Ikea is awesome. It even has childcare! We have so many pieces from Ikea and they look great. Esp with little kids, we don't care if they get beat up.

My one and only visit with my DH, about 5 years ago, was just like yours traceee. We've never been back and have no desire to go.

My kids love going there for the Swedish meatballs!

Too funny. I must never take for granted that I have an IKEA three exits away from my house after reading your post. My IKEA is always busy because it is very close to the Mall of America. I always make sure I go early when is isn't very busy. I like the breakfasts.

I wish I had one close to me. :(

That and Home Goods.

It is an interesting store indeed and you spend hours experiencing it. I never come away with much, but especially love the kitchen section.

For style and price I do prefer Home Goods and traffic seems to move better in that store. I always go ga ga in the glass and dish section.

I also very much love to peruse Ethan Allen as the room set ups are so great. Gives me lots of ideas.

The closest IKEA is also about an hour away. I have been planning on getting there since it opened about a year ago. I was warned to plan on spending all day !!! Can't wait to check it out.

First time we went was a Sat, and the only thing DH liked was the meatballs, LOL. But then again, like most men, he avoids any type of shopping other than supermarkets like all heck. However, he did pick out the kitchen cabinet hardware we wound up using, Gravyr, which is a satin nickel.

I generally try to avoid Saturdays, and it's much less crazy.

Traceee: Don't you know that "virgins" can't go to Ikea on their own??? You need a "trained" and "experienced" guide! LOL!! And ESPECIALLY not with the spouse in tow! But I'm glad you both survived.

Lesson #1: Never go on weekends.
Lesson #2: Eat before you go. Otherwise, halfway through (and you can't even tell where "halfway" is there!) your low blood-sugar level will combine with all those Ikea colors, textures, sights and make you dizzy, and you will undoubtedly throw some weird thing in your cart that you think is very cool but when you get home you will think you took somebody else's cart by mistake.
Lesson #3: Pack aspirin. Necessitated by sensory overload and those carts with the 360-degree wheels that will go where THEY want to go!

The shock will wear off, I promise, and then you will be sneaking off to Ikea one day, on your own, under the premise that "it's on the way" to somewhere else.

But now you can act as a chaperone to some other "Ikea virgin"! (I feel the same way about the Container Store--no newbie should walk in there alone!)

(Ikea is about 30 minutes on a good traffic day, or I can drive in the other direction about 45 minutes to another one. It's a double-edge sword, I tell you!)

My first experience at Stoughton store virtually identical! Went alone, but on a weekday. I came home EXHAUSTED, but made notes so I'd remember what area was good and what not so good. For example, for me, only ONE sofa and NO chairs were comfortable. But I loved some of the kitchens, and the housewares were great. Much of the furniture was junk, but a few items were worth it. I had to check out Billy bookcases since I hear so much about them on this forum. Love the very tall wardrobes too.

I too was an IKEA virgin until a couple of weeks ago. DH & I went with my DD, her DH and 3 children until the age of 10. Crazy to say the least. Definitely sensory overload. I really like the Ektrop slipcovered pieces and was happy to see them in person. Way too many items on my wish list and only walked out with a couple of pillows, a table lamp and some kitchen items. But I wanted to share what happened to us while there.

The kids wanted to play in the kids playground so we dropped them off and they gave us a beeper that would let us know when time was up. About 15 minutes into our "tour" the beeper went off and we went back to see what was up. Turns out one of our kids (who is totally deaf) had lost the battery out of one of her hearing aids. Poor baby was crying and didn't know what was going on. She lost it in the "ball house". The lady in charge of the area had all of the kids sit where they were and no one was to move until the battery was found. She called in every available employee and they carefully removed 5,000 balls until someone shouted "I found it!". Everyone was jumping up and down and cheering! It was awesome!!! Amazing that they found that little 1/4" beige battery and were happy to do it. You just don't see customer service like that any more. IKEA rocks!!!

Tannatonk: What a FABULOUS story!

