IKEA Stoughton

8/7/2011

I would have given this a Five Star rating...everything was awesome until the delivery. DON"T GET DELIVERY! It's terrible. They were nearly 5 hours late and I couldn't get a hold of anyone to figure out what was going on. At one point I was on hold for an hour. Sears and Jordans deliver way better. I wish I'd just rented a pick-up truck.

10/29/2009

Grown-up amusement park with tons of souvenirs. Good times if you're not ready to invest in expensive, long-lasting furniture.

10/15/2007

What a crazy place. What is up with the shopping carriages that slip and slide and go sideways on the seemingly Teflon coated floor?  Danger, danger, children.  I really felt like I had no control of the shopping cart.  Then there was the ramp when leaving the store to go out to the parking lot.  The toddler in the carriage ahead of me was screaming as her parents pushed her forward onto that moving declining moving belt, I guess she thought there would be this runaway train thing happening, but no, somehow this magical moving pathway clamps onto those wheels and ever so slowly we all inch toward the parking lot.  Which, as others have mentioned, is somewhere in Ohio, and not at all near the store.
So, the products.  I think this is a good place to furnish a first home or apartment, or maybe save your money a little longer and get some things that will last beyond 2 years.
There are some good deals on dishes and glassware.  I've bought kitchen towels, some plant pots, cardboard storage boxes, wooden hangers, bamboo organizing boxes for utensil drawers and storage containers.  No complaints.
What I really love are the names of things!  Such fun to say "I think I need some of these gooplitzes."  
I really like the food section.  Unusual vinegars and various other condiments, including a dill mustard sauce for salmon that is super good.  Granola, crackers, beverages with beautiful Swedish faces beaming from the labels.  Gotta have some of those!
Top off the experience with a $1.00 cone of frozen yogurt!  But why did they get rid of the lingonberry yogurt?  Dang.

4/13/2010

Okay as far as getting functional modern funiture without breaking your budget IKEA is at the best for that.

What it is good for:
Getting cheap cool looking things for an apt (or business in my case)on a minimal budget. You can easily dress up anything from there by going to HomeGoods and still not break the bank.

What it is bad for:
Well you see everything at IKEA is from IKEA LAND where there are not other things that are not from IKEA LAND. MEANING: If you want an ikea light bulb its not at Home Depot once it breaks its at IKEA LAND and you have to truck on down there to get that, or a missing part, a screw IKEA screw, hinge etc.

Also IKEA if you are not familiar with their sales tactics, you will get deceived. For example if you want to buy a shoe, you go into the shoe store, look at the shoe, try it on, you then walk around and if you like it you buy the shoe, you come home and you have a new pair of shoes to wear. Now, in IKEA land its different! When you get to the check out counter you find that the pair of shoes you want you will have to wait for in a long line. You then get them in your car. You get home open up the box and find that you have a soul, laces, and pieces of leather?  You then realize that you need to assemble the entire shoe but you forgot to get the shoe hammer, screw, the souls to the shoes (which cost more) and there was all this little stuff like glue and other things that you had to get in order to assemble the shoe. So you then go back to IKEA and get all the stuffing for your shoes and go home, assemble it and then realize that you put the holes in the wrong place in your shoes and they laces are now going to lace up backwards. But your okay with it because your shoes still look cool and are only kind uncomfortable to wear now. Oh, and if you find out you don't like your shoes, umm its pretty hard to return because you already damaged them when trying to make them your backasswards way. Only becuase you were reading the swedish stick-man instructions which all the words are named küeerlanudü and süghium and had no idea what was what while you were making the dam thing!

Anyway thats the more complex story and after all of that happening you realize something, you know I could have gone to any other furniture store and got the same thing and by the end of all of this. What I had spent at IKEA I probably would have saved time and money at any other furniture store and they would have just delivered it to my door? Hummm...

So thus, the love/hate relationship with IKEA, you could call them modern stuff-cheap-only if you want to assemble it.

