I wrote this on a myspace blog 3 years ago. Don't judge me, we were all on myspace at the time: Ode to Ikea as I sit looking up at bare windows drowning in the blandness that is my life i know one thing can save me from all of the white ikea so simple and so pure with clean cuts and solid colors make you the chamelon of decoration and accent pieces and the price is always right ikea oh you blasted swedes! damn you for making ikea far from me! in a forsaken land where no train dares to go! unable to forsee this through blue eyes and blonde lashes! ikea! the place that holds the key to my heart stationed in elizabeth! far from me... too far from me... accessible. only. by. car. (or that bus that takes you to Ikea) *snapping fingers* read more

TERRIBLE branch!! HORRIBLE customer service floor representatives... EVEN WORSE phone assistance. I truly refuse to go to ikea EVER- I rather pay the $150 for delivery than talk or deal with IKEA employees. It's like ONE BIG house of miserable people. One of the questions they asked at hiring MUST HAVE BEEN 1) How much do you hate people and (2) how much do you hate your life... If they answered a LOT to both...they were hired. Happy shopping all! read more

The Ikea in Paramus put this one to shame. Unfortunately, the Ikea in Paramus is closed on Sundays. Thus my trip to the Ikea in Elizabeth. It's always crowded and many things are out of stock. Whenever I'm here I buy their black Komplement boxes like they're going out of style. I also enjoy their frames, kitchen rails and other organizational doo-dads. The restaurant was insanely crowded, but every time I come to Ikea I must get my Swedish meatball fix, so I waited on the line of epic proportions for 20 minutes. The last time I went here I bought a giant reproduction of a Klimt to hang over my sofa, which I very much enjoy! Bottomline, don't come here if you don't have to. It's always crowded and everyone walks slow so it's like you're crawling through the showroom to get what you need. If you can get to Paramus, go there instead. It's so much nicer and they have a lot more items in stock. read more

I came here over the weekend to get some starter furniture for my new apartment (exciting!!) and IKEA really hooked it up. First things first, to get the best experience you can from here, follow my tips: 1. Follow the arrows posted on the floor-- they are meant to direct you efficiently around the showroom. My boyfriend and I tried to be slick and go the opposite ways of the arrows to move faster, but we just looked like the idiots trying to slime by the crowds :) 2. Pick up the furniture yourself if you can-- I hear horror stories about their delivery service. Personally I've never used it but I don't think it's worth the headache, rent your own van if need be. 3. Wear sneakers-- I made the mistake of wearing flip flops and rolled my dolly over my foot many times, ouch! Also, I strongly advise you visit their website to first get a look at the furniture you need and be knowledgeable of the size of the room you're furnishing. The furniture is very basic and streamlined, so it's usually very easy to match all your pieces together. When you get there, you take an escalator up to the showroom if you're looking for furniture, or down the stairs if you need accessories and lighting. I've personally never shopped here for accessories, but from what I saw downstairs, I wouldn't be against it. They have a colorful selection of anything you'd need for every room in your house. I went up to the showroom and I was able to find the bookcase, desk, chair, nightstand, and coffee table I picked out online. Each piece on the showroom floor is tagged with an aisle and bin # which you'll need to locate your furniture if you don't have it delivered (The store provides pencils and paper for you to do this). I just used my iPhone to snap photos of the info and headed to the warehouse floor to pick up my pieces. I got down to the warehouse floor and put all of my items on a dolly to roll to checkout. The lines are pretty long but they move quickly, so I didn't mind. All of my pieces came to under $200, which worked fine for my budget. A pleasant experience and I would go back again :) read more

If you are looking for cheap furniture this is the place to go. Everything really looks good in their displays. Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff (dressers, for one) are not always durable, but generally will last you a couple of years. This store gets real crowded on the weekends, I definitely would recommend coming during the week. read more

I came to buy a few things and was gonna leave my 6 year old at the smaland play area and because my daughter was an I ch taller than their measuring stick they wouldn't let her enter. I wasnt gonna leave my son alone playing by himself and her crying . Thumbs down ikea...I'm very dissapointed. read more

Can't believe it's not already reviewed here! Inexpensive furniture and kitchenware for starting-out folks and others. Costs $100 to have stuff delivered to NYC, and you must often assemble the larger pieces, but if you like simple styles and bright colors, it's for you. My $20 desk chair just died after a year. So what? GO ON A WEEKDAY to avoid the crowds. Bus leaves from West 34th Street and takes about 1/2 hour. read more

