IKEA Stoughton

12/30/2012

Ugh, not that IKEA needs more reviews, but I may as well. Its ok. I mean, if you like cheap modern furniture that may or may not fall apart or expand with moisture then great, IKEA is the place..which we all know.

I did score a rug on clearance with an extra 10% off because it was a Wednesday so yay, but not too happy that a piece of furniture I wanted was on a 4 week backorder. Unacceptable for a huge chain like IKEA.

5/1/2012

Ikea, sorry to say but my love for you is over. We don't spend time together as we once did. The excitement just isn't there for me anymore. I'll keep you in mind if I ever need to decorate in a hurry. I would have given you 5 stars if I was writing reviews years ago. After buying some of your furniture and having it fall apart with those screws popping out, not being able to fix them unless I had the special tool that came with it, I'm a bit wary about buying your furniture.

I'm giving 3 stars because I love the cinnamon buns, hotdogs, swedish meatballs and ice cream. For that reason I will occasionally visit you.

If I was yelping back in our glory, I would have held the Dukedom for check-ins at Ikea.

If you need temporary furniture, I guess Ikea would be ok. I still have curtains hanging that I bought there years ago. Speaking of, I should change the ones in my son's room. He's outgrown zoo animals.

While watching Nickelodeon and Disney tv shows with my son, we see a lot of things from Ikea being used on the shows. It looks good but a lot of the stuff I bought there didn't last long.

The plants they sell have stunted growth syndrome. They don't die, they just don't grow. I have plants that I bought there when they 1st opened that are the same size as when I bought them.

7/15/2013

I could spend all day here.  Well, maybe two hours.  Plan to eat in the cafe, food is actually good and the prices are crazy-cheap.   The smoked salmon is the yummiest I've ever had.

8/19/2012

Ikea is an institution. 3.5 stars instead of 4, since I'm smarting from a bed slats issue.. more on that later.

It's fun just to take a trip to gaze at museum-like "exhibits" of modern furniture... except you can touch and buy the "art." There are shortcuts, but otherwise, you're led through the store (organized by room type)  with a series of floor arrows.

There's also Swedish foods and treats at the upstairs restaurant (directly to left at top of escalator) and snack area (after the cash registers at the exit). All taxes already included in prices!

Snack area features 50 cent hot dogs, $1 cinnamon buns, vanilla soft serve cones, soda, and pizza. On one trip, we opted for the $2.50 combo of a pizza slice and a soda. Then we tacked on a $1 cinnamon bun. This was probably the cheapest meal I've eaten since moving to Massachusetts (and pretty tasty despite the price hinting that it could have gone the other way). There's about 4 tables though, so not much room for sitting.

The restaurant upstairs offers more rounded meal options (and way more seating)- swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, side salads, smoked salmon, chocolate cake, apple cake.... it's interesting... but just ok. But again, decently priced if you've dragged your extended family to form a caravan to haul your goods. The snack foods toward the exit are not present at the restaurant.

There's also a limited grocery-type section of store (separate registers on the sides past the furniture part registers) including frozen, condiments, cookies, chocolates... I was excited about the spicy ginger thins! Yum!

As for the furniture, pretty solid! But, even though they are good about marking most pieces as "box 1 of 2", etc.. and indicated we needed a main beam for our new bed frame that was in a different location (but included in price)... bed slats are apparently not considered by Ikea to be a part of a bed frame... and are sold separately. Ikea does include tools that can help you put together your furniture (eg. an allen wrench, a two in one screwdriver)... but you can significantly expedite your assembly process by borrowing a drill from someone if you don't own one.

If you pick up and assemble your purchase (or if assembly is not required- also a bunch of interesting knick knacks), then the prices are excellent. There's also a service called Home Delivery, which lowers the price by you picking the item from the "warehouse" are, but adds on a fee for delivery service. However, you can also have them pick and deliver the item for you (for two fees).

7/2/2013

Nothing wrong with it but it is just an IKEA... nice enough but they are all the same... always packed with too many people and not necessarily the nicest people to help you.. Hard to find staff to ask questions.  Fine selection... I would return.

5/15/2013

This wasn't my first trip to IKEA, but this was my first trip that included a lunch at their in-house cafeteria. So I figured I'd leave a review on that. It was a Sunday middle of the day, on our way back from New Hampshire for a weekend getaway. We stopped in to get a bookshelf for my three-year-old's room, Ended up picking up about 400 other little things I never knew I needed at the same time.  And since we were there right around the lunch hour, it only seemed obvious to stop and get some Swedish meatballs. Of course, the lady at the entrance handing out samples of Swedish meatballs Helped make our decision. The cafeteria was packed, but the lines moved quick, and the food was hot, and very affordable.  Those Europeans do things the right way!

9/25/2012

I'm from Brazil and I always heard friends say that the store is amazing! Always wanted to go and yesterday my dream finally came true!!

I just loved the store! The prices are unbelievable (specially for me since I'm used to Brazil's RIDICULOUS prices for everything), and the furniture is pretty ok, they're not the best in the world but they get the job done. And they're also pretty, there lots of nice stuff, you can totally furnish an entire house there. That's amazing.

I was also very impressed with the food, it was delicious and very cheap! Another great thing is the delivery time, they offer to deliver your stuff the next day!!! How come?? So fast!