8/27/2012

Ikea has severed its relationship with local installer and now pushes their "preferred installer" OSPREY BAY.  This company is dishonest, they ripped me off, install was terrible and left incomplete.  There are many posts about this problem right on the Ikea Fan Page!  NO ONE FROM IKEA'S MANAGEMENT EVER RESPONDED TO MY COMPLAINTS, or reached out to me.  I went to the Attorney General's Office and complained, and even they could not get any resolution for me with the CEO of Osprey Bay, LEE ROSE.  Don't use this installer.  If you go to Ikea, do NOT listen to their kitchen planners if they tell you they do a good job, they do not.  SHAME ON YOU IKEA!!!!!!!!!

6/3/2010

You looking for crap to get you by for a small period of time, 2-3 years?IKEA is the place for you.

You got 1-5 hrs to kill on a project using hierographics as a guide? IKEA is the place for you.

You don't care if you stuff holds up from wear and tear, you just need something? IKEA is the place for you.

You don't use customer service or care if there really isn't any? IKEA is the place for you.

It's an old joke, how do you say or spell crap or shit in Swedish? I-K-E-A. It's crap. Literally crap, it may look nice for a short period of time, but ultimately it's crap.

You might make out better at semi crap stores, BOBs, but if you hard up for some cash and need something to just get you by, then this will suffice.

If Home Depot sold some of this stuff, I would prefer to buy it from them as they seem to have customer service and stand behind their products. IKEA on the other hand, will use the 8 ball of excuses to avoid refunds, exchanges or honoring their product. Hey they know it's crap, wouldn't you do the same?

Remember, you usually get what you pay for.

10/2/2010

NOT VEGAN FRIENDLY/FOOD ALLERGY FRIENDLY
The restaurant is not food allergy friendly. Bring a snack, it's impossible to get through in under an hour and you will be starving. The "allergen list" has only about half the things they have available and some random things they don't. I bought a salad thinking they'd have a salad dressing that I could eat, and I ended up having to give it away because they had only two dressings and I couldn't eat either (I had to go through the line again and wait for them to find the packaging, and they didn't offer to refund me or replace the salad with something I could eat). I would have been able to avoid that had they had the dressings in the allergen list, or the dressing with the salad bar. Everything has cream in it except the french fries and the chicken breast, vegans beware.
The store is a huge maze. We took three hours to get through it and we were skimming. There are shortcuts, and you can grab little maps, but you have to walk through the entire thing to get to the end, so stopping for one thing could take you over an hour even if you know what you want. Prices are decent, there are some things that are radically expensive and some things that are insanely cheap. It's great small-apartment-living stuff.

3/17/2011

Say What?! Ikea doesn't only sell affordable furniture that may not last through generations but temporary furnishes in style, but they sell Swedish meatballs?! Yes! they do, their kitchen is about 2-3 stars only because you get what you pay for, cheap eats! However, the furniture section and the market place is always an exciting and thrilling journey. I love how they display and label their pieces, as though it was just birthed from the IKEA factory (waaaaah). My house is 3/4 IKEA tagged! Don't hate me because I'm fashionable and affordable! That is what it cries out :) If you like trendy, affordable, simplicity, and style, you will love IKEA! ps. Dont forget to grab a cinnamon roll.... heated... yum... drool....

6/5/2012

Decent cheap furniture. You can pretty much get anything you need, there, for a decent price. The swedish meatballs are, of course, a classic.

The Display area is neat. You need to get there when it's not super busy, though, since it's impossible to move carts around in the warehouse when there's a million people

4/22/2013

Ikea has the worst customer service ever, you need to spare an hour just to hold on the phone and then find out that someone would give you a call back regarding the mistake they made in delivery with in2-3 business days. On top of that they redeliver the wrong item again, and the person who redelivered wouldnt assemble. Maybe ikea should stop ripping off people who pay so much for delivery, picking and assembly to send a bunch of contractors who ask for extra money to put on handles, charge $50 for horrible mounting service and at the end ask for tip. I would never shop at Ikea again very disappointed in them.