RUDE EMPLOYEES. We went during the day during the week. We went to drop off my daughter so she could play in the ball room while we shopped. The lady running the ball room was AWFUL. Ok, first off, my daughter is not potty trained yet. We're working on it, but she's not ready yet, so when we go places, we put pull ups on her. The lady at the desk simply said, "No diapers". Ok, that's fine. I don't mind being said "no" to. What happened next was what crossed the line. My daughter walked up to the glass (not a door) to LOOK inside. Sure, she was excited, but we were good and ready to tell her we couldn't play. Nooooo, the lady PUSHED my daughter away from the glass, and proceeded to yell at her and belittle her and say "You can't go in there because you can't pee pee on the potty". My daughter was visibly upset, so I simply said to her, "It's okay, some people are just mean" and walked away. On the other hand, there are plenty of things to play with in the store. We TORE THE PLACE UP playing with the merchandise that was for sale. Don't be rude to my daughter. You can do whatever you want to me, but let me take care of my daughter. Enough said, and in case you are wondering, I'm not exaggerating. Not one single bit. read more

I had ordered bed and mattress from here. My delivery rescheduled by IKEA 4 times due to various reason and finally i need to cancel it. Customer care service is very poor. I need to stay on call for an hour just to know the status of my order. Very bad service i have seen. I would have given in minus if it is there. read more

Furnishing the apartments of the young and creative (and financially strapped) people all over the country, IKEA is the mecca of do-it-yourself projects for the home. You walk by showroom after showroom of fabulously put together living room and bedroom scenarios, innovatively thought out and inspiring you to fill your little yellow IKEA bag with trinkets along the way ("Really, I could use some more of these colored votives."). You scribble with your little IKEA pencil on your little IKEA shopping list all of the things you are planning on picking up in the self-service section and schlepping back on the Port Authority bus to your apartment. BUT BEWARE! Once you get it all home and start putting it together, your original enthusiasm for do-it-yourself projects gets sucked out of you. You didn't realize that putting together that nightstand would require 3 different screwdrivers and a crash course in swedish instructional artwork. And that ish ain't cool. No wonder they try to sell you cinnamon buns and foreign chocolates as you leave the store--it sweetens the pain. Why they don't do the same as you leave the dentist's office is beyond me. But regardless, I love IKEA for its affordability and designs and will probably be buying some new furniture from them again very soon. read more

This is definitely a trip that would take several hours. It is a maze in here (like all Ikeas). However, be on the look out for short cuts (overhead signs) if you want to get out of there or find the restrooms quickly. The employees here are not really nice, they are not really willing to talk to you or help you unless they're standing at the help computer/desk. If you see an employee walking around or stocking, they're usually not very polite or willing to direct you or answer questions. However, they're in the yellow with blue striped polos so they are easy to spot. This Ikea is easy to get to, right of the NJ Turnpike on exit 13A. There is a giant sign right on the NJ Turnpike on the side of the store so you can't miss it. The lay out is organized, they have all the same types of furniture in their designated areas and in between they set up different rooms in the house so one can get an idea of how to set up the room (bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom) using their furniture. The cool thing is that they also have some studios/one bedroom style apartments set up with the number of square feet on the outside to let you know how much furniture/stuff you can actually fit in the space. That's my favorite part. The thing about Ikea is that the prices are low and the quality is also low. So the saying "you get what you pay for, " really applies here. I know people who had their Ikea furniture "melt" when their house got flooded. So don't expect your furniture to last a life time. However, some stuff are decent and modern looking. read more

Ikea Ikea, well I think Ikea offers you a lot of furniture for a great price, I have to say I bought my room set here, and don't get me wrong I love my room set, but that was before it start to fall apart!! Yes friends IKEA furniture is very poorly made!! so if you want to get nice stuff to decorate your home well this is the place to go, now if you are looking for good furniture that will last you a while well sorry to say don't go to IKEA! BTW John T. I didn't notice fat ppl in the 1st floor at all, I noticed all kind of ppl. read more