So if you're looking for honest furniture with reasonable prices that's the place! Specially if you have a car cause it's really far from Boston by public transportation.

9/19/2006

Having grown up in Sweden IKEA (pronounced ick-eeah by Swedes) has always been a staple for furniture needs.  Growing up as a kid I had an IKEA bunk bed, and of course BILLY, the bookshelf.

Essentially, IKEA is a furniture store that strives to sell trendy and space saving furniture for a lot less than other furniture stores.  They do this by having you walk through their showrooms, note down the part names (every piece of furniture and decorative item has its own name, most of them funny if you know Swedish, like the desk lamp named "MORKER" which means darkness in Swedish) and their warehouse locations on a little slip of paper (reminiscent of the paper slips you get when eating dim sum).  You then proceed to the warehouse where you get your furniture boxes from the shelf locations yourself, and proceed to the checkout.

The furniture is of the "assemble yourself" variety and despite many jokes in Swedish literature about needing 8 arms, and 12 missing parts to assemble it, it is usually surprisingly easy to assemble, with all the hardware, (and even monkey wrenches) you need right in the box.

The above explanation applies to IKEA in Sweden.  Here in the U.S. it needs a few more lines.

IKEA seem to have used their Swedish heritage as their marketing strategy in the U.S.  This is evident in everything from the IKEA logo (blue and yellow in the U.S. mimicking the Swedish flag) to the food they serve in the cafeteria as well as little signs explaining words in Swedish dispersed about the store (Like the "Hej da!" sign near the exit, with the explanation that this means goodbye in Swedish.

This may seem a little bit cheesy, but to people who grew up in Sweden like myself it is a treasure trove.

For very little money in the cafeteria I can enjoy Swedish foods I haven't eaten since I left Sweden almost 10 years ago.  They even have a mini food section stocked with Swedish cookies, meatballs, herring, salmon and  many other Swedish foods you can bring home and cook yourself.

I happen to have been in nostalgic paradise, but this could be a fun experience even for non-Swedes as experimenting with other cultures foods is always a blast.

Now for the scary part.  The latest news is that IKEA has gotten into the market of selling pre-fab homes...

8/5/2010

Ok, I was here the first day it opened. November somethingth 2006. My friend, I tells ya, it was pandemonium. Old ladies beat the shit out of hippies to get at the cheap Grundtal towel racks. The cops had to regroup for cinnamon rolls at the Bistro before they could plunge back into the traffic nightmare. Holy Jesus Christ. I've seen soccer riots in England that are more orderly.

I'm from Los Angeles, where we've had Ikea for a good 25 years. We Angelenos don't go all apeshit over Ikea anymore. And it seems, in the four years since Stoughton opened its massive doors, Bostonians have mellowed on Ikea too. Thank god. I can actually navigate through here without losing my sanity.

I'm going to skip the showrooms and the marketplace. Honestly. Go read the other reviews. It's all there. (I will, however, echo Liz D.'s very true observation that if you want to test a marriage or relationship, this is the place to do it. Be careful, though, or else your sig. other may stab you in the cheek with one of those little but pointy pencils. And the yellow shirted staff don't know no first aid, hey?)

No, I want to review the FOOD. Yeah, the food. You see, I've had my fair share of meals at Ikea. I don't know why...there's no logical reason for it, but I have. Why would anyone think it's a good idea to eat here? The smell alone from the cafeteria should give one pause. It's a meaty smell, with undertones of sawdust and burnt toast.

The food is, well, foodlike. Mac and cheese is dyed a shocking canary yellow and looks like it should take like creamy Cheese Nirvana. It tastes like...nothing. Buttery lumps. Chicken fingers and fries fill the stomach and taste ok doused in honey mustard (surprisingly good honey mustard...do they ship it in from nearby Town Spa?) or ketchup, but they sit in the stomach like a lead weight and promise to induce vomitting once you get down to the parking lot. Today I had the pasta marinara with the meatballs and garlic bread. You know, it wasn't half bad! The pasta and sauce didn't taste like anything, but I can see why people get addicted to the meatballs. Tasty morsels of...animal matter, nicely spiced and roll-y. Kudos on the garlic bread: someone back in the "kitchen" knows how to spread that garlic butter REAL good.

Lingonberries are something that Ikea made up. They are not real.  It's some sort of Swedish joke that they play on unsuspecting Americans.

Order dessert at your own risk. Or save it for the cinnamon rolls down stairs, which are only ok compared to Cinnabon. AVOID THE FROZEN YOGURT. It looks yummy and is a steal at only $1 for a pile, but it comes in only one flavor: white. And white tastes like shit on a waffle cone. Try a chocolate bar, or as I like to call it, brown soap.

The cafeteria layout is bewildering. Try to get through here: there's no straight path and you'll knock over running kids and 50 grandmas eating mashed potatoes to get to a table. I like the self-busing idea, but many people are slobs and leave a mess anyway.

The people working at the cafeteria are assholes, from the surly kitchen servers who throw the plates at you to the silent but deadly geriatric cashiers who will overcharge you for everything.  It's a real contrast from the rest of the Ikea staff, who seems generally well-disposed and helpful.

So why eat at Ikea? Because you just spend four fucking hours in the showroom trying to decide between the red Klippan and the black Klippan, and your yellow bag is full of shit you don't need and you're ready to murder your spouse and kids and you'd gnaw your own arm off for SOMETHING to level your depleted blood sugar. Arise, yon sweet cream-sauced meatballs!