8/26/2008

I LOVE Ikea! Food is pretty spiffy too! I love the show rooms with the pretty beds. Fun fun fun..must return soon! You can even buy a frozen bag of those swedish meatballs..and they have cinnamon rolls for like a dollar. And everything is pretty cheap, shop for your home here! Though, I probably wouldn't buy something that you want to last long here, since I heard the stuff doesn't last too long? I did get my computer desk here..and I like it ALOT. except how it confused me when I had to put it together.

11/13/2008

I've been there a few times. When I got my own apartment I went there and got tons of random stuff. I did buy my slipcovers for my chair there, but the chair was like an inch bigger than we thought, so it didn't work. Things are expensive, and not everything is the best quality, but I do enjoy it. I think their style is awesome and they have so much stuff.

12/15/2008 Updated review

Was here more recently for holiday shopping. They have greatly expanded their food area (i.e., where you buy grocery style food, not the cafe) and have now included caviars, pates, and a much greater variety of CHEESE.  They also still have my traditional favorites: the ligonberry jam and the sour cream flavored potato chips. Sadly, they have pretty much the same stuff in most other areas although I noticed a few new plates and bowls in the kitchen section. I wish they'd change the inventory more often. Still you cannot beat the prices!

7/6/2011

It's an Ikea... I'm not sure how one sweedish brand name could be a noun, verb, and adjective but this is it. Ikea brings thoughts of cheap, but usable and semi-stylish furniture, tasty foods, mind-numbing navigation, and violence-inducing frustration when building the said furniture. But I mean c'mon, where else can you buy an entire home worth of stuff for less than 2K?  With Boston Rent, this place is gold.

11/30/2011

The store is huge and makes you feel like a rat in a maze.  When you get home with all the furniture you collect you make feel like you should be getting paid and not the other way around while building your first piece.  However, the value can not be beat.  Good furniture at great prices.  Really everything you could need for your home is here.  Other than furniture, I've seen great buys on batteries, silverware, lightbulbs and a whole lot more.  Different quality furniture is to be had at a great variety of prices.  Delivery is 99$ no matter how much you spend.  We basically filled our entire first apartment here and only had to pay 99$ for them to deliver to Arlington.  Almost 3 years later our furniture has shown very little wear (nothing even wobbles).  I would highly recommend Ikea stuff to people looking for a cheaper or modern option.

3/22/2009

This place is like Disney Land.  There's lots of food, entertainment, amusing white trash, and you can't help but visit here at least once in your lifetime.  The only problem is that it's also like Hell.  It's hot, crowded, underground, and you have no idea how much time is passing while you're there.  I prefer Craigslist.

6/4/2010

IKEA is an experience. Having now been twice, I feel like I'm ready to make an opinion of it. Everyone else who has said to expect lines on weekends is correct. If you can, go on a week night. I was there last night and the place was nearly deserted. The first time I went was a weekend and it was mobbed. Crowds definitely bring down the enjoyment you can have at this place.
Give yourself time when you come to IKEA and just let yourself wander around. The store is arranged like an adult theme park ride; you walk in a designated method through the store and it's various sections (Bathroom, Bedroom, etc.). There are many example rooms set up so you can see how the individual items can be integrated into a larger interior design.
Prices are affordable, yet to varying degrees. There are some items that impress me with how low their prices are. However, there are others that just leave me thinking, "Eh, that's acceptable I guess." An example of this would be the bed I looked at. $600 for the mattress and top layer doesn't seem like a particular bargain to me, but maybe I just haven't shopped around enough.
After you make your way through the carnival of a store, you can eat. It's worth a try I suppose, but it's not likely to win any awards. I mean, they advertise a special where they sell their meatball plate on Tuesdays for $2.50. Yes, $2.50 for an entree. Think about it.
Once you're ready to wrap up your IKEA adventure, you go to the warehouse section and manually pick up the boxes for the pieces you saw, liked, and wrote down. They probably have helpers who can assist in this step, but I've never looked for them. On your own, this part can be cumbersome. Furniture pieces are obviously heavy and often difficult to carry/maneuver. Then you have to find a way to get them home. Bring an SUV or truck.
Overall, IKEA is a worthwhile destination for a shopping excursion a few times a year. The prices aren't bad, nor is the quality, and the experience overall is just so different from conventional shopping that it ends up being a refreshing and enjoyable change of pace...when the crowds are away!