I love Ikea. I love the furniture, I love the prices. Why the 3 stars? Shipping. It's impossible for me to love ikea in my own apartment because if I want to spend $120 on the black-brown expedit book case which would look lovely in my apartment and provide the storage space I desperately need, in addition to a place for my books other than my window sills, I have to spend $124 to have it driven to my apartment in Brooklyn. $124 for them to put the box in a truck and drive it (probably along with all of the other things they have to deliver to NYC) to my apt in Prospect Heights. $244 for a book case that is attractive, but far from top of the line (to put it lightly). I love Ikea and I can afford the furniture, but I can't afford the delivery charges and I don't have a car in Brooklyn. No Ikea for me. : ( read more

This review is about the wifi/phone reception problem. We cannot make a phone call inside IKEA at all unless you are in the cafe next to the window. This is very dangerous, as people may lose their family members and want to locate each other using cell phone. They really need to upgrade the wifi system for their customers. Other than that, we love this IKEA, especially the cafe, since you can watch the airplanes take off and land from EWR. read more

I recently came to IKEA Elizabeth with the full intention of furnishing my new apartment with clean and stylish new furniture on the cheap. My ups and downs: + The two IKEA stores I'm most familiar with in New England: New Haven, CT and Stoughton, MA are literal madhouse zoos packed to the brim with people and I'm sure the Brooklyn IKEA is the same way. I came here twice in one week: once late on a weekday night and the second time on a Saturday morning. I am happy to report that this location is much quieter. Parking is really easy; you're easily in the first tier of parking right up front and there is always room for your car to park at the loading deck to load your packages. + Less traffic in the store means more time to really take a look at the furniture in the showroom without someone constantly breathing down your neck. Refreshing! + 3.5% sales tax is really great, especially with all of the major purchases you most likely will be making. - Four words: PICK AND DELIVERY SERVICE. I wish I read Samantha S.'s review before picking up millions of boxes on my own for delivery. If you are going for as much furniture as I was (Desk, TV Stand, Mattress, Couch, Bed Frame), don't be stupid like I was trying to do it all on my own. Absolutely pay the $99.00 for the associates to pick up and deliver your boxes for you. Stupid me, tired with heavy lifting and dragging 5 carts to the register and to the delivery section, started assembling and realized I was missing two essential boxes! I had to go back for the missing pieces and thankfully they fit in my car, but if you can help it, don't attempt trying to do it by yourself because there is a high chance you'll be missing a box or two like I did. - The self-service section is really poor. There are signs all over the place that say if you need assistance, ask an associate and they'll be happy to help you. Problem is that there are very few associates really out on the floor at a given time. I asked for help to one person who said he'd be able to assist me but he disappeared when I tried to find him a few minutes later. They do excel in knowing what aisles items are in though if it is a popular piece. +++ I paid $65.00 to have IKEA deliver my pieces to my apartment in Jersey City, and they got it to me next day in a quick and orderly fashion. I was really satisfied how fast the delivery guys were able to move all of my stuff in and out, and they were really friendly to boot. I highly recommend the delivery service. Overall, IKEA is a great value for your money and a great place to furnish your new home. AND don't forget: if you're buying LOTS of furniture, consider the Pick and Delivery Service!! read more

I've been coming here since I was a wee lad, even when the one on Long Island opened up, we still went to the one in Jersey because the smaller crowd and less traffic actually meant we'd save time. What you might not know about IKEA is that there's a 99 cent breakfast...yes, that's right, less than a buck!!! And it's pretty good. I'd eat three of them if I could. The location is tricky. The last time I went there, my cousin was wondering why I was going to Jersey (she only knew about the LI store) and after stopping for directions twice in between the exit and the store, I started wondering myself. Somehow I'm snake bitten when trying to find it from the north side of the turnpike, next time I go, I may go to Brooklyn and go around to Staten Island just so I can find it more easily....ah, driving in Jersey..... Anyway, aside from the good eats and the cheap hot dogs at the end (the nice warm feeling interrupted by the how the hell I'm going to fit the stuff I bought into my car), I find IKEA grossly overrated. That's right, I said it!!! It's great for finding standard things like book cases or desk lights and the marketplace has a lot of helpful inexpensive things for around the house. Still, have you ever been to someone's house who bought everything at IKEA? Yeah, kinda weird.... Also, I never really find it to be that much more inexpensive than a regular furniture store in the 'burbs. Oh and the returns dept. is terrible....the DMV is a more enjoyable experience. That's right, three stars.....I said it. Now I'll see if I can make it through the rest of the day without being struck down by lightning. read more

