The Ikea Idea
On our first visit we quickly learned the Ikea way of shopping. There’s no familiar grid pattern of aisles here, like, say, in a Target store. And yes, the place is enormous. Even when looking for just one thing, you are forced to follow a snake-like path that passes through every department. You even have to pass through the place where Swedish meatballs are sold. You will enjoy it. Well, we did. We found ourselves saying things like, “Oooh, look at that cabinet! Wouldn’t that look great in the living room?” or “check this out—a fancy toilet brush for only $3.99!”
We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, and it was crowded. We parked in the immense parking lot and made our way past the line of U-Hauls and pickup trucks poised for cargo in the loading area. We stepped onto the escalator and fell in line with other people, stopping to pick up our order sheet, a pencil, and a complimentary tape measure. We re-entered the line and slowly snaked our way through the departments. We paused in the office section to write down the information for a simple desk that I had my eye on. As we passed through the home media section, Maria discovered an entertainment center for our living room. We stopped briefly to mark it on our list and then carried on.
Our shopping experience at Ikea was not stressful at all. I was impressed by the efficiency of item selection, pick-up, and loading. We moved through this process like parts in a well-oiled Swedish machine. Customers as well as staff were extremely polite—people were holding doors open, smiling, saying hello, etc. The Ikea experience might have made us tired, but it was a positive experience.
Skål! -- What's been your experience with Ikea?