Then they order the part from their suppliers which causes another delay (could be weeks!). 

In reality, depending on the layout of the counters and the supplier you use, it might be more expensive.Unlike molded materials that can be formed to the correct size to avoid material waste, granite will come in slabs that will be cut to generate the size/shape of counters you need.

Want even better discounts from a larger supplier?

The government then started paying salaries in U.S. dollars, real estate was bought with U.S. dollars, industry and suppliers switched to dealing with dollars, you get the point.What I see having a higher possibility of occurring is not a U.S. dollar collapse, but rather a Euro collapse, after all, Europe is in much dire situation than the U.S., now if hyperinflation were to start in Europe, I see the Europeans forced to switch to using the U.S. dollar and thus making the demand for dollars stronger, not weaker, and giving a lot more leeway to the Fed to not tighten the money supply, help the treasury pay off debt much faster.

Almost all "custom" cabinetmakers buy doors from online suppliers rather than make them.

The bigger guys do some hedging and have arrangements with the gas suppliers that can mitigate some risk.

I am still somewhat new to the area and don't have a lot of supplier contacts....I'm having a heck of a time finding a contractor for quality replacement windows--who do you guys tend to use?

They're okay units that just have some wear on on them, many if you buy them by the supplier you can get some sort of 1 yr refurbished warranty as well.

So why don't you go to the grocery store and steal food from the Grocer because he is behind on his bills to his supplier?

The next meeting is the Vendor Tradeshow where allsorts of "trades" will be having tables / booths: contractors, lenders, flooring suppliers, kitchen cabinet suppliers, Home Depot - that's just a short sampling.