IKEA Stoughton

4/16/2010

I remember having to drive all the way to New Haven, CT to visit an Ikea years ago (with my Mom in tow!). Having one in MA is definitely a privilege for those of us who actually like their furniture, etc. The one in Stoughton is just like any other as far as layout, products, and the masses of people.

I actually find comfort in the whole process of shopping there. Yes, it will take you a good 2-3 hours to get in and out and of course, it's a bit chaotic depending on when you visit. My strategy is to make it through the whole showroom and take a break before the marketplace deal. I've probably ate 10lbs of meatballs and gravy in their cafeteria (which is good and cheap) and if you've never had it, you should try the Lingonberry juice!

I've always been happy with their furniture though. The bottom line is you get what you pay for so if you're looking for bookcases, coffee tables, desks, etc I would pay a little extra for better quality.

4/21/2011

Finally got around to visiting this huge store in Stoughton...it is so huge I think my first trip was around 4 and a half hours.  My wife and I brought the kids who usually get cranky after a couple of hours at furniture stores, but they did very well here because it is so kid friendly.  There are play stations everywhere throughout and you can even drop your smaller kids off at a play center where they can hang out while you shop.  Food is decent for adults and the kids enjoy it...and know you can feed for for well under $20 which is nice.  Ended up agreeing with some that this kind of furniture isn't for the whole house to me....but it's nice and inexpensive for the children to have for their spaces in the house, which is why I went.  They have tons of other nice decorative and accent items as well, so it really is somewhere everyone should try out.

11/15/2011

Free lunch on Saturday was a welcome surprise!  I had to go to pick up some Billy shelves, and so why not have lunch there as well?  The overall experience was great, and the shelves went together later at home with no problem at all.  The place was packed, but yet the experience wasn't terrible, even though it was jammed with people.  Speaks volumes about IKEA's dedication to process and systems - get people in and out with minimal fuss, but also with minimum frills.

1/19/2010

i went yesterday during a total slushfest so on the way down there were 5 accidents within 30ft of each other, after that it was smooth driving. Since there was bad weather it was not that busy around 10 am. The store is way overwhelming if you're just browsing and don't have any particular purchases in mind. I was there for a couple hours and only got 3 things totalling to a whopping $30. I definately have to go again since i kno what to expect now.

6/24/2011

Here you can always find something new and exciting.  I stop here once in awhile and am able to always find some bargains.

9/16/2011

The returns dept. is very friendly and helpful.  Overall this Ikea is great!

11/1/2011

Thank goodness for Ikea, otherwise I'd still be living in an empty apartment.  Go early in the morning on weekends to avoid the crowd and stop for some meatballs on your way out.

1/22/2012

Get your walking shoes on & get ready for a cardio experience! Exceptional place w a lg assortment of furniture & home goods that is like no other, all their products r their very own name brand which I think is a plus, also a Swedish store, restaurant & bistro w the yummy smelling cinnamon buns, hope u enjoy ur shopping adventure.

2/23/2013

It had lots of choices, but it should have more signs and direction giving, because if they're going to make you walk through all of the rooms, they should give you more directions. Also, the people at the cafe place where they give ice cream need to be a little nicer.

2/22/2012

I usually love IKEA. I have to set aside a chunk of time to go, as the closest one is 45 mins away, and we all know how much time can be spent once inside the store.

HOWEVER. Why, IKEA, why put big sticky labels on glass candles??? How ridiculous is that? It took me longer to get the label off than it did to put together the coffee table on which I will place these candles. By the time I was finished, I wanted to hurl the candle through the window, rather than use it to decorate my house.

1/29/2011

Buying IKEA?  Fine, but save yourself a lot of aggravation and have everything delivered straight to the landfill.  That way you can avoid all the fuss of assembly, you don't have to live with ugly cardboard furniture and you don't have to haul it to the landfill.

Ikea, filling the world's landfills.

