cord. It usually held but I tended to knock the wiring off my rear light and spend a few minutes each day trying to get it all plugged back in correctly. Katie and I looked around and found some baskets that seemed like they would work both for me going to school and grocery shopping when need be. Behold the Wald 582 baskets installed on my blue Breezer:

The baskets can also fold up like so to allow for easy storage:

Installation was straight-forward but not simple, at least with my rear rack. Three clamps secured by screws were provided for each side. I had to re-bend the clamps as they were clearly designed for a rear rack with a thinner frame. It was also a bit tricky to figure out how to get the necessary screw-driver and pliers in position to screw those clamps down tight. I don't know if there is an easier way of doing things but it definitely seems like an area of improvement.

The second package that arrived was actually addressed to Katie but when she got home she informed me that it was actually for me: a new (to me) iPod! Mine died a month or two ago and though I have easily survived without it, I am glad to have a replacement. There is a lot I like about this new one but the most significant is that Apple can replace the battery when it wears out; Apple didn't provide this service for the older ones I used.

The only order we've placed that still hasn't come in is the tile for our backsplash. It was supposed to be in Friday, then Saturday, then Monday... We were very happy with our shopping experience at this hardware store (Star Lumber) but actually getting the items we've ordered has turned out to be, while not frustrating, not an experience that is endearing us to them. Is it better than Home Depot and Lowes? Probably. The company is locally owned which is another point in its favor. Now they just need to get their act together and make the delivery experience as high quality as the sales experience. You only really have one chance to make a good first impression and they may have blown it here.