3/15/2009

I hate this place.

My husband and I went here today to look at lights for our new apartment and were completely overwhelmed by the entire fucking experience.

You can't just pick up and leave unless you can tackle a salesperson (who will inevitably be more interested in telling a customer what a Kupleterger is and how it will improve their life), who may point you towards one of the "short-cuts" in the store. Otherwise, you've got to push  your way through the hordes of people moving at the pace of drugged cattle to get to the exits, canvassing the entire damn place in the process.

This is not good for someone like me, who has chemical sensitivities which were set off by the massive amounts of out-gassing particle board furniture that they sell there.

I am impressed I made it out alive.

8/28/2008

I like Swedish things.

ABBA
Those jelly fish are ok
H&M
That chef on the Muppets
ABBA

I LOVE Ikea though.  

Their employees are on Ikea crack; all smiley and helpful.  It's weird.
Their MASSIVE stores are actually pretty easy to navigate.  
If you want something, anything for the home they're bound to have it along with 500 other things you didn't know you needed.
The machine that hands out carts is creepy but fun to watch.
Tons of WTF is that? stuff
Prices are dirt cheap.

I came in search of a new bed.  I had checked online, found what I wanted and was ready to go.  Once in the store however I found a bed that was 50% less than my original choice and MUCH cooler.  Thanks Ikea!  Assembly wasn't that bad either, even with the creepy smiling stick figure dudes.  

Sadly, the store is way the eff out in the burbs and man does it feel like you've left the city.  Every giant store you can think of is on the road leading up to Ikea Way (seriously).  The parking lot is ginormous, requires traffic directors and yet you still somehow manage to get decent parking.  They have plenty of loading spots too.  

My only gripe is that they're so far away :(  I don't like to leave the city if I don't have to and this requires me to do so.  Zipcars get 'spensive when you have to haul them out for many hours.  When Somerville opens watch out, it will be on like Donkey Kong.

8/12/2013

As a homeowner, I have made a few pilgrimage trips to the Stoughton location. When it first opened, my purchases consisted of typical knick-knack type items.  I recently returned looking for some white furniture to be placed in my newly painted spare bedroom.  
I forgot just how huge this store is and how many people are inside!  I went a few Fridays ago and was on a time limit (as usual). Though I was armed with a list of items, I still found myself wandering aimlessly looking for my widgets.  Staff is not terribly helpful. Writing down all the model numbers is exhausting so I opted to take pictures of the items with my smart phone.   When I realized the time I had spent "looking" I realized that I had to be at my next destination within minutes.  The exit from the top floors to the bottom floor seems simple - just follow the "exit" signs. Yet I found myself going around in circles. When I asked an IKEA staff person, the response was to follow the exit signs towards the yellow door. Hmmmm....  Suffice it say I made it out alive, sweating profusely and barely on time for my next destination. I did not end up buying anything on this trip because I spent too much time looking for my stuff!

My return trip was more efficient a week later. I went straight to the warehouse and proceeded to pick out my items.  (4-drawer Brimnes chest, nightstand and two wall shelves).  This past Friday I attempted to assemble my 4-drawer chest and realized that the hardware was missing! Apparently there were 2 boxes associated with my order. NOTE: Please check to see if the order contains more than one box. I was rushing (as usual) and prided myself on finding all of my treasures not knowing that I was missing one critical box.  Anyhow, I returned on Sunday (tax free weekend in MA).  Of special note, I called IKEA in advance to obtain proper procedure for getting my one, already paid for box of hardware and was instructed to go to the customer service window (Not returns). When I presented my need at the customer service window, I was told that I have to go to "returns".  Strange - because I am not returning or exchanging anything.   So I grabbed a number (99) and waited from 82 on. Surprisingly I waited about 15 minutes before my number was called. I go through the same spiel again only to be told that I have to wait 25-30 minutes for them to find my box of hardware.  What I thought was going to be a turnkey process quickly evolved into an hour stay.  

Overall here are my PROS and CONS
PROS - lots of inventory to choose from, great prices, good location despite having to drive past all the other businesses and traffic particular to that shopping area.
CONS - sometimes too much stuff is just too much!  I find myself thinking "I could use that" but not sure where. Or maybe I will pick something up and half-way between my stay, I will put it back because I really don't need a rainbow rubber spatula or hot pink ice trays.  The store is often crowded regardless of time of day. Many kids running around with no sense of order, careening into customers, jumping on tables and beds.  My son hates to shop and I only bring him if I absolutely must otherwise I go solo.  
TIPS: This place is a maze - come prepared, well-rested, juiced up on coffee and a list.
Assembly instructions can be confusing; the Brimnes 4-drwaer chest contains part numbers for the hardware but not the actual pieces.  I found the metal rail slots to be the most challenging. The instructions also call for two people to assemble but that was not possible in my case. As a result, when I connected one piece to the other and had another piece resting atop, it toppled and some partial board broke off a piece. Thankfully it was still able to remain intact despite my miscue.  Anyhow, the furniture is not family heirloom but it serves a purpose at a low cost. Would I furnish my entire home with IKEA? No.  But I would buy accent pieces, accessories etc. They do have a great funky line of colors and textiles to jazz up any house/apartment.