Tannatonk that is a sweet story, and your right you don't see people or service like that much anymore.

We don't have an IKEA here in B'ham so would have to go to Atlanta, which is only two hours away. I definantly want to go.

Besides the meatballs, my favorite selection is the "As-Is" part where you can buy returns, damaged piece, and floor samples for far less than the original price.

I actually try to skip the showrooms.

...and you can go in the "returns" doors to go directly to the damaged furniture "Clearance" section...saving a long trip.

ps...you can also use that door to get to the frozen meatballs.

ML

I love the As-Is section. A few weeks ago, I bought a floor model medicine cabinet there for much less than it was being sold for in the showroom. It came fully assembled, and assembled by someone who can do it much better than I can!

Don't forget free coffee from 9:30AM - 10AM! My kids BEG to go to IKEA and who am I to say 'no'? So we'll go on a Tuesday or Thursday morning before they open and eat breakfast (.99 for theirs!), I'll drink my free cup of joe and at 10AM they got to Smaalland and I walk through and make a list or if I'm where I want to be on my credit card get something off of my list.

My first Ikea experience was shortly after we moved to Brussels. Imagine all that Ikea sensory overload then add French and Dutch language to the mix. lol Fell in love with the whole experience.

My favorite section is the as-is area, too. I love the candle holders/vases and the kitchen section.

There's one about an hour and a half from me...NOW we go there to have a 'European' experience during our Texas lives. Sometimes when I'm in the 'warehouse' section I can almost hear someone speaking French......sigh...

You all are sooooo funny! Tonnatonk - that is a great story, I can just picture it. I am still smiling.

I wish I had gone to Ikea before my modest kitchen remodel---not that I would have gone with an IKEA kitchen, but just to touch, and look, and slam some draws. I was in and out of Home Depot and Lowes when trying to visualize certain details, as well as local kitchen showrooms which were often intimidating. You know how sometimes when you are trying to make a decision about a tiny detail, you just want to stare and touch, and stare some more, but then the sales person is right there with "can I help you?" There must have been 10-15 kitchens all in one huge warehouse room - a great place for ideas. Who knew cabinets could do soooo many different things??

But seriously, does anybody else think the living room furniture - sofas and chairs are kinda small? Like maybe more for condo-living? Some things seemed very low to the ground.

All those people with there little note cards, little pencils, and maps....what a crack-up!!!

I have never been to one and really want to go. They have 2 but both are about 2 1/2 hours away. Will get there one day.

Tannatonk, what a great story!

IKEA is my destination as a family outing every year for MotherâÂÂs Day. Not usually that busy, despite being a Sunday, because everyone is taking their mothers out for a fancy dinner - meanwhile, I am happy as a clam!

We all shop together for a bit, then go to the restaurant for lunch (generally we all have meatballs). Then DH and older DS stay in the restaurant with their books, iPods etc and younger DS and I go shopping. Because I do floral stuff all the time, I stock up on some cool containers, and always 4 or 6 of the rektangl glass vases (the shorter one). Usually a few other decor things, maybe some kitchen gadget, perhaps a piece of inexpensive art or some frames, and some pillow covers and down inserts if I need those. Then a run back up to the restaurant for dessert and good swedish coffee. Finally, down to the first floor for the 'as is' section, plants, and to pick up anything that is stored down there. Then we check out, and I hit the food store for meatballs, their special gravy, the loaves of Swedish limpa bread, and packages of ground coffee. It is so much fun, and the whole adventure with food and shopping is often still way cheaper than a trip to a fancy restaurant that day.

The first time we went, we thought weâÂÂd be there an hour or two, and spent the entire afternoon and evening. LOL

After 4 years of waiting, two years ago on our MomâÂÂs day trip, I agreed to let them buy me my Poang chair and ottoman that I had been wanting from the first time I sat in one! Still my fav chair and the most comfortable one for me in the house.