Since I moved into my new place, Ikea has been my steady addiction. I really love all the cheap crap they sell, and it makes my apartment look cool, but what to do with all those cardboard boxes? The last fort I built out of them was ruined in the rain. Seriously, though... go there early, or on a weekend, and don't linger too long. They rarely have more than a few registers open, and it is a slow kind of murder, watching people try to use the self-checkout lanes. read more

Good ole Ikea. There couldn't have been a better place to put it than Elizabeth, a poor city but also a magnet for the surrounding cheap suburbanites. You really can't beat the prices; most times Walmart can't even compare to the inexpensiveness of their household items. Not only that, but everything is super trendy, innovative, and modern...you can barely resist getting a cart and staying a while. But remember--it's still Elizabeth. You might see a WWF throwdown with a weaved and bedazzled Afro-hispanic mom and a beyond apathetic cashier "just doing her job." And that's okay, because here in the Land of the Poor and Cheap we don't care who's around, just as long as we get our deals. read more

Ikea you lost one star after I went to Bob's... otherwise you would have been a 4.... OK so we all kind of grow up and move into our own place, hopefully, and usually that journey starts with IKEA... The IKEA in NY is one of the biggest I have went to, one problem make sure your car is HUGE.. I can't tell you how many times I came and had to call people to come pick up left over stuff... or in general whatever I bought didn't fit in whatever vehicle I came in... It is always such a protect fitting everything in. Plan on having a lot of time to go through the store. I would recommend looking through the online catalog before you actually step foot in the store. You will get an idea of small things (that may go unnoticed if you hadn't seen the catalog) that you want to further check out. MEN, if you hate shopping this will not be the place for you, so many rooms, so many different themes, so many sofas to try.. than again so many places to take a short nap.. *unless your with your significant other who may fight with you about why you don't care what color the rug will be under the chair.. or along those lines. The staff isn't very friendly, they are young, care about texting their friends than answering your questions about book shelves. It is clearly a part-time job that most of them do not care about in the least so don't expect the welcome wagon to greet you at the door. IKEA has some beautiful products.. but prepared to go home and work.. I mean an annoying type of work... involving arguing, tiny pieces, struggle, fighting, confusion with the wordless directions However if you insist on going to IKEA over BOB"S FURNITRURE.. go to this one instead of the one in Brooklyn.... read more

I was watching Cake Boss and my boyfriend pointed out that our awesome IKEA dining room table is the same table Cake Boss has in his waiting room. Apparently Cake Boss is cheap just like me! I think both IKEA and I just got cool factor by association. I mean, have you seen how long the line is 24/7 outside Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken? Exactly! Seriously. IKEA is the greatest store ever. They have already aced gourmet by having restaurants that open before the furniture portions themselves. You can get your energy up with some Swedish meatballs and princess cake and then shop till you drop. If you get real tired, maybe take a nap on a sofa. If anyone asks, just say you need to really see if this couch is compatible with the level of comfort you need for good quality of sleep, which most Americans don't get anyway. Healthy is important. And then if that wasn't enough on the IKEA is so awesome factor, on the way out you can pick up some pre-made goods, heat them up at home, and pretend that you are the master of cooking all things Scandinavian. Hey, Mrs. Doubtfire did it and she/he won her kids back in the end. All they need to is start expanding into fashion and beauty and I'll die a happy, but perhaps no longer cheap, girl. read more

What's great about this location is that they almost always have in stock items that the Brooklyn Red Hook Ikea doesn't. For ex: I was actually able to find 2 of the Ikea PS Cabinet (lockers in light blue) that are never in stock in Brooklyn. Also, their staff actually restocks everything every day it seems so whereas I had to go back several times to get 4 Samla large plastic containers in Brooklyn, at this Ikea, there are plenty to be had. I also think this one might be larger than the Brooklyn one as I've seen products here that aren't carried at the Brooklyn one at all. I've also used their delivery system and for $70, they delivered into my living room (up 2 flights of stairs), almost 400lbs worth of Ikea furniture/rugs. They gave me a 3 hour window that same day and arrived right in the middle of that window. Lastly, the locked lockers all the way at the end of the loading area (after you've checked out and exited Ikea) are a great idea. If you are shopping by yourself and have a full cart, you can lock everything into one of these storage units while you go get the car. read more

