My Stress Free Guide to Shopping Ikea
Flipping through a decorating magazine or perusing for inspo on Pinterest and I’m sure you will spot pieces from the design giant Ikea. Ikea has filled a significant void in the lives of hip, budget-conscious, do-it-yourselfers everywhere. If you are lucky enough to live within driving distance of one of these stores, you are vey lucky indeed.
I’ve been fortunate to live close by to an Ikea for most of my adult life and consider myself somewhat of an expert on how to efficiently visit and shop their locations.
For someone visiting an Ikea for the first time, the excitement can quickly turn to overwhelm as one enters the maze of unknown worlds. IKEA’s low prices depend on a help-yourself environment, unless you know where to go and what to do.
Below are some tips to ease you along in your IKEA shopping experience.
SHOPPING TIPS
Before you even get in the car, I highly recommend you jump online and familiarize yourself with their items. If you know what you’ll be shopping for, you can check that your item is indeed in stock. If it isn’t, you can sign up to be notified by email or text when it does come back in stock.
When you come through the door, you’ll need to grab a couple of things to better assist you in your shopping experience.
A catalog if you don’t already have one. This is not a necessity but can be a help during shopping and beyond.
A map. Yes, you may need this if you are new to shopping Ikea. It’s easy to get trapped in IKEA’s maze of departments and aisles.
An IKEA notepad and pencil, to write down the location numbers of items that you might want to purchase. I just use the notes feature on my iPhone.
An IKEA shopping bag or cart, or both.
IKEA is separated into four areas: showroom, marketplace, self-serve warehouse, and checkout.
The showroom, located on the top level, is your own private, grown-up playhouse, so if you don’t know exactly what you are shopping for, plan to spend some time here. This showroom is the best (and sometimes only) place to view assembled IKEA furniture. If you see something you want to purchase, the price tag will tell you where to find it. Record this info on your notepad. If you are familiar with the items you wish to purchase, you can go direct to the self-serve warehouse (larger furniture items). I will look up my SKUs online before my visit to check stock/inventory. In the self-serve warehouse, there is a self serve kiosk where you can look up your items to locate them within the warehouse. This can save you a lot of time.
The marketplace is where you will find IKEA decor accessories such as vases, pillows, curtains, fabric, dishes, and rugs. I will skip the showroom and proceed direct to the marketplace if I am only shopping for decor and accessories during my visit. The marketplace is usually on the main level.
The self-serve warehouse is exactly that. This is where you will find the furniture that you viewed in the showroom or online before your visit, only now it is available for purchase. Use your notepad to find the correct aisle where the product is located from when you visited the showroom. If you skipped the showroom, you can use their self serve kiosk to quickly look up your items.
Then finally you have the checkout. The place where you can spend big bucks or save a ton—or both!
Additional Tips
Tape measures are provided but, I suggest bringing your own along.
The price tag at IKEA is your friend. Not only does it list colors, materials, sizes, and other useful information, but also the shelf number where you can collect the item from the warehouse or send a message to contact the staff if you need to collect it at Furniture Pick-up.
There are two restaurants in IKEA: Their main self-serve restaurant and the bistro café, usually located by the checkout.
Do not show up to your local Ikea and expect help on the spot designing your kitchen. For assistance with kitchen, office, or bedroom planning, the IKEA website offers several planning tools. I suggest doing your preliminary planning using their online tools and then calling their toll free number for further assistance.
If you live too many miles away from the closest store, IKEA does offer online shopping on many of their items.
Want to shop Ikea but do not like visiting the store, you can shop online and for a small fee, you can choose their click and collect service. You will receive an email when your order is ready and all you need to do is pull up and load your items into your vehicle. Be sure to bring a Government issued picture ID. Easy Peasy.
Insiders Tips
Sign up to be a member of the IKEA family program to score discounts and more.
Bring your own bags to checkout unless you don’t mind paying the small charge for IKEA’s.
Don’t bypass the As-Is section, usually located by the checkout area. Great deals can be had here, especially if you don’t mind doing a little TLC.
Kitchen cabinetry is not available for pick-up in the self-serve warehouse. To purchase kitchen cabinetry, IKEA requires that you design your space first. You may design it at home online and print out your supply list, or you can use the computers in your store's kitchen section where IKEA provides a kitchen planner on hand to help (this department is extremely busy so I would not recommend visiting on a weekend). After purchase, proceed to IKEA's Furniture Pick-Up to receive your cabinets and installation hardware.
Check out my list of favorite Ikea items, FREE to download and with clickable shoppable links.