IKEA is not high-end or heirloom furniture. That is not what it is supposed to be or pretends to be. It is fun, affordable, great for college or first apartment, or families who donâÂÂt have the money for expensive pieces but need a place to sit, or sleep, or work.

I have heard great things about their kitchen cabinets.

Tannatonk -- great story indeed.
I haven't ventured out to Ikea yet, I think that Stoughton is about 1.5 hours away from me, but hope to someday.... thanks for sharing-

My daughter, home from college one weekend, presented me with a catalog from a shopping trip to the Houston IKEA with her roommate. After drooling over the pages for hours, I fired off an email to the company requesting they build a store in Dallas. I told them how the area would be a perfect fit for their company, especially the fast growing northern suburbs. Received a lovely reply that they weren't planning any stores in my area in the near future. Amazing, the store sprung up within a couple of years. (You all in Dallas can thank me now, I'm sure it was my email that prompted them to look at this market, lol)

After many trips to IKEA over the last few years, I have finally decided that as much as I love the merchandise, it just doesn't fit in with my traditional home. However we have bought many things for my daughter's apartments.

This summer I was waiting by the front door of the store for a friend and watching in amazement the amount of people streaming in the door. Decided to do a head count...29 people in one minute. Should have stood by the exit door and count the people with purchased items leaving!

My favorite experience at IKEA hasn't been mentioned in this thread.....Next time you are in the store, go into the restrooms, wash your hands.....and use the hand blow dryers. Wow! Found out they are made by Dyson. Just like putting your hands in a toaster without the heat. Truly the best thing in the store.

They built one out by the airport. So once when I had to run my son to the airport he told me I should stop and check it out. Since I don't like to shop in general, I hated the feeling that I was a rat running a maze. Apparently, I need to go with someone who knows how to navigate through the store. And as someone else stated, I wasn't impressed with the furniture. So there would have to be something I r-e-a-l-l-y needed in order for me to go back.

We drive 6+ hours to get to an IKEA. (It's not a trip we make very often!).

My DH is from Sweden so it's almost a mini vacation for him. He can hang out in the cafe and food store while shop. :)

Love the story, Tannatonk!

We only live 10 minutes away, and we go there quite a bit. If you go on weekdays, it's far less busy. We have dinner there a lot; it's a very cheap and easy place to eat with kids. My 2 year old is just tall enough to go in their play area now, and he's just thrilled to go with his big sister. My 4 yr old with special needs really wants to go in there too....we're trying to use that as a motivator for potty training. My kids all love IKEA!

I love IKEA. We discovered it back in 2002 when I was on a business trip to San Francisco and DH went with me. It wasn't until 2006 that the Atlanta IKEA was built, which is "our" IKEA at a mere 2.5 hours away. I never make a trip to ATL without stopping through. We have a Poang chair (DH's favorite), some bookshelves and CD shelves and floating shelves. Also some towels, all the linen sheer curtains in the house, some kitchen gadgets, glasses, a rug, some light fixtures and a lamp . . . and as of April, 2010, a complete DIY IKEA kitchen.

I'll agree that if traditional is your thing, then IKEA furniture generally is not for you. But the accessories can work anywhere.

I also love the Ikea 'experience', though I haven't spent much money there. I love tracee's description that it is like being in a catalog.
We live 4+ hours from the nearest Ikea, but I have been to quite a few, my first was on a trip to San Diego. I was soo mad at my DH the first time I took him and the rest of the family to an Ikea (my daughter had been with me once), beceause he took a business call on his cell phone the entire time we were there! You really can't share the experience with someone who is on their phone. urggh! Then my son was bored and had to take an extended bathroom break. That was about 6 years ago. My son just spent a year studying in Spain and realized that Ikea was awesome when he needed to buy things for his apartment there. I felt vindicated!