I heart IKEA! See the thing is, I live in a city type area. Lots of apartments, two family dwellings, and condo's. When you live in a shared space it makes moving incredibly difficult. In the past I was once forced to leave behind a huge almost new refrigerator behind when moving.. I know we got it in the apt but we just could not get it out. The hallway was awkward in the building and our actual front door was smaller than usual. And during another move I had to leave my sectional. Ikea is ultimately what resolved this issue for me. Let's just say that there furniture is kind of disposable in a sense. It is definitely more affordable than other furniture I have purchased. The furniture has a really cool contemporary look. Also dope... you walk through Ikea with a ruler, pencil, and jot paper and note everything you like. Then when you finally choose and purchase you get to go to the warehouse and get your item by yourself! I love a challenge. Now, here are the catches. The furniture comes dis-assembled and they don't deliver. And try to take the stuff apart and put it back together and it becomes very unstable. A lot of their furniture is made of particle board which loses it integrity once you hammer it or drill it more than once. But my dolla dolla loves Ikea. I love the little market. You can get dishes, cutlery, and what I find to be quality drinking glasses at a very cheap price. For apartment dwellers it just makes sense. It doesn't matter how big the couch is? It comes in a box. Now, location? It's a real puta to get to. It's past Jersey Gardens Mall in Port Elizabeth. Just very industrial and confusing. But it is also right across from a Toys R Us which I love. I can reward/bribe my kids to behave in the "oh so boring" Ikea with a stroll in Toys R Us. If you aren't driving don't try to take the bus to the mall and then walk to Ikea. It's really dangerous for a walker. All kinds of reckless drivers and large trucks. Just pony up and call a cab. read more

Customer service here is the worst I've ever experienced! Came here to purchase a quick gift. This location has the laziest employees; huddled for an hour while I waited for three small items. This is what ikea's employees get paid to do on company time. Furniture is great but I'll continue to purchase from another location: Ikea in NYC and New Haven, CT. Have MUCH better employees. read more

IKEA - IKEA's employees working hard on company's time. The two circled in red did not want to inform me who was the supervisor. AN HOUR TALKING! - Furniture Stores Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

The store is fabulous, but was a bit messy when we came. The meatballs in the food court are a must for every visit. Don't let the amazing Cinnabon smell pull you in when checking out, they smell amazing but aren't worth the calories. read more

IKEA - Meatballs! - Furniture Stores Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

Not good service at all! Employees seem annoyed when you ask them a question! Don't even try to return something! You stand on line forever as employees smugly work as slowly as possible!!! No thank you. I'll pay higher price elsewhere. Also the headboard we purchased on full side bed frame was scratched. The screws were missing as someone probably used and returned it. Very bad service and poor quality control. Never again IKEA! You lost a customer! read more

Horrible customer service! No real management available! Considering this is a Swedish company my expectations were higher than what I experienced. I have been buying at this location for years, never returned anything. A friend purchased a gift worth over $260 for me that didn't fit in my home, they refused to issue a credit although tags were attached!! The employees in this location are rude and lazy, they don't want to help in any way. Take your time and go elsewhere, drive up to Paramus if you have to. read more

Terrible!!! DO NOT EVER use their delivery service Urban express ! After hours spent on the phone and being stood up 3 times I still don't have the furniture I bought 3 weeks ago! I'll pass on the detail and how frustrating it is to have to call them an know in advance that you will NEVER get anybody on the phone before waiting 1HOUR listening to some stupid elevator music!!! Who is going to pay for my missing furniture and my phone bill ? I have spent more than 10 hours on the phone with them this month and the issue is still not resolved! read more

I love going to Ikea!!! My friends and I just enjoy... hanging out inside. We sit on all the couches, hang out in the rooms, lay on every bed, open every cupboard... it's just fun! I came to this one for cheap frames for an art show - It took us two hours to get there from Manhattan. We got lost, and when you get lost, you have to backtrack and it wastes an hour. The location is pretty annoying. It's also a complete wasteland... but whatevs, ikea makes me happy. There was one great moment as we sat down to eat our meatballs and I exclaimed "It feels so good to get out of Manhattan and into nature!" as we looked out the window at the vast concrete jungle of parking lots, expressways, and airport. aaah, love it. AGH delicious food so cheap. I also ordered a lot of my furniture from this location when I moved here, and everything is still working fine. Shipped great, was easy to put together. Nothing has fallen apart or gotten dented or anything. Surprising, but awesome. read more