8/17/2008

To buy list:
1 medium sized potted plant
1 bedroom bench
=$45 dollars

Check-out receipt:
-----------------------------------------
1 cube standing shelf
1 bathroom rack
1 bedroom bench
1 kitchen cart
1 standing lamp
1 non-stick pan
5 vacuum containers
1 children's desk set
1 plastic container
2 dozen wine glasses
1 cutting board
1 broom/dust pan set
2 spatulas
7 potted plants, 1 hanging plant
1 salad bowl
2 sets of sheets
2 frozen packets of Swedish meatballs with Loganberry Sauce
= $674 dollars

Me: "Wait a minute, a children's desk!?! You don't even have kids."
Friend: "It was way too cute in the display room and you know, I can use it for stuff, someday."

7/15/2013

If you want cheep furniture this is the place for you. If you want quality furniture go elsewhere. It is all particle board and will not last long. The place is a maze to get out of and so it the parking lot.

1/14/2008

A friend once said if we were snowed in for a serious blizzard, he'd want to be at CostCo or Ikea. Personally, I'd pick Ikea. I've have a different 'room' to sleep in every night, I'd play around with the knick-knacks in each display area, I could wile away hours of boredom by attempting to put together furniture pieces in the warehouse area, and 'shop' as much as I want. Plus there's a cafe, and some of the showrooms have bathrooms!

Anyway, about Ikea. I don't understand why people rave about the food. It's really good for a cafe in such a store, and stuff is pretty yummy sometimes, but it's nothing that I'd come back craving. My friends often buy swedish meatballs, sauce and lingonberry sauce to take home but aside from that, it's tasty and sooo inexpensive it's fantastic, but nothing to write home about.

I always get house-envy when I see the showrooms. Something about them just makes me want to redo my entire home every time (but I'm still happy to be home once I'm there). I love wandering through, getting ideas but not copying their rooms since tips are good but home decor should still be original. I love that most things are available in the marketplace or warehouse, so I don't have to cart them around. Don't bother writing the article number, it's usually not neccessary -  a name, colour, section or bin number is good enough. I like taking one list of definites and another list of maybes that I mull over as I browse.

The things are mostly cheap and great value, but some items are still quite pricey. Shop around. Check up an item online before you go to see if the price and trip is worth it, then check store availability to avoid disappointment if its not there. There are great accent pieces, some convenient textiles (cheap rugs/carpets, cotton bed-textiles, great lighting/lamps, dinner and kitchenwares, window items, there's just so much stuff here) in addition to all the furniture and toys.

Another thing I love abotu Ikea is how similar it is in each country. I like this Stoughton location since it's so easy to get to from Boston (with car), and it's big but not overwhelmingly so. The size reminds me of standalone ones (not the in-malls ones) from home. Plan several hours though, this place isn't just a spend-more-than-you-planned vaccum but a time-vaccum too. They're not always the most well-constructed items ever, but they last long enough for my needs if you take good care of them. When I'm older and settled, I may want more substantial furniture and quality, but I've always loved Ikea and I know I'll probably always continue to do so.

2/3/2012

The ultimate playground for adults.

Money sucking machine Ikea yoooou...

I've been a few times since 2007.  I bought a dresser then and I love it! Huge and amazingness.  The first two times one visit was on a week day and it was still busy!

Now I went recently to get supplies for new new apartment and I was shocked it took us just over two hours total from parking to driving out.  We were estimating three.  It was mobbed per usual on a Saturday afternoon and we went in to try and bust it out.

Disclaimer, remember that what your getting might night fit into your car.  Good thing we called for back up because what we got was not all fitting into the Accord.  I'm not sure what we would have done otherwise, ooh I don't even want to think about it. Get out of my head!

So yeah, definitely be prepared for that.

The self finder stuff is a little annoying and difficult, you'll want to either go in a pair or get help from someone because a lot of the stuff is positioned awkwardly on the shelves to try and pull out yourself while trying to aim it on a wheeled cart.. miiight not go so well.

It's pretty inexpensive, we got two furniture pieces and kitchen items.  I spent much less than what I was expecting to dish out that day and that made me happy.

They have a food court that is decent.

Now, I just want to go back.. I saw some cute decorative stuff so I'll have to get in there in the next month or so to get it, or maybe order online.. we'll see!

Just be prepared to have patience.

1/31/2007

I can't add much to the conversation, but I can say this:

Bring your mother with you.  Let her carry your wallet, your cash, your charge cards.  Tell her to NOT let you spend more than you anticipated you would spend.

My Swedish wife (not that I have an Italian wife, a Russian wife and a Sri Lankan wife) and I went to pick up some candles.  Seriously.  The candles that we wanted, around 3 bux a package, we were going for 3 or 4 packages, so what - 12 bucks?

OK, well, the problem is, its far enough from the apt that it isn't convenient, so how often do we go?  Not often. So.....a comforter, 3 pillows, a hanging lamp, a floor lamp, other candles, FOOD (love my D'aim chocolate) and literally just a few things - here and there...and then we left - laden with goodies...and POOR.

IKEA is great - it is filled with fantastical items, all inexpensive, and easy enough to take home and enjoy !