7/18/2008

this place has it's own gravitational pull! it's massive. upon entering the vicinity i was so freeked out by all the people and the parking and the cars that i had to turn my radio off to concentrate (and i'm a seasoned boston driver!).

ikea is great for cheap furniture and fun things for your home. i love the kitchen section.

however, this store is so massive, i didn't know there was a second floor (and second eating area) untill i had made my purchases and was ready to leave.

5/17/2012

We got lost and ended up somehow trying to maneuver around cribs. In a panic (baby things make me uncomfortable), we bolted toward the restaurant, which was closed. No Swedish meatballs for me OR my Swedish boyfriend. Oh well.

We still left with some great, inexpensive pieces for our new digs. And it was fun watching the Swedish boyfriend put together a Swedish particleboard desk afterward.

We will meet again, Ikea. Next time, I'll bring a map.

8/17/2008

There is a certain mystique about a place like this. But after the fog clears its a solid 4 stars. The set up is interesting at first and great for people who are looking for household furniture and such. But if you are there for just 1 item it can be a real pain in the ass to find it because you have to walk through the whole place just to get this 1 item.
The furniture here is reasonably priced for the most part with some items falling at both ends of the bell curve etc. However, if you are a do-it-yourself kind of person I highly recommend IKEA. Just about everything there you can buy you get to build yourself. Although I would just double check your purchase to make sure you have all the required parts so you don't have to come back.
Another great thing about them is that you can look online before you go there to see if they have the item in stock. And try to go there during the week mid-day to avoid long lines and having to park at the far end of the lot!

11/10/2008

Very interesting experience here on Sunday night.
First of let me start by saying... or begging Ikea to sell their crap online. They have a site, that's what it's for! Half their stuff isn't available, and when it says it's in stock. It's not!  For some curtains I went her for, for example.
My roommate and I purchased a TV stand, and that was a process. We find it (after going through their maze of a show room), write down the aisle number, and search for it in the help yourself furniture. We get to the right spot, and what do you know... not there. Okay awesome.
Random sales dude tells us to go one place. We do. That person tells us to go to Information. We do. Information tries sending us back.
Finally we actually get someone helpful. Kurt, if you're out there, you were awesome.
2 dudes turned in monkeys and got on top of the rafters and brought down 2 very heavy boxes for us. Yay!
If we had left empty handed, you don't even want to know. But because of these 2 guys, Ikea is saved from a very bad review.

3/17/2013

Customer service is poor!  The store in Stoughton was ok though we spent a long time waiting for someone to help us and spent nearly 2 hours designing and selecting cabinets for our pantry. When were finally assisted by a friendly fellow, everything was placed in their online system and I was told pricing and design would be held for six months.  Now 6 weeks later, there's no trace of the shopping list online.  I called and waited 15 minutes (and 15 min the day before) on hold listening to a message that said,  ".........we'll be with you momentarily"!  While I was on hold, I was able to start a chat that went nowhere.  She suggested I return to the store, which is 50 miles away!  Good that I have a hard copy, but I'll have to key in 20+ items.

4/8/2009

I think this store is absolutely amazing! I find so much cute stuff here for my apartment, and things I don't even need!  My boyfriend bought his whole bedroom set and entertainment center here, at a great price.  The As-Is room is great if you hit it at the right time! We've found a few deals there too!  The merchandise doesn't change too often which is kind of a bummer... I wish they had more new stuff each time I hiked down there.  The only thing I don't get is why people can't walk in the correct direction? There's arrows on the floor for a reason! Then they look at you like you're walking into them! Anyhow...I recommend this store only if you are a patient person and good with crowds.  I don't recommend this store late afternoons on Saturday's and Sundays it gets very busy at those times!