It's nice to have IKEA as a choice. Our DD bought some items for her place and I ended up shopping there for myself recently for a few things. The attraction for me is not simply that they are inexpensive, for the most part, but that according to them at least, they make an attempt to be environmentally friendly and non toxic.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed that their attempt is not always much better than other stores. I thought I might be able to buy a new mattress there, but evidently there is a law that requires all mattresses to have fire retardant on them, which I won't sleep on. It outgasses for years, even if you put a zippered cover over it. Not their fault that they are required to use it.

I also bought a large floor mirror after my DD bought one for her house. I brought it home and unpacked it and it smelled horrible! Really bad. I wasn't sure if it was the packaging or the actual mirror. I put it in a spare room for 3 weeks to air it out but it didn't go away. I could still smell it in the hall as I passed the room with the door shut. I took it outside on the porch for two days. I was disappointed because it was just what I needed but I took it back. I was surprised. If they are trying to do non toxic, I just don't get it. It was a large mirror with a black wooden frame. What's so hard about doing that non toxic? Low VOC paint on plain pine and you're all set.

I did buy a chest of drawers that I liked and that had no smell. It was very inexpensive and I thought it was attractive. We kept that. I also have one of their warm duck feather comforters that I have been very happy with. It's SO warm in the winter! I don't know what I did before that. Unfortunately, it is significantly smaller than most standard duvet covers and not really all that much cheaper, so now that I need a second one, I am looking for other alternatives that will fit the duvet cover better. An organic goose or duck down, but I am still looking.

Overall, though, I have found some of the wooden furniture to be a nice inexpensive alternative. I have not found any of their upholstered furniture that seems worth buying. I also see a lot of that for sale on Craig's list when it is not that old. Photos of them at 3 years old look pretty worn. I have not bought lighting from them after being cautioned that their lights are not UL listed. Like someone else mentioned, my tastes run to the more traditional/country, so they are often a little too contemporary for me, but my DD leans more contemporary, so more of their styles appeal to her.

I still feel they are worth checking out when I need something. They do a LOT of business. They fill a niche. I hope they will improve their offerings of non toxic, environmentally friendly products, because that would really interest me.

I've been to IKEA twice. The first time I swore I would never go back, then a year later I did and felt the same panic attack. Shopping in IKEA is like living a nightmare (and I am a shopoholic).

I feel like I am being herded like cattle along a path which I cannot veer off of. A yellow brick road of sorts surrounded by dozens of folks all moving in the same direction. There is no easy way to get to different departments without following this yellow brick road in its entirety. I think I was even led through a warehouse before the path finally led me to the cashier and, thank God, out into the freedom of the parking lot.

NEVER AGAIN! LOL

Having done a kitchen, two bathrooms, a laundry room, and a bedroom walk-in-closet with Ikea, I can confidently say that folks should try to go sometime like a weekday night or morning. Weekends are crazy. I never could have gotten anything done there at that time. It's like a different place, though, during the low-volume hours. We're happy with everything we've gotten from there, including the things we've "hacked" (e.g. a laundry room bench with 15" deep pullouts, which I'm trying to remember how I did because I want to do it in another room!). Hacking greatly adds to the experience.

I love the As-Is section, although ours in Portland has gotten a bit overreaching and isn't giving good discounts anymore. There's a rather snitty pricer back there that seems to want to impress her higher-ups. At least there was the last time I was there. Maybe she's been promoted by now LOL

I have gotten many things from IKEA over the years. Most were quite nice with only a few clunkers. Our soms love the place though I am afraid will be too big soon for the play part. It was a great way to do a playdate for kids as it was attached to a mall. We could bring the kids to IKEA to play, then go grab a cup of coffee. When the time was up, we'd head to the mall play place.
I shopped enough there and would only do so during the quiet times (when they were pre-schoolers), that I did not feel guilty.
We are doing our kitchen cabs from IKEA (in a few weeks) and love all the kitchen organizers for the drawers. IKEA also has great items for kids.
While my style is antiques and vintage, there are always things I could use from IKEA. Their plates and glasses are nice and neutral. I love the cutting boards (3 pack) as well.
I could never go without buying cinnamon buns. My family would never stand for that, lol.