9/25/2011

This is a very nice Ikea. It has flush-less toilets and a sod roof making it very eco friendly. I recommend you buy some LED lighting. I am also fond of the cinnamon buns.

8/12/2006

ikea is ikea. i love it but i hate it. i feel like every time i go here with my boyfriend our relationship barely survives intact. it always seems like a good idea in theory, but a simple trip to pick up one item turns into a meandering throughout their showroom and before you know it you've picked up or decided on $200 worth of stuff (their kitchen section is always what gets me). then you pick up your box of furniture in the self-serve area and it's larger than you imagined and weighs 90 pounds. and you bring it out to your car but you parked on another level so you have to take the elevator and you wait for it with your oversized cart with like 10 other people with equally oversized carts. and you bring it out to your car and it doesn't fit so you try to jam it in another way and you're reduced to tears and your zipcar reservation is going to run out in an hour and you live 30 minutes away. so you open up the box and take out each individual piece that will eventually make up the furniture and put each piece in the car so it'll actually fit. then you actually have to bring it home and carry it up 2 flights of stairs and i won't even mention the 4 hour long process of putting it together, when you're almost finished and you realize that you used the wrong sized bolt in step 4 and you're on step 30 and it's finally coming around to bite you in the ass. if you're like me, you just let it go and resign yourself to a nightstand with a drawer that will only open halfway. at least it looks cute and only cost $40, right?

ETA 7/07 sweet jesus i have found the best thing ever. IKEA DELIVERY SERVICE. it's a $99 flat rate for the boston area and that includes up to 10 boxes i think, they can let you know. no more trying to cram stuff in that zipcar! go for the scion xa without fear! plus, then they actually DELIVER it and BRING IT UP AND DOWN STAIRS for you. that's key. that is worth way more than $99 to me!

11/1/2006

I have major love for IKEA.  Who doesn't?  Because the store is a trek from my abode, I didn't truly experience the IKEA store until this past summer.  I've only made one other pilgrimage since then to outfit my new apartment, but I never fail to be amazed by the enormity of the store and vast selection of goods for sale.  And the cafeteria!  Oh my god, I was in Swedish meatball heaven (yes, I stuffed my face with those delectable lil' balls of goodness covered in mystery gravy!).  It's quite clever of them to put a veritable food court in the store, because it provides much needed fuel and sustenance to sustain your shopping marathon.  If you don't have to leave the store to get food, then you stay longer and buy more, right?!   All this, coupled with the insanity that is IKEA on a holiday weekend, makes for quite a mind-blowing shopping experience.  Sure, parking can be a nightmare, and navigating the list-wielding crowds isn't always fun, but you know what?  Flipping through the catalogue from the comfort of one's own home is nice, but not nearly as exciting.

12/14/2012

I am waiting for it for the whole afternoon....

11/27/2006

Christmas is only a few weeks away.  It will be my one stop Christmas shopping for less. I loooooove it.

5/22/2012

I think the primary role of Yelp is to provide feedback for small, local businesses, but I've had such a bad experience with IKEA that I just need to use this venue to warn people.  It is not the merchandise that I have problems with.  Like most people, what drew me to IKEA is that it offers a great value.  Their items range from very inexpensive, practically disposable furniture (great for poor college students) to reasonably priced yet stylish and more solidly built items.  They also offer an inexpensive cafeteria with relatively bland but universally acceptable food.  For those points, I would rate IKEA 4 stars.

The issue I have with IKEA is with their customer service.  In the last few months, I have had some very bad experiences on that point.

First, on January 18, I received a promotional email from IKEA with an offer of $5 off a Swedish Food Market purchase of $25 or more.  I took the opportunity to buy some Swedish meatballs only to be told by the cashier that my coupon was a fake.  No apology, either.  I was just told that I was trying to use a fake coupon that had been making the rounds as if I were trying to cheat them out of $5 worth of ground beef.  I left and exchanged a few emails with their customer service before they offered a gift card to make up for it.  Even so, until the very end, they insisted that the coupon was fake.  It's still there on THEIR OWN WEBSERVER if you want to see it - http://info.ikea-usa.com… - clever how those hackers were able to host the coupon from IKEA's own domain which IKEA has controlled since April 15, 1997.