10/16/2010

The store is large and the selection varies. The prices seem reasonable but I have no idea why this place is so special and talked about. It was nothing to write home about. Since it is hour away I will likely not be returning.

7/9/2012

UPDATE*********

About half an hour after I sent this email to the CEO of Urban Express, I got a phone call from one of his management team. She was very nice, said she will look into all the issues, took my experience very seriously, and offered to refund me plus provide an IKEA gift certificate. My experience with her was great, but it was a pity that every other person who I dealt with at Urban Express was truly terrible (both the delivery guy and the customer service phone people). I would give them another chance now - but honestly, only because I have the direct dial of someone on the CEO's management team.

*************************************************

IKEA sent a delivery man to my house who was on drugs.  

Here's a section of my official letter to complaint to IKEA:

Attempt #1:
* The delivery truck didn't turn up until 11.15pm (over an hour late). When the delivery crew turned up they proceeded to both continuously ring the doorbell and knock on the door for over a minute while I got down the stairs to answer the door. This woke up my downstairs neighbor and I'm sure many of the surrounding neighbors. They then proceeded to tell me that their truck was too big to come down the street, so they couldn't deliver. This was strange as their truck was only about 15ft from my front door, so I suggested they simply carry the boxes the extra 15ft. They refused, and left.

The next day I called IKEA, and it took me over 2.5 hours on hold before I was able to speak to someone who could help me to rearrange the delivery. This was done for Friday  between 6 and 10pm.

Attempt #2:
* No delivery truck turned up, and I was not called. I tried calling Urban Express but the office was closed.

I called IKEA (John in the Kitchen Resolution department, who was helpful) who suggested I call Urban Express directly to re-arrange. I did this, and we re-arranged for Monday  between 10am and 2pm. I asked the woman why no-one had turned up on Friday, and why I didn't receive a call and she said "they couldn't get hold of the driver". This didn't really seem to make any sense as to why a delivery would not be made, but she replied "I don't know" to every other question I asked.

Attempt #3:
* I receive a call on Sunday  (the day before delivery is due) at 4.30pm to inform me that the truck is at my new (empty) apartment. I'm confused because it's the wrong date, and the wrong time, but given the problems I have had getting delivery, I re-arranged my plans to go to the house. I arrived to find two delivery guys outside the house.
* To my horror, one of the delivery drivers was apparently high on drugs. He had red eyes, was sweating, scratching his arms, and behaving in an agitated and erratic manner. He immediately started saying that he'd only made one delivery today even though he'd been working since 10am. I was highly concerned, especially as I am a single woman living on my own. However, given the hassle I had been through trying to get the delivery I decided to take the risk and allow him and the other guy to bring in the goods. During the delivery, the man on drugs repeatedly asked me personal questions such as when I had bought my house, if I was a student, if I was here on my own etc. This made me even more uncomfortable.
* I kept a friend on the phone, and also made sure my downstairs neighbor was aware of the situation. I felt unsafe and threatened by the situation and was shocked that IKEA and IKEA's business partners would put me in such a position.

Immediately after the delivery men left, I called IKEA and spoke to Marshall in the Kitchen Resolution department. He expressed horror at what I had just been through and was apologetic, and suggested that I contact Urban Express directly to make a complaint, and that he would do so also. I called Urban Express and explained the situation and the man who responded said "Yeah. And?". I explained again and he said "Well we don't have a drug testing policy". At this point I was truly outraged that he didn't care that I had potentially had my personal safety put in danger, and I asked him if he intended to apologize. He then said, sarcastically "well I'm sorry you got your delivery a day early". I pointed out that it was in fact 6 days late and that the delivery guy was on drugs and he said "well there you go". I also informed him that I could call the police to inform them that there is a drugged-up driver currently driving a delivery truck around Boston and he basically said he didn't care, I could do what I wanted.