6/5/2006

Against all advice, I visited Ikea Stoughton on a busy holiday weekend. Not only did I come out of the store alive, I also walked away happily toting bagfuls of cheap-chic treasures. Sure, the store was bumpin', but it wasn't out of control by any measure. The highlight for me? Stacks and stacks of colorful tealight candles and candle plates. A scent-lover's dream.
If you haven't been yet, visit soon. You'll do a double-take everytime you look at a pricetag. Word of advice: visit their website (ikea.com) and make a "grocery list" ahead of time, or you'll be overwhelmed. Also, don't leave without grabbing a soft serve cone for a buck. Delish.

9/10/2006

Overwhelming is an absolute understatement for the Stoughton Ikea.  Im from mass so Ive never been to one before! (had to try it to see what all the hype was about)  

1) first big mistake, spending wayyyyy to much time in the showroom area trying to figure out where you actually get all of your ridiculous furnishings after picking them out!!!!!!! (PS if you have never been here there are papers and pencils so you can write things down which obviously I did not realize until well after an hour)
2) second big mistake not picking up a map ASAP
3) third the warehouse is enormous, you need a cart..just believe me, whatever you picked out has 3 boxes and box 1 of 3 always weighs 50 more pounds than you thought.

TIPS: park on the lowever level (trust me wait for the spot!), leave open your afternoon, rushing just confuses the whole box 1 of 3 deal and attack any yellow shirt wearing Ikea employee they are happy to help.

-ALSO dont wear a bright yellow shirt there, I almost started asking some random kid where the mattresses were

But nonetheless, amazing prices and awesome stuff, you cant beat a complete bedroom for under a grand.

You should go...its an experience, just read this first :)

1/16/2007

My first Ikea experience happened this weekend, and all I can really say is... holy shit, that place is overwhelming!!! There are all these showrooms and displays and people and kids running around all over the place... it's enough to drive you mad. MAD, I say! But then you find someone in a yellow shirt and all is well in the world again.

This place is HUGE, and it's easy to splurge on stuff you didn't think you'd ever need and weren't ever planning to buy. After you fill out your shopping list with aisle and bin numbers, you get to the gi-normous warehouse space where you actually pick up all the bigger furniture items...

Maybe you all know this already, but I'm a newbie and I feel like I should explain this stuff because I didn't pay attention when people tried to explain all of this to me.

Also, they make returns and exchanges pretty easy too, which I found out the very next day after realizing halfway through building a bed frame that it was the wrong size. Ikea was all like, "it's okay, just bring it back in the original box, no problem!" so that was nice.

It also enabled me to try their breakfast out, which wasn't too bad (I had the Swedish meatballs the evening before, which was pretty damn good)... but the coffee is excellent. If you go to Ikea, make time to have a cup of coffee. You will not regret it. And plan to be there all day if you want to see everything because, again, this place is HUGE.

11/16/2006

I am in the middle of a major kitchen remodel, largely from IKEA, and have been in there enough to know some of the "coworkers" by name.

What I like:
- I wouldn't have been able to do my kitchen without IKEA. Affordable, reasonably easy to figure out and install, nice design choices and plenty of encouraging reasons to believe that you can in fact "do it yourself".

- Every single cabinet I have purchased was in stock & ready to take home that day. I never needed a truck, and even managed to get an entire kitchen into my, well, kitchen - without any help at all thanks to the flat packing design. I did manage to throw my back out hauling in an 80 pound & awkwardly large corner unit, but that is because I'm stupid & have no friends who like me enough to help.

- As long as you are careful, you can get great quality for the price. The kitchen cabinets are made with inexpensive materials and use a thin manufactured backing, but they use quality components where they count - hinges and hardware are good stuff - some of my hardware was made in italy by ferrari!

What I don't like:

-IKEA is so big, and tries to do so much, that nobody knows what anyone else is doing in there - you are on your own. My first indication was when waiting for a kitchen table to arrive in stock. I kept checking online until the website indicated that the table had arrived. In the showroom, it was listed as out of stock. A coworker thought it was out of stock. i went down and looked in the warehouse anyway, and lo and behold, there it was - a fresh pallet of untouched kitchen tables.

Next up - my new faucet. I wanted the cool restaurant-style pre-wash faucet from the catalog (since I'm a cool restaurant-style kinda guy). I was told that it wasn't in stock, and wouldn't be for who knows how long. I couldn't order it through the store, either. So I went home & ordered it online - no problem. HUH???? There are entire internet bulletin boards dedicated to figuring out where and when some of the popular items will be in stock.

My kitchen sink was supposed to be available for pick up at the warehouse, or could be shipped for a fee. That was upstairs. Downstairs - "oh, we can get this to you UPS ground for free, it will leave in about a week and get to you in 2-3". Great! A week later, it came by next day air without any notice. With nowhere for the driver to leave it, it nearly got sent back before I even knew they were trying to deliver it. Free next day delivery is great, but it would be better if you knew it was coming.

On to the countertop. 1st try: No one knew how to take the order - sorry. 2nd try: they didn't know how to price it, so told me they would get a quote from the manufacturer & call. weeks passed, I ended up being out of town for 3 weeks, and the order was canceled. 3rd try: the coworker who took my order makes "4"'s that look like "9"'s, so the manufacturer had my phone number wrong. It took nearly and hour on the phone to simply get the phone number of the manufacturer so I could deal with them directly, and finally, I'm supposed to get counters in. Hopefully the dimensions aren't a 4 where they are supposed to be a 9.