Definitely a fan of coming here early on a Sunday morning. Sure, it's always going to be crowded, but I was able to browse the showroom at a reasonable pace without being overwhelmed (or knocked over by little kids). The cafeteria line is pretty slow but it's always a good idea to grab some food before you tackle the showrooms and self service. The layout is pretty standard and I didn't have a hard time finding what I needed. I'm pretty sure I didn't miss a thing..I got everything I came for and then some! The only annoying thing that happened: I noticed my bookshelf was actually banged up a little after I paid for it but returns were super easy (as long as you don't mind waiting a few minutes). Really great customer service. I really like the designs of some of their more high end furniture but I also don't mind the cheaper pieces. You can find some dirt cheap options that are sturdy enough to last you quite awhile, and you won't feel bad about getting rid of them if you move. I will absolutely keep this location in mind for my apartment furnishing needs. read more

If I were rating this business as a contraceptive, I would have given it 6 stars. Walk by the kids furniture section and you will see what I am talking about. It's like the parents leave their kids there to run around while they escape to drink spiked Swedish crack-berry juice. They are out of control, there are too many of them, and your will power is tested repeatedly as you try to refrain yourself from kicking them. As a store, I would rate it a 3.5. It has some great selection for furniture, especially if you are on a budget. I was able to buy a bookshelf for my basement (yes I have one of those) and even customize the color and the glass door designs. The place where I find myself spending most of my time and money is the lower floor with the kitchen accessories, pictures, lamps, and plants. The cafeteria is nice. Meatballs, crackberry juice, salmon, hot dogs - what more do you need? The reason that I rate it a 3.5 and not a 4 is that it gets very crowded, despite the fact that they opened one in Brooklyn. Also, they tend to to be lousy at restocking items of which they run out. I've been trying to find this wine rack for months and every time I am there, they are out. read more

After my West Elm debacle I decided to return to an old favorite much like dialing that booty call. Since it is about 7 months until IKEA Red Hook opens its doors my friend and I made the journey to the 3 1/2% tax zone in Elizabeth. I had not been to IKEA since about 2000 and I certainly had not been there on A Saturday night. Rest assured if you go there on a Saturday night you will not be alone-families, hipsters, couples, couples fighting-the whole nine yards. Everyone decided that they needed some Swedish pre-fab furniture. After having a dubious experience with the famous Billy bookshelves I opted for the Marlowe-these shelves-are actually made of solid pieces of wood unlike Billy who is made of press-board or how a Scottish plummer once told me "sawdust glued together" The check out area was a three ring circus but we talked to the guy standing behind us about aliens and the whole 2012 Mayan calendar thing. The shelves arrived pretty quickly from the warehouse we threw them in the car and assembled them-or more like I watched as my pal assembled them. I was bummed because the cafeteria was packed so now apple cake-I LOVE the apple cake!! read more

Love ikea...hate this store. The store was overwhelmingly crowded with rude people. This review goes more towards the friends at the cafe. They could not have been more inept/rude and downright mean. I understand your life is pathetic and horrible and that you wished you studied harder in school or actually gave a crap about life but seriously, would it be that hard to provide some kind of decent service? All workers i met with were rude and unhelpful. I wanted meatballs with veggies instead of potatoes and was told no. I get to the checkout and the person there basically rolled her eyes the entire time. Food is good, service complete and utter crap. read more

I hate this place. I go because I love my wife and she needs me to carry stuff for her. I hate that they have arrows on the ground that direct you through their entire facility forcing you to look at every single Ikea fabricated dream room. My house will never look like that. I hate that all their shopping carts have one busted wheel. I think that's intentional so you have to plod through at a grueling pace. I hate that when you finally buy all your junk you have to pull your car to the loading area because they won't let you pull the carts (even with the busted wheel) out into the parking lot. Why the three stars and not a one star review? Well, the furniture is cheap. I've furnished my house with the damnable items. Also Swedish meatballs. They make everything a little better. Get them with the lingonberry sauce. I know it sounds weird, but the tangy, sweet jelly goes well with the savory meatballs. In the way out, treat yourself to an impulse buy and grab a soft serve cone for 75 cents. (Yes under a dollar you can fill your sweet tooth craving)! read more