6/21/2009 Updated review

The meatballs.

11/16/2009

Yay! I don't really go for much of the furniture here, but there are some select things that are good looking and a good value. This time around we just got a rug for our friend and more curtain rods for us, but we spent almost 2 hours here.

7/26/2010

On Sunday, I took my walkabout to Mecca (a.k.a., IKEA). With tears in my eyes, praise on my lips, and a pencil in my hand...I visited various pillars of fanatical adoration...like "Lighting" and "Bedroom." I sat in the laps of box-y couches that I'd only idolized in the glossy pages of the IKEA catalog, I admired and reverently caressed the soft fabrics of the plush pillows and heat-rated comforters. It was with great sadness that my walkabout came to end, but the memories (and new couch) I took away from this experience will last me a lifetime.

2/22/2011

IKEA is way overrated.  They have a lot of good cheap stuff but at the same time it has a lot of cheap junk too.  I stick to the downstairs marketplace when I go here.  I also like going at odd times because I cannot stand crowds.  IKEA seems to draw a lot of little kids running around everywhere which makes it lose one other star.

7/29/2011

As a student and someone who is finally in his first real apartment at the age of 24, this is the perfect place for furniture.  I can find simple style and not pay too much for it.  I finally have a couch, two lamps (one of which is a cool spider-like fixture with seven little lights that look like tea candles), and a trash can.  Yes, I went nearly two months without a trash can in my kitchen.  Don't judge me.  AND for only $60, they delivered the couch to me the next day.  Thanks, guys!

12/9/2011

Ikea stores are much better in Europe, everything seemed so cheap in quality.  Avoid the food court at all costs, it's the worst cafeteria food x 100!

1/16/2013

Ikea is huge and as a frequent shopper here, I'm proud to say that I've got it all mapped out (finally).  Don't worry, they have actual maps for first-timers.  I purchased a dresser for my husband (then boyfriend) back in '07...it's since survived 2 moves & still in great shape.  We also have a cd tower, a large floor mirror, comfy microfiber chair & a few great finds for the kitchen & bathrooms.  Ikea's pricing is very reasonable & some favorites are votive candles, sheets, vases & frames.  Their showrooms are very cool & I enjoy walking through them gathering tips or seeing unique things that I wouldn't have picked out otherwise.  The beds are my only gripe...wish they weren't all that low swedish style.  The little food court/cafe once served as a weekly go-to lunch spot for me & my co-workers.  The swedish meatballs that you've heard of or seen in other people's reviews are oh so yummy & even better with the gravy.  The $1 hotdogs are great & so is the mac & cheese.  Around the check-out area they have food & grocery for sale, most in freezers.  Just a word to the wise though:  Don't buy Ikea's frozen swedish meatballs to take home for later.  Believe me, I couldn't get enough of them either one time & made the mistake of thinking they would be just as delicious as in store.  Wrong, they don't even compare.

9/12/2009

I love IKEA,, furniture galore and relatively cheap...ALTHOUGHHHH there stuff has recently begun to fall apart in my home,,, first a dresser, then a table.. wtf?!?!  within a month... not sure if i can shop there for more furniture at this point...

3/20/2011

I love IKEA. The branding, the furniture, the pricing, and the food - everything about this place is a wonderfully thought out and well priced. Realize that you get what you pay for, but besides that - I wouldn't venture far from IKEA when it comes to furnishing my living space.

