(Or at least that’s what I’ve heard)
So excuse the eff outta us because it’s taken us so long to make it to Ikea.
I mean, if I don’t need furniture or goodies clad with a swanky Swedish name, what am I going there for?
Well, we decided to take a family excursion on Saturday. We visited the massive yellow & blue store since they built one up in Denver (really, Centennial) quite some time ago. Clearly, I should’ve read the Ikea shopping manual before we went, because we were not prepared for the cluster f*ck that we encountered.
So… you know when you go to a theme park (think Disney, Six Flags, Sea World, Universal…) and you have to wait on a long line just to GET IN to the park? That’s kind of what it was like to get into Ikea. People coming in droves out of the elevators and escalators, moving through the doors quickly and in packs like friggin herds of sheep.
We really came here to find these lights that my husband saw on the Ikea website and so? We head straight to the children’s department. On the way there, I pray to the money gods that I make it out of Ikea alive and with my finances still in tact.
Darling, huh? We wanted to get Pea one. She chose the blue star.
Moving on.
So, remember how I said we went directly to the children’s department? Well, apparently the children’s department should be your LAST stop on your Ikea second level tour before you get on the elevator to head to the main level.
Oops.
These little black arrows? Yeah… they are all over the store and it took us a while to realize that they were there to coax us in the right direction. So we were the family walking through Ikea against the flow of traffic. (My bad Ikea shoppers)
Wait, what? You’re hungry? Cause you can go to the cafeteria-style restaurant/cafe for spinach and cheese crepes. Just $2.99- that’s the selling point right there. I was going back-and-forth about the spinach and cheese crepes, but once I saw that they were $2.99… done! sold! Gimme some crepes. / End sarcasm
Oh, did you forget to grab a massive yellow bag to put your goodies in? No worries! They are all over the store. Also, a floor map and golf-sized pencils to write down what you are going to need when you get to the self-serve area.
Yes, Ikea is self-serve. Get it yourself and load it into your car yourself. See?
I felt like I was in Home Depot at this point. Floor to ceiling shelves stocked with home stuff.
Last but not least, self checkout. (They do have cashiers if you need one)
If you look to the right, you see those fancy blue bags? Yeah… you have to buy them. Otherwise, you don’t get a bag at checkout. Which is great if you came and got something big. If, like us, you got a lamp, light bulbs and a hanging organizer? A bag would’ve been nice. Oh well, I guess Ikea is eco-friendly.
Look, damn near everything in Ikea is cute. Almost everything you look at you can think “ooohh, I can put this here” or “I can put this there.” For the most part, their prices are reasonable. Everything from dressers to little organization pieces, I didn’t really find anything that made me think Ikea was on crack. The prices were good.
Overall, Ikea was overwhelming (maybe it’s because I went on a weekend)… and I’m glad I made it out alive.
Do you do Ikea? Love it? Hate it?
Tell me.
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I love Ikea but don’t go. When we lived in PA, I would go every now and then but they wind you thru the place and before you know it,you get to the check out lady and you’ve spent $500 on glasses and frames. WTF?! And God forbid should you have something large you need to drive up to the docks for.. you’ll wait almost as long as you do to return something. They finally opened one down here but over in Charlotte and everyone is fricking orgasmic over it. Yo.. it’s particle board, people… chill.
I’ve been dying to go but just too lazy, plus I don’t need anything right now so if I go I would be spending unnecessary money. Just always wanted to go to see what the hype was, everyone talks about the IKEA in Brooklyn.
I don’t go often, but I do go. I like to go when we need more than one thing or something specific that we can’t typically get at Target (I hate Target furniture; everything falls apart so quickly). Granted IKEA’s furniture is not Pottery Barn furniture, but it is better cheap wood than Target uses. Anyway, yes, I do like IKEA; it has its purpose in my life. And I usually just love to see how they’ve set up the tiny rooms. They make even the smallest rooms seems so damn functional.
Arnebya´s last [type] ..Writer’s Workshop: Fame
I have never been to an Ikea, ever.
Not sure why.
And I am probably the only person in America who hasn’t been.
Well you see it was our first time! I’m not sure if we’ll be going back any time soon. It was an absolute madhouse and extremely overwhelming. I’m wondering if the crowds will die down when it’s not so “new” anymore.