I had every reason in the world to not enjoy IKEA, the Fishers, Indiana location of the cultishly popular Swedish-founded superstore known for self-assemble furniture and other items that are high quality yet surprisingly affordable.
First, IKEA is huge. I'm in a wheelchair and typically alone - thus, I tend to get exhausted and shopping for larger items in such a situation is a major pain.
Secondly, IKEA is crowded. I mean really crowded. Indiana has wanted an IKEA for a long time and Indiana is still seriously responding to IKEA's opening in the area that is about 30 minutes north of Indy.
Thirdly, and somewhat embarrassingly, my gifts for self-assemble kind of resemble my gifts for walking. I have 0% of a tech brain.
What happened? I took an unexpectedly warm January Sunday afternoon with no real obligations and ventured up to Fishers. You know your business is a major player when the street's name is changed to match your business - IKEA Way. However, you can rest assured that Lantern Road will get you there.
The parking lot is huge and the parking lot was packed. Being disabled paid off a bit in this situation as there's two long rows of accessible parking directly in front of the main entrance. The spots are all ADA compliant and I believe they were all van accessible with some very specifically saying it. It's also nice that they have a sidewalk between the two sides - meaning that those with mobility impairments or in chairs don't have to walk in the street.
I'd love to thoroughly describe IKEA, but upon this first visit I can honestly say I couldn't begin to tell you how to make your way through the place. Essentially, all the different sections are numbered from 1-26 and you keep following your way through the store visiting one of the most delightful, immersive showrooms I've seen. It occurred to me at one point that because you really only have outside windows in the cafe area and toward the checkout area, you really get a sense of being immersed in IKEA. I quickly wasn't looking at clocks or looking for windows or thinking about leaving - I was enjoying the shopping experience.
Rather than try to describe the rooms, let me tell you what I loved:
1) The accessibility is amazing here - seriously. They have wheelchairs available and while I won't say every specific area/room is perfectly accessible, I was amazed at how much this place was accessible even with a crowd. Is a huge place? Absolutely. You need to plan for that, but if you're in a wheelchair you can easily find your way around.
2) As packed as this place was? It was surprisingly stress-free. Baby cries? You hear it, but it's not piercing like in most stores. People talking? You hear them, but you can do your own thing and I found it all rather peaceful.
3) Because it's lower stress? I'd dare say that customers are friendlier. Of course, there's always exceptions. But, seriously...I was amazed at the courtesy.
4) The pricing has something for every budget - sure, there's high-end stuff here. But, I literally shopped for three hours and spent five bucks on my first visit for a candle, a pack of batteries, and one of their bags. I found lots more I wanted, but I wanted to do some planning first.
5) Employees - you know how godawful the HHGregg folks were? Intrusive, high-pressure? It's just the opposite here. They are casual, friendly, well-informed and quietly present. You know them by their shirts and name tags, but not a single time did I feel pressured.
6) They don't just "sell," but they help explain the practical side of their items. I mean, sure, they want to make a profit. But you get a "people" vibe here - not a "profit" vibe.
7) The cafe is very cool and has been described in many reviews. I visited it, but didn't get anything this time.
8) Bathrooms are all wheelchair friendly and, I've never seen this before, the disabled stall has a "medical emergency" button at the commode. How freaking brilliant is that?
They offer an IKEA Family Card that is free and comes with special perks (like a free coffee/tea) and discounts; they offer a play area for kids and for inept folks like me they do offer, for a fee, delivery and assembly.
What didn't I like? It was a minor issue, but I found the check-out process slow and tedious and a little too close to Aldi's for my liking. They are friendly and helpful, but the lines are long (but again, relatively stress free) and you definitely need to be prepared for a lack of plastic bags. Europe is way ahead of the U.S. on this issue.
While I may not have spent a fortune today, I definitely fell in love with the place and the experience. As a customer with a disability, I felt like this was a place I could easily go and really immerse myself in the experience. Wouldn't it be cool if they did something like start a companion shopper program for shoppers with disabilities? That would really make it easier, but there's so much to love here and I can't wait to go back. read more