- All of the staff members I have dealt with have been very friendly and tried to be helpful, but the format of the store makes it very difficult for them. I witnessed one customer go crazy trying to pick up a special order that had supposedly come in to the kitchen department, and nobody could figure out where or what she was talking about. Expect long lines at popular times.

- A lot of the stuff is cheap for a reason, so be careful. While there are plenty of good values to be had, you have to wade through a minefield of cheap & poorly made stuff as well. The best bet is to avoid the least expensive options in any given area, and go for the mid-priced options at the least. And be careful on assembly - making sure connections are tight is key. (just wobble the hastily assembled floor models to see what I mean). The directions aren't always that helpful either - like my cabinet that does indeed have an UP side and DOWN side, no matter what the instructions say. (oops.)

None of the bad is enough for me to consider not shopping there anymore - just be prepared to be diligent - IKEA will do right by you, but it may take awhile. Consider it an adventure.

4/6/2010

I have a love-hate relationship with Ikea. Since my husband is much more skilled at the ways of Ikea, I am letting him school me. Who knew there was a strategy to it?

First, we try to go on a weekday and we go hungry. The first stop is straight to the cafeteria. He is a fan of the Swedish meatballs and the fancy lingonberry (sp?) beverages and I'm not gonna lie, I rather enjoyed my last 3,000 calorie cafeteria style mac & cheese.

Next, it's a pit stop to the bathroom.  

Okay, now we browse (this is only the second most challenging part of shopping at Ikea.) I had no idea you needed a pencil and a pad of paper to write down the names & numbers of items. Crazy. After getting lost several times and walking in a million circles, you finally find a salesperson to let you know if the items you want are in stock or if they need to be ordered. It takes forever to find staff here - I think that's how they keep costs down.

Next, you make your way downstairs and stroll through the marketplace on the way to the checkout. You have to fill your cart up with useless items that are just too cool not to buy (i.e. an enormous stuffed orange cat pillow that your dog will have a blast ripping to shreds).    

Ah, the checkout is in site but wait, what's that smell? That glorious smell! It's cinnamon buns and I will be so bold as to say they are the only true reason to even come to Ikea! I have to tell you - I have never even been to a Cinna-Bon and I never crave, nor eat, cinnamon buns anywhere but Ikea. I have to have one (or if I'm feeling guilty about my cafeteria lunch I'll split one with my husband) in order to make the experience complete.

Finally, you check out and if you bought furniture, it's time for the hard part. Picking up the furniture you bought and figuring out how to get it into your car is probably the worst part about buying anything of significant size at Ikea. Time elapsed: 3 hours.

Wait, the more I think about it, I think the worst part about shopping at Ikea is trying to put what you bought together at home while trying to remember that you made a vow to to love, honor and cherish your spouse in good times and bad.

4/18/2011

I have only been to this IKEA location, but I am still tempted to break out the old "If you've been to one, you've been to them all" thing.

I'm glad it exists. Their stuff ranges from dirt cheap to somewhat decent and they are a great resource for "I just need a _____, any _____ will do." You can grab a station wagon full of cheap house-y stuff for a few hundred bucks and be done with it in an hour or so.

The actual place verges on some Mines of Moria type stuff. Once you're in, the only way out is to go deeper, and deeper, and deeper, and you'd best believe this place is crawling with goblins. Or children. I guess it depends on your point of view.

The food area smells like cinnamon buns and the gallery smells like furniture. The warehouse smells like farts. Sayin'.

2/24/2010

Some people that are adrenaline junkies will jump from planes, put all their faith in an elastic band, or even scale a mountain.  Me? I just go to ikea on the weekends.

Trying to park is a life or death situation. It's a little bit of hunting mixed with a little bit of nascar, with just a hint of demolition derby.  I mean, its a swedish store so swedish driving laws apply, right?  Well that's what people think... well mostly, they think no driving laws apply as people tend to drive on whatever side of the road they feel most comfortable.

Enter the store, it's like the only place in the world you'll see humans graze.  they walk in packs through the carefully twisted hallways, and without a doubt, people will, always be in your way, people will always stop right in front of you, and people will always think it's your fault.
When I walk through Ikea, i think I'm playing a live action game of Operation, where I am the bone stuck in the body.  If i bump any other person, I'm going to explode in a violent  buzz of energy, and my nose might flash.  The shortcuts secretly posted throughout the store, are like my cheat codes, and get me to the exit quickly, or at least to the warehouse where I can find my boxes of painful to assemble furniture.

I like their stuff, it looks classy from the outside, but on the inside it's hollow and/or pressed sawdust, just like me.

3/30/2013

The one star I gave is to customer service of Stoughton, MA.

I went shopping in Ikea Stoughton, MA beginning of March and bought
several big pieces of furnitures (totaled about 2000$). The shipping is prompt,
second day. Then the nightmare begins. After partially assembled
these furnitures, I found 1 piece missing and 1 big piece are. Spent 3
weeks dealing with customer service, they just keep saying will
ship the pieces soon, the two big unfinished furniture stil laying on the
ground.... Let's see how long it will take further.

1/14/2008

If you buy a bed that has slats on the bottom, make sure you get TWO bundles of slats.  TWO (2).

