If you've been to an Ikea, any Ikea, you pretty much know what Ikea is all about....no real surprises regarding the merchandise, cost, etc. I'm not going to bore you with all the details of a day shopping. What I am going to do, is present to you the differences and, dare I say, improvements, that this Ikea has over others that I have visited, as well as a tip or two:
1. There's no need to grab a cart right away unless you really want to; there will be an opportunity later....
2. Sign up for the Friends and Family Membership, especially if you enjoy free cups of coffee (membership is free!)
3. All the vignettes are at the beginning of the store. There are a few items here and there to grab, if you want to, but the vignettes are actually there to show you the many different ways several items can be used.
4. The restaurant is in the middle of the one way path Ikea directs you on.....just in time for resting your feet and filling up your belly before filling up your cart.
5. There are tons....TONS of carts right outside the restaurant....grab a snack or a meal and then grab a cart.
6. All the REAL shopping begins after the restaurant, so get ready to fill that cart you just grabbed. Missed the F&F Membership kiosks? There are some outside the restaurant area....sign up, already!
7. Follow the path, grabbing things along the way, and as you approach the registers, look to the right...the groceries are next to, not across from, the check outs! What? No crossing through registers and paying at the Bistro? Nope! Grab your meatballs and get in line!
8. All that zigging and zagging? You just walked a mile....Ikea got you to exercise, sucker....HA!
9. The pièce de résistance? SHOPPING CART CORRALS IN THE PARKING LOT!!!!! Yes, I meant to shout that! I can take all the stuff that I just bought and can't pronounce directly to my car; get in the trunk, Lurgenhoevenbiskeln! Can you even understand how awesome it is to NOT have to fight everyone else for a loading spot at the building?!?!? Unless you've shopped at Schaumburg, I don't think you can!
10. Ikea has put not-so-hidden doors throughout the vignettes so that once you have the layout of the store memorized, you can cut through the vignettes and get on with the shopping....other locations have these hidden doors too, but when you use them, you actually miss whole departments......
Sorry, not sorry, but I am a die hard Ikea fan. I'm not crazy enough to line up at 5 or even 9 am, but I am crazy enough to show up on opening day, and I'm glad I did! Parking was a breeze by early afternoon, the store was bustling, but easy to navigate and see everything, and the checkout lines weren't long at all. This being opening week, I would probably avoid the store on the weekend, but during the week, you shouldn't have any problems.
I heart you, IKEA, and I don't care who knows it!
18/2018 read more