The next issue is a couch that had an issue with the legs.  The couches purportedly have a 10-year limited warranty.  I called customer service, and they said as long as we had the receipt (we did) we could go into the store to get new ones.  We were able to go in with our receipt (about 7 years old) and get a replacement set of legs fairly easily.  So far, so good.  Unfortunately, the design of the couch had been changed and the new legs would not screw into the couch we had.  I called customer service again and the lady, who was very nice, said to bring the legs and receipt back in, and if they couldn't find ones that fit, they would have to just give us a new couch.  Back to the IKEA, and they looked all over the AS-IS section and in the back room.  Nope, IKEA doesn't make legs for the couch anymore.  Sorry.  I told them the customer service representative on the phone said that if they could not get legs, they would just exchange the couch for us.  They said, yes, but you have to bring in the couch.  Now, I am NOT a newbie when it comes to customer service headaches.  (Really, are any of us anymore?)  "The couch is really big," I said, "and it doesn't come apart.  It is going to be a PAIN to bring it in because I will have to rent a truck or borrow a friend's car or leave half of it hanging out the back of my station wagon.  If you're not going to help me, tell me now, because I don't want to bring it all the way in and then have you tell me there's nothing you can do."  "Don't worry," the customer service guy said.  "We know who you are."

I should just stop there because it's obvious where this is going.  A couple of weeks later, I drive to IKEA on the local roads with my emergency lights on and the couch hanging out the back of my station wagon, secured with lots of rope.  My wife and I manage to get it up to the customer service desk with our infant in tow.  I relate all of the above (including the conversation with Mr. Don't-worry-we-know-who-you-are) and the customer service lady helping us this time goes around the corner where she talks to someone on the phone for like 15 or 20 minutes.  Finally, she comes back and says... "sorry, there's nothing we can do."  My jaw hit the floor.  Mr. Don't-worry-we-know-who-you-are was working that day but was helping someone else.  I said, that guy right there said bring in the couch and we'll exchange it for you.  "Sorry, there's nothing we can do."  Couldn't you have said this to me BEFORE I brought the couch in when I asked you to just tell me right then and there if you were going to not help me?

My naming names and pointing to people led to a little huddle of three people in yellow/blue IKEA shirts (including Mr. Don't-worry-we-know-who-you-are) and then another long phone call around the corner.  The Manager of Couches or whatever comes down and looks very pensively at the couch.  Yeah, there's nothing we can do for you.  They don't make the legs for that couch anymore.  Let's go through this big box of random couch legs and see if we can find some that fit.

It was Saturday.  It was beautiful outside.  We had been at IKEA for over an hour by then.  At that point, I declined and took my legless couch home, hanging out the back of my station wagon, driving 20 mph.  I am done with IKEA and will henceforth be known as "that guy who complains about IKEA all the time".

5/19/2007

I love the magic experience that is IKEA.  I went there whenever I used to go to Toronto in the past, and always mentally designed my dream house with the bulk of the Ikea items.  I like that it's all very convenient and you can pick up the stuff that day, but at the same time, I hate it.  If I bought a sofa or something, I would pay to have it delivered.  I don't like having to deal with it.  Same thing with putting furniture together.....I just don't have the patience level to handle it, and luckily my other half can build and put anything I need together.  I generally stick to smaller items here, and they have fun kitchen items and accessories.  My favorite part?  Lunch in the cafeteria, and also the little grocery area where you can buy your Swedish treats.  Anna's Ginger Cookies and frozen bags of meatballs and packets of brown sauce.  It's pretty much a good reason to go, because they are really good!  It's a big place and can be pretty overwhelming.  Don't go on the weekend and try to get there in the morning when they open, otherwise if it's packed, it adds to that overwhelming feeling and it will make you want to leave as soon as possible.