4/12/2011

I.LOVE.IKEA.
It's the best furniture store EVER. Of course, if you like classic or traditional style furniture made of real wood - Ikea if not for you. But you like modern and happy furniture - it's the place you need.
Things I LOVE about Ikea:
1) They have furniture for every budget - you can buy a sofa for $250 or $1500 - depending for your needs and finances;
2) You don't have to have any designing skills - their showrooms are great, and you can just choose one and buy everything in it and put in your house;
3) When you get tired of Ikea piece you own - you can sell it no problem (bough a Klippan love seat 1 year ago for $80, sold a month for $100). Feel pretty good about it!
4) It's quite durable (the above mentioned Klippan have been transported sticking out of Civic's trunk in the pouring rain - and nothing happened to it!)
5) It's a fun way to spend your day - me and my BF usually make a day out of it.We live on the North Shore and it takes us an hour to get there (can't wait for the Somerville store to open) and then we usually spend about 3 hours in the store. If not for my BF, I would be in that store for 8 hours looking at every piece and touching every vase and picture frame!
6) Food! Love the meatballs with that berry sauce (I always have to buy extra). I also recommend Veggie Side Medallions. Yammy! Although I am not impressed with their desserts! Lately they have been giving free lunch with a $100 purchase.
The only bad thing about the store - I never came out empty-handed. Last time me and my BF went to "just look around" we left with a new sofa, dresser, 4 storage boxes and a plant.  

PS I always thought they don't have any sale items, but we've been eying this reddish Karlstad sofa for a while now, and last time we went it was reduced from $500 to $359. How could I NOT take it, right?

6/8/2011

Wow.  We took our first trip to IKEA and waht a treat.  I wish we had one closer, but this was good enough for us.  We packed up the kids and went!  First of all, we dropped the kids off for an hour int he fun spot they have for them...forget what it was called.  So we had an HOUR of shopping without children.  Woo Hoo!  What a treat.  We picked out some great items, got the kids and then settled in for a delicious lunch in the cafteria.  I thought the lunch was a bit pricey, but it was fine and the meatballs were yummy yummy.  Our favorite place was the "returned" or "damaged" area where people bring things back - we got some incrediible deals there.  I cannot wait to go back.

9/5/2011

Ikea is a big place to by cheap stuff. If you do go plan to be in there for a few hours because there are limited exits. They have $.50 hot dogs

3/23/2012 Updated review

Love this place . Easy to get in and out, good deals, nice stuff!

3/15/2007

This store is Unbelieveable.  I went to IKea for the first time March 3 and all I can say is why did I not go there sooner.  I am the type of person who walks into a store and if it is unorganized I walk right out.  Ikea has concept rooms set up which give you great idea's on decorating any room of  your house and the prices are very reasonable.  One thing I didnt notice when I was there is that there are arrows on the floor to follow so you make sure to see the whole store.  Ikea is so big it is easy to go around in circles and still not view everything.  Make sure and visit this store it is a must

3/29/2007

God, how I love Ikea, especially on a weekday on "off" hours. It can get to be a little bit of an elbow-to-elbow sweatfest on the weekends, but I love Ikea then, too. I guess one could describe my love for Ikea as "unconditional".
All the things that people complain about with Ikea are the aspects that I find thrilling; I guess it's a kick-back to the hunter-gatherer instincts. I love the sheer size of the place and the feeling that no matter how many different ways you turn your head, there is chance that you could miss something. I love the battle for a decent parking space. I love going in with the intention of just browsing, and then leaving with a $150 Noresund bed frame. I love sitting in a cold car in the parking lot for 40 minutes while my husband tries to tie this bed frame to the top of our Hyundai Elantra with the crappy nylon string that Ikea provides. I love being 1 of 100 of the 9 month pregnant women who are deep in the throes of nesting and have decided to slake their thirst for organization at Ikea.
I love Ikea.
My favorite part is the irony. I am also enamored with the environmental background and philosophies of the company. I find it funny that the original concept of the store was to facilitate small, ecologically responsible living, and now that it has branched out to the US, there are throngs of super-sized SUVs (driven by one person, invariably on a cell phone taking up two lanes) lining up for their cheap furniture. I think the philosophy is lost on most of the clientele, but I am an environmentalist, and Ikea has made it much easier for my tree-hugging self to live with my family in a small house.