The white sheet specifies that you are only supposed to purchase ONE (1) slat item: ignore it.  Just get two to be safe.  Because even though it's actually the job of Johnny Ikea (or whoever it is that packages this stuff)  to make sure that your TWO (2) bundles were packaged as ONE (1) item so you don't have spend the next NINE (9) days on the phone with Ikea customer service trying to obtain the other half of your bed, it is actually your fault if you return home with only HALF (1/2) of the slats you need.  And if you ever, ever want to see your slats on your bed, you get to drive back to Stoughton and pick that other HALF (1/2) bundle up.  Ha, like they'd mail them to you?  Get real.

Why THREE (3) stars?  

Well, I knew I the risk I was taking when I went here.  Why should I punish Ikea when it is I who is so cheap?  If anyone deserves a one-star review, it's me.  Ikea is what it is, and it does not pretend to be anything else.  Trying to force it to provide all of the items you need to construct your medium-crappy furniture in just a single visit is like trying to tell the sun to stop shining.

Ikea will always win.  Just know your place and enjoy the meatballs.

7/7/2009 Updated review

One little girl (me!) waiting by the check out-

Bored.  What to do!  What to do?!

That little girl, buys two frozen yogurt,  

A cone for me, a cone for YOU!

One little girl (me!), with two frozen yogurts

What to do?  What to do?  Holding two!

I'll eat one, the other's for you!

One is gone.  But boooo!!  The other's now melting too!

What to do?!  What to do?!  Still waiting for you.

----  I know!  I'll just eat TWO! ----   :D  :D   :D  ALL gone!

5/10/2010

Because I develop a mad rash once I'm outside the city, I asked a friend to take me out here (and also because my sense of direction is total crap)..well...that never happened ;-)

Yes, I have a SatNav but even with that stupid thing I still get well lost.  Guess what, I drove out there and got lost...LOL!!

I finally made it and this place is like a mini-city!  So well layed out once you are inside, but such a massive place, I mean, all I wanted was some snuggly pillows, (I'm a sucker for the snuggly anything, me) and it took me forever to get to the snuggly pillow/bed section!

I have a friend who is a wood turner and furniture maker and she said that their stuff is pretty good and lasts, I bought a sofa from here in the past and it's still going strong.
If you have kiddies, there's a playground they can stay in for about an hour, it's like a little creche and it's supervised etc an added bonus if you want to get in and out fast.

The staff are friendly and help you out.  When you get to the checkout it can be confusing and there's always a queue it seems.  The car park is pretty big so remember where you parked your car or you'll be wandering around like an idiot.

I like IKEA, it has everything household related really and even if you don't buy something it's a cool way to spend the afternoon!

12/4/2006

Ikea is a deep black hole that traps you and doesn't let you go so you keep coming back even though you know it's wrong...  It's enormous.  You follow little arrows so you don't get lost.  You write little numbers on a tiny card with a miniscule pencil.  You go down to the giant cellar.  You wander the aisles and never find your stuff.  You cry.  You eat a meatball.  ... and you still come back!!!

It's because mass production of cheap furniture that looks good from a distance has made effortless style available to the hoi polloi.  The hoi polloi (myself included) has no other choice BUT to go to Ikea.  I have a lot of ikea stuff at home, but I don't remember how I got it, because I've repressed those memories.

1/4/2010

Driving up to Ikea is akin to pulling up to a monster sports stadium.  It has its own road, and as you approach, you think, "whoa, there it is!"  

So you walk in and you see what all the rage is about.  Adorable room set-ups, lots of useful stuff, good looking reasonably priced furniture.  Just as you'd hoped!!

They make you walk through what feels like miles and miles of display stuff before you can even physically buy anything.  Similar to how the grocery stores put the milk and bread toward the back of the store, so you're forced to see the great deal on BBQ flavored chips and Flintstones chewables.   So after easily a mile of walking you see the food court and how can you not eat after that veritable onslaught of merchandise?  Swedish meatballs and gravy, pretty pretty good.  

Oh, and if you have that much trouble assembling the furniture, you're an idiot.   It's not THAT bad.  Just make sure you have your own Allen wrenches, because the one the shit comes with is useless.  

Hurray for the Swedes!   Maybe we can repeat our gold medal in hockey at the 2010 Olympics.

4/29/2012

Terrible customer service.  

A purchase which should have taken 15 minutes turned into over two hours of misery.  There were plenty of lame excuses: (1) Our "quick sales" person in the kitchen section did not come in today, (2) we're having a sale today, (3) we're busy on Saturdays.   The staff was very polite but did not appear to be genuinely interested in taking care of the customer.  The kitchen-area manager failed to manage.  The pick-up area employees appeared to be in good spirits, but they did not appear to be in any real rush.  

I really wanted to like this place, but I was greatly disappointed.  I will never attempt to buy another item from this store again.

6/22/2009 Updated review

went this weekend.  knew what we wanted.  STILL spent 3 hours in this piece.  next time, i'm bringing a fucking tent.  but, this isn't about the furniture.

prior to 9:30 a.m., the cafe upstairs offers free coffee.  free coffee - probably to get you all jacked up before you run through buying every fluuvenkrudel in sight, but whatever, it's free coffee.

oh, and $4.00 got me 2 scrambled eggs (buttery and gooooooood), 3 pieces of bacon, 3 crispy french toast sticks, loads of golden fried potatoes, a pear, and 2 crepes with lingonberry jam.  that's a pretty good breakfast right there - and they put it together for me.