4/9/2007

i make it a rule to never visit IKEA on a non-holiday, as to avoid the crowds. that being said, my annual Easter pilgramage is fresh in my mind. (they are open 363 days a year i think)

i grew up with an IKEA 15 minutes from my house in NJ so I'm completely aware of their faults already (missing pieces, "wood" shelves) I just love walking around and getting ideas. And you can't get lost because all you have to do is follow the arrows on the floor. If you can't do that, then check yourself into the day care near the entrance. The market place is awesome. So many cheap things to grab and stash in your cart. Came in for a $50 bookcase? Walk out $100 lighter because you had to buy more wood hangers and magazine organizers. And those to-die-for Swedish cookies called Ballerinas that are hazelnut-chocolate creme cookie sandwiches. How do you say "yum" in Swedish?

1/18/2006

Ok, so it's out in the 'burbs, but if you haven't been to IKEA yet, what are you waiting for?? When this trendy housewares superstore opened in Stoughton a few months ago, traffic shut down Rte 24 for hours on end. Perhaps now the excitement has worn off, so you can make the journey. It will be well worth your time. Plan for at least a three hour visit in the store. First you enter the Showroom, where arrows on the floor guide you through the massive display of living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, offices, you name it. You gather your ideas in the Showroom of how to maximize your living space, whether you're in 600 square feet or 6,000. After exploring the Showroom, it's onto the Marketplace where you can shop 'til you drop (thus the three hour time allotment. But don't worry, they have a cafe on hand so you can get snacks to see you through your visit. Did I mention it's a Swedish company? Lots of authentic food on hand, including swedish meatballs. I personally can't leave without buying a box of my favorite cookies: Anna's Ginger Thins, yum-o!). From home accessories and top-notch organizational products, to kitchen gadgets and bookshelves, you'll find it at Ikea. Note to self: the cost of the product is rock bottom, because you bag it and assemble it on your own. It's a little tricky finding help because the place is so massive, but once tracked down, the staff was helpful and happy. The products are uber cool, good quality, plus you get great ideas on making your space work harder for you. It's definitely worth the extra effort to get there.

8/15/2008

Not only does it take 2 weeks to deliver a table top, they shipped the table top without legs.  Guess how long that is going to take.

8/6/2012

Terrible customer service.  Pretty much every time I tried to ask for some help, I felt like the staff were ignoring me.  Worst of any Ikea I've ever been to.  Would not recommend.

6/2/2011

Total crapfest.  I had never been to an IKEA and went in to look around.  A nice man handed me a yellow shopping bag at the entrance.  Cool!  I wandered around and picked up a few things.  Most of my items were glass.  Then I went to the self checkout.  Scanners didn't work.  An "associate" told me that the scanners hadn't worked for some time and told me to use the gun instead.  OK.  Awkward trying to scan with the gun and not let my items crash and break on the floor.  I finished up and headed out.  Until this uber-beeyatchy Asian woman came down on me Gestapo style screaming "YELLOW BAGS STAY HERE, YELLOW BAGS STAY HERE!"  Uh, Ok but how am I going to carry this stuff to my car?  "YELLOW BAGS STAY HERE!"  Uh, can I buy the bag?  "YELLOW BAGS STAY HERE, YOU CAN BUY A BLUE BAG, BUT YELLOW BAGS STAY HERE!"  After she assaulted me, she pounced on another poor un-initiated customer.  She actually pointed at this poor woman and screamed  "YOU TOO!  SAME THING!  YELLOW BAGS STAY HERE!"

IKEA can't spare a complimentary plastic bag for those who are unfamiliar with how it operates?  What's more, they treat new customers like felons?  In the words of Cee-Lo, FORGET YOU.