Most of the employees nowadays all have the same character/attitude issues anywhere. Since the employers specially THE BIG ONES don't care about their employees, so in return why would the employees care about their work performance. I do enjoy their CAFE/RESTAURANT. AFFORDABLE AND MODERATELY GOOD FOOD. You do get bad service but that's what you get nowadays everywhere that's probably why more consumers are shopping online. Don't expect SERVICE WITH A SMILE ATTITUDE NOWADAYS SO YOU DON'T GET UPSET!!!!! read more

IKEA is IKEA, so I'm not going to comment on the generic IKEA things that are the same from store to store. I'm used to going to the Brooklyn location and adore it. This location offers a lot less in terms of wardrobes - I would say they have about a quarter of what the Brooklyn one has. The bookshelves are also quite scarce. However, they do have more of different types of glasses at the Marketplace, which is nice, AND - all of the food at the checkout area! Not just chocolate bars and cookies, but a frozen and refrigerated section, different kinds of cider, and five different kinds of jam. Nom. On the huge downside, the guys that are hanging out outside for the sole purpose of helping you with your cart and to load things do not do that at all. I'm a pretty small girl and I was struggling with ten huge heavy boxes, trying to load it into a van. I was with a friend, but we were visibly struggling. One of the guys was walking past, stopped, said "You got it? Yeah, you got it." and kept going. I don't know how it could look to anyone that I was in control of the box that was obviously crushing me, but I suppose laziness could make you hallucinate. Bottom line - love IKEA and their products, not a huge fan of customer service at this location. read more

If you know exactly what you want from Ikea, then hitting up this location in Elizabeth will probably work for you. I generally shop at Ikea when I want a "disposable" piece of furniture and am trying to save some money, so the 3.5% sales tax is a nice bonus. If you're going to this Ikea without a plan though, be prepared to be surrounded by misbehaving children, even worse adults (no problem running their strollers into my pregnant wife), and inconsistent at best customer service. This is also a pretty large Ikea, and once you're in, you're expected to navigate basically every section. So make sure you have your walking shoes on. Also, if you're not familiar with Elizabeth, just know that this isn't the nicest area to be in. They used to have a pretty serious problem with auto theft in the parking lot, although the last few times I've been there, I've seen an obvious police presence. read more

I have been to many, many IKEA's and this one is just like the others in that way that it has all of the same things, same room set-ups, etc. The thing that makes this one different is how rude the employees are, how their stock is always low and how dirty it always looks. I expect a lot from IKEA, although I have no idea why. It's not like I have strong opinions about particle board furniture, but the brand demands that it maintain a certain image. I mean, it's Skandinavian, right? That right there just screams 'clean and neat.' Having said that, this store is anything but. More stock, friendlier employees and maybe a nice dusting would go a long way. read more

I love this place. I can live here, actually...hmm...idea...no rent either, and lots of swedish meatballs. anyway. Interesting note: IKEA actually belongs to a danish not for profit. there was a cool article in the economist about it a few months ago. yes, i like articles about the business model IKEA follows, bite me. Most of my furniture has come from here for years, and I usually make a point to visit IKEA in every country/state I go to. So far: CT, NY, NJ, Germany, Spain. It's the lingonberry juice and the swedish meatballs, I tell you. This is not my favorite location. Maybe because it's so close to Newark Airport, maybe because it's in New Jersey, but I like the Long Island location more. This one is convenient, but it's just not 5 star. read more