7/31/2013

I bought 3 Ingolf bar stools for my kitchen island in the antique stain. The color of the stools clashed with my walls so I took them back. There was a short line for returns/exchanges but I waited maybe 5 minutes. The employee who helped me was friendly and efficient. I ended up buying the same stools in the brown/black finish and they look great in my kitchen!

12/2/2006

Yes it is a bit overwhelming so you have to go in with an idea of what exactly you need or you will end up picking up a bunch of crap you really did not need.

A lot of the furniture is cheap looking and feeling but there are occasional quality pieces.

All in all it is a great place for budget finds to mix and match with other brands/styles. I can not stand 100% IKEA homes.....ehck.

3/27/2008

Recently, I invested in a brand spankin' new apartment. Unfortunately, I needed to furnish it, as there was nothing in it. At first I was obsessed with trying to buy super nice stuff from Crate and Barrel, or Pottery Barn. But then I realized I neither had the room, nor the financial freedom to drop $3000 for a stodgey leather couch.

Until the age of 10, nothing was more amazing to me than Legoland, and the world of Legos. This might be the most accurate description I can give you of IKEA. IKEA=Legoland. Everything seems to fit together so neatly and creatively and in a spacially consciencous manner. IKEA is probably more for the contemporary soul than the Pottery Barn lovers, but it's endless creative possibilities make it like porn for an interior decorator on a budget.

Literally, if you can get by the stigma that is buying furniture that probably won't last, and looks so cool it's almost odd, I think you will love IKEA. Bring a lot of Xanax as you may need it on your journey through the 95 floors of Swedish brilliance.

As I said before, if you're a fan of legos, you won't have a problem assembling this furniture. It actually makes you feel more appreciative of it, like you built and designed it yourself and not Ingvar Kamprad. Most of the furniture is lighter than other items you might find somewhere else and not bulky at all. When I walk into my apartment now, I don't see my furniture as heavy objects creating an obstacle course, they've made my apartment come alive.

I saved so much money on a new bed frame I went and bought a bunch of bedding sets that ended up feeling nicer than the shit I bought from bed bath and beyond. Not only that but I found a spatula, out of the 5 I purchased elsewhere that is probably the greatest spatula ever created as it is capable of withstanding 450 degrees and doesn't have a scratch on it when I'm done using it. There are a lot of hidden gems in this place that can make anyone excited they went.

Now all I have to do is find my lego men...

5/14/2009

Wow, I loved this place at age 24. At 28, I'm underwhelmed. Everywhere I turned I was dodging overeager exurbanites who had driven four hours to get there and moms with viciously screaming babies. Though if I were a baby and I were at IKEA for five hours I would be screaming too. In fact I wanted to scream as it was but I wasn't allowed.

If you make it out of there without dropping, you'll drag your cookie-cutter furniture home and then spend another day or couple of days badly putting it all together and wondering why you didn't spend an extra few hundred at a civilized furniture store to save your sanity. In the end though, you'll have what you need for an incredibly low price, which is what saves IKEA from a one-star review.

Never again. Sorry, IKEA, I've outgrown you.

5/31/2006

We checked out this store to see what all the hype is about.  I can honestly say that I did like a lot of the items they had for sale.  So much of it was so different than what we usually see in department or furniture stores.  It was nice to see everything set up, too.  Everything seemed like "some assembly required", but I'm not positive.  The cafe was even good.  The meatballs were great, and I had a cake that was very good.  Try some pear soda.
We ended up buying a case of glasses for 50 cents a glass.  Not a bad deal.  Got some other ideas and when we figure out how to work them into our home, we will be going back to buy some more things.

12/16/2007

IKEA.  It starts at 5 stars with a trip to the cafeteria, because I pretty much just eat a lot, and it makes me happy. Meatballs, potato pancakes, good coffee, lingonberry jam. And then. . .A wonderland of pretty cheap but reasonably sturdy furniture, great for bookcases and kids rooms. I got a good wool rug here, too, once. Hmm. I don't think that bed will hold up under what I wish I was putting it through. And that couch looks like something made for a dollhouse but blown up. But the shelving etc - cool. Ok, made my choice, and I'm pretty sure some cute little Scandinavian elf will magically transport it to my house fully assembled and looking lovely. How do I get out of here?

Wait, this is like being in a rotary and you can't figure out what exit to get off at, and when you finally figure it out, some massive Peg Perego with the Dionne Quintuplets screaming in it blocks it and you go around again. And again. Or maybe I'm in a giant game of IKEA-opoly. Do not pass go. You are in jail. Give me $500. Oh THANK GOD - there's the exit - wait, now I need to go find the box of my non-assembled shelves. This warehouse is totally deflating my scandinavian fantasy bubble. Will all you people GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!!!!!! AAAAAAUUUUUGGH!!!! an hour trying to check out. AAAAAAAAUGGGH! Another hour trying to get out of the parking lot. GAGGGH! Why do I COME HERE?????!!!

At least I've got my frozen meatballs and lingonberry jam.

2/15/2011 Updated review

Three years later, everything but the ubiquitous Lack coffee table is in one piece and functioning fine.

Whether this is a testament to the durability of IKEA's products or my amazing skills as a handyman--I assembled all of my furniture with the 4-inch heel of a stiletto--I cannot say. All I know is that IKEA is still my one and only, especially for my post-college broke-ass self.

6/11/2009

It's all been said this place is so awesome. I would spend 4 - 5 hours there anyday.!

http://www.youtube.com/w…

Word!