5/5/2012

I love Ikea.  I really do.  Most of their stuff is great, and cheap, but daaaaaamn...  Was it because I was dressed casually and my hair was a mess, was it because it was my day off and I looked leisurely???  The customer service...  VERDICT: TERRIBLE.  My husband and I were in the curtain/mini blind area, and LITERALLY FELT like we were being adamantly avoided by the saleswoman!!!  OMG!  Was it really because we might have 'looked' like we couldn't afford much???  She seriously helped several people around us and we watched her as she avoided us like the plague!!!  Well, screw you lady, we have lots of money to blow on fun house stuff, and it won't be spent in your department now, thanks to you...  What a snot bag!!!  We were interested in several panel curtain set-ups, and because we needed specific help and guidance, and she would NOT help us, we did not want to just grab and go...  She avoided us to the point where, at one point, I was hunting her down like game on an African Safari...  It was ridiculous.  I couldn't catch the damn gazelle!  After waiting for 20 minutes, looking super puzzled, we left.  Curtain shopping shouldn't be so taxing...  Ikea, thumbs down...

2/28/2009

It's a little far from Cambridge, where I live, but it's a nice Ikea and I really love Ikea.  If you know Ikea, know to get there at non-rush times such as weekend mornings, weekday evenings, and maybe weekend evenings.  The weekend afternoons are probably not going to be the best experience- expect lots of people spending a lot of time looking around in the shopping area (Ikea knows what they're doing).  Kids are everywhere too.  If you're claustrophobic, in a hurry, or get really frustrated having too many things to choose from, Ikea may not be a good place to visit.  They have an online catalog though.  Grab a cinnamon roll on your way out.

12/8/2008

The ginormity that is this Ikea store makes me feel all warm and fuzzy every time, like I'm entering a secret cult of home decor paradise. Only here can you find cost effective and handsome furniture (albeit annoying to build, but whatever), some of the best fro-yo on the planet, mouthwatering cinnamon buns, any and everything Lingonberry, and bags of Swedish meatballs to go. Walking past the kid's section makes you hate being an adult (they have indoor seesaws now...). Awesome finds for the kitchen and bathroom, many for $.99 or near vicinity. I don't recommend buying online, unless absolutely necessary, as the shipping is way too expensive. The customer service is fine when you need them, but they don't interfere in the shopping experience, which is so nice. They also have VIP parking for Zipcars, which is a great idea. I walked out this weekend with a chest of drawers, 2 night tables, a hamper, a bagful of odds and ends, 2 lamps, a trash bin and some frozen balls for $250. I don't think even craigslist can beat that.

4/30/2007

luv, luv, luv IKEA =)

1/18/2012

Who doesn't love Ikea? How can you NOT love Ikea? I could spend hours in Ikea wandering the isles and idolizing their display rooms. It's kid friendly too which is a plus. Just make sure you visit with a large empty car so you have room for all of the stuff you will be bringing home with you.

1/13/2012

I think I'm over IKEA. The ratio of great stuff to mediocre is poor, and too much of the great stuff is too often out of stock. IKEA, I loved you in the 90s but it's over now.

5/15/2011

Is it possible that you can spend an afternoon looking at possibilities in the crowded maze of Ikea -- when you get home, measure, think and consider the options -- NOT be able to speak to a human at the Ikea store you just left 20 miles ago?  Unfortunately, this true -- the number provided brings you to a national line -- we were told they could not connect us to the sofa department.  Not happy!  We just had a very simple question that a person in the sofa department could have answered in 10 seconds -- now do we drive back?

5/24/2011 Updated review

Great products, great design, great prices =0) people who work there are nice (can't imagine working there and dealing with all these customers) but they do a great job no matter how busy it is!  One of the best IKEAS I've been too

8/20/2011

Be careful when you purchase from this store.

My wife and three children went to the store to buy a desk for my daughter.  When we arrived the parking lot was full and we waited 15 minutes as people loaded their cars with large boxes.  Finally we got a parking space and found the upper parking deck was closed.  I'm not sure why they would make people wait to park when they have more parking spaces for customers.