As a former resident of Ikeatown, Michigan (aka Canton, Michigan), Ikea is a big deal. As a new resident of Manhattan, Ikea... is a big deal... only because I needed cheap furniture that I pray won't fall apart in the first year. That's the problem though.. Ikea furniture, despite what it claims, looks like its about to fall apart. Hopefully my Poang chair doesn't though. I like saying Poang, and if I had to say my Poang chair fell apart, I might be sad. Well let me tell you about the Ikea experience. If you have been living under a rock for the past several years, you have probably never been to or heard of (!? -- I would go get yourself checked out if you don't know what Ikea is) Ikea. Well it's a wonderful magic place where Swedish people decided to make furniture -- some strange, colorful and wonderful -- and gave them all weird names. For instance, Poang. Well this Ikea in Elizabeth is nice because it's actually open on Sundays... unlike it's unfriendly blue-lawed Ikea cousin to the North (damn you Paramus Ikea! Damn you!). The other good thing about Elizabeth Ikea is that the tax is like 3.2% (check the website, I forget the exact percentage). There's plenty of parking on a regular surface... not like the several-layered garage at Paramus. You go in, go upstairs to the showroom.. then go downstairs to their marketplace then check out. The good -- cheap on taxes, same Ikea items as other Ikea stores, open Sundays, relatively good location (if you don't live near an Ikea and REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to go... you could just fly into Newark Airport, cross the freeway, shop at Elizabeth Ikea, then cross the freeway again, hop back on a plane and go your merry way). The bad -- package pickup blows here. I waited a good chunk of time for my stuff to come out -- when at most other Ikeas, you just get it yourself in the self-service area; they have the same low-quality crap you'd get at other Ikeas. Although I'm a fan of their low-quality crap, if you want something nice, go to Ethan Allen or Macy's (or wherever New Yorkers go for furniture... I don't know, I'm basically poor). Ok, this was long. read more

In the past 2 months, I passed bye this huge furniture store and finally made a pit stop. You will get lost and forget what you were looking for until you find about half a dozen choices to choose from throughout the many showrooms. Ikea has pencils and papers you can use to find the product you want. Since it was my first time in any Ikea (I've only seen this place on commercials...you know the lil VW Rabbit with furniture stacked 12 feet high), I went right up to a computer terminal and started looking for prices. As I found what I was looking for within a minute, 2 other customers came up and asked for help. I sheepishly told them, "Sorry, I don't work here." They looked at me and wondered why I was on a computer terminal at Ikea. A posh-wanna-be employee behind me asked, "Excuse me sir?" I turned and was like, "Oh, sorry man, this is my first time here. I was looking for....uh....this product." He was surprised to see that I was able to use his terminal and corrected me, "Nobody is allowed to use this terminal but employees. How did you find this?" 'Um, I don't know. I just know how to make my way through programs.' So I found a shelf unit for $50. Wasn't anything fancy, just basic wood n brass hardware. But I was allowed to use my truck courtesy of my supervisor. So I HAD to get something. As I was working my way to the next help desk at the recieving department, I found candles that I would buy a few pay checks down the road. I found a computer desk I would get by this summer. I found a rug that I would replace in my room that had the same rug that I don't even want to know how many other tenants used before me. Before you make it to the exit, they have a self serve furniture department that had blow out priced items for various reasons. My room is white with a blue rug on concrete and my stand up drawer is wood, my tv stand (end table) is wood, and I found a shelf unit that I could build myself which was white with a wood finish door. Regular priced $100 was on for $25. So I abandoned my $50 list and loaded the 2 boxes onto my shoulder and headed to the self check-out by the exit. I zapped the 2 boxes, swiped my credit card. Boom. Was out of there. People looked as they pushed their boxes on fancy carts and wondered why I didn't have a cart. But I made it to the next parking lot outside the furniture warehouse (which is a separate building from the showroom store) and couldn't believe the discounted price I bought this at. I felt like I STOLD it. "So this is what a thief feels like." I brought it home and assembled it. Realizing that not all hardware was included. No worries. Home Depot in The Bronx will have what I need. I went back a few days later (upon approval once again by my supervisor) and made my way through and found the sheets and blankets I will get in a few more pay checks, and a few towels I will get for the summer, and found a bunch of boxed shelf units and only 3 wood finished door boxes. So I picked up 2 more of each. I will be making my own entertainment unit out of this which will impress.....whomever makes it behind the closed door.....j/k!!!! Live! In South Bronx!!! For under $75, I was able to pick up 3 units that would cost me over $300 from any other furniture outlet. Since I worked as a repo man for a furniture store in my past, I know the price of such items. For ANYTHING you need for your room? Head out to New Jersey on 95 South and get off Exit 13a (not 13...13a), and make sure you have a vehicle big enough to compensate. They do have a bus shuttle to New York that leaves at 4:30pm. The only reason why I know this is because they announce it so the not so well dressed people could hurry to check out as the better dressed people roll their eyes and think, "Why?" read more