So we went inside and saw a place for the kids.  "Great", we thought " We'll leave the kids and walk around and see if there is anything else we might like."  I had to return some small items my brother bought as a gift so I left my wife to drop off the kids while I return the stuff.  I went over to returns and got my number (like at a deli counter).  Thirty minutes later I had my turn as there were only two employees doing returns and 13 people in front of me.  When I finally got my turn they wouldn't take one of the items because it was a X-mas item.  The other item they took back.  Because I didn't have a reciept they told me they only accept one return for life per person without a receipt.  I asked if get another gift what would I do.  She shrugged her shoulders and said "Sorry".  

I went back to met my wife and she is still in line to drop the kids.  They told her 15 minute wait and it's now about 45 minutes.  My wife returned to the kid drop off and the representative said ," We're understaffed in here and they know it but won't send any more people to help."  We waited another 10 minutes and dropped the kids to which they gave us a pager and told us the kids can only stay for a 45 minute maximun time.  

We left to go through the store and went to the desks.  I wrote down the information from the tag for pick up in the warehouse and we walked into the childrens area.  My wife saw a storage box , the Trofast, and decided we should buy it.  I tried to ask the two women some questions about the tag and numbers.  They kept saying, "The numbers are attached." As I walked away I heard them going back to the conversation about their boyfriends. So, I wrote the tag numbers down on the shopping list.  Beep, beep, from the pager.  My wife asked me to get the kids. After winding around the path for 20 minutes I finally arrived at the kids area. I told my name and the women asks for the pager which I gave. She then looked at the papers from the children drop off and told me only my wife can pick up the kids.  I tried calling my wife on the cell phone but it wouldn't pick up a signal in the building.  I told the lady I have to look for my wife and left.  After about 5 minutes I found a place in the store with a signal. To my pleasure her phone was working. Ten minutes later we both arrive at the Kids area and they release the kids, the woman snarled at us for being late.

We decided to divide an conquer. I'll go to the warehouse and she'll continue to look with the kids in tow.  I get a cart and go from isle to isle in the warehouse putting the boxes on my cart. I go to the checkout and the lines are very long. I decided to go to self check-out(best decision of the night).  10 minutes later I'm paid and leaving.  I pack my car and eventually my wife and kids find their way to the front.  

The next day I'm putting the stuff together.  The desk  goes together nicely but what about the top piece that was on the model of the Trofast storage.  I call the Ikea number and they represantative tells my the top is for a different table.  I told him that these were on the example model in the store and he said it's not meant to be on the storage unit and I could glue it.  Thanks for the help!!!   Rather than glue it my wife and I decided we'll make another 45 minute trip to Stoughton to return the part.

So we got baby sitter. Hit the road. Enter the store and sat in return line again for 45 minutes.  Because we were there we decided to buy a chair to match my daughters desk. We went to the model chair, got the numbers from the tag, get it from the warehouse.  Opened it the next day and... wrong chair in box. I check the numbers online and found their tag was wrong.  I tried calling and no one is answering.  This place is very frustrating.  They understaff the cashiers, the returns and the few people on the floor weren't very helpful.

Lesson - If you want to save some money by shopping at this store be prepared for frustration and extra effort and multiple trips to get it right.

9/3/2011

I have furnished, oh, about 5 entire apartments with IKEA furniture and had sworn repeatedly never to do it again.  However, being new to Boston and with a limited budget, I decided to just give it another shot.  I was SHOCKED at how much better the quality was!  We bought two couches, two coffee tables, a home theater stand, a small table, a dining room table, four rugs, a desk, two nightstands, pillows, miscellaneous goods for the kitchen, etc and we love abosolutely everything.  All the wood coordinates.  We have had so many compliments on our apartment...nobody believes us when we say it is all IKEA..but it is!!  Yay!