Despairing shoppers of the UK take note – there is actually an easy way to shop at IKEA! Rather than steeling yourself for a day-long trail around a store with a layout so confusing that hiring a guide is advisable, simply follow Movehut’s steps for a relatively pain free few hours of finding the perfect home furnishings.
Much like a visit to the supermarket, any consumer worth their salt will know that entering IKEA without a shopping list is a one way ticket to bankruptcy. No matter how many times you repeat the mantra “Sofa, table lamp, out” in your head, when faced with floating tea light holders and a chair that can simultaneously be used as a storage cabinet even the strongest of resolves can crumble.
This leaves you with the struggle of fitting a number of unwanted items in the car for the trip home, as well as trying to justify an excessive spend next time your bank statement pops through the door.
Therefore, visiting the company website and noting the reference number and colour of the items you want is definitely advisable. Keep this list in mind at all times, and tick off acquired items using a tiny free pencil to keep with tradition.
Klippbok is also a handy tool for those looking to stick to a strict budget. No, it is not one of the many bizarrely named brands on offer by the Swedish company – rather, it is the IKEA app which allows you to check stock, view products on offer and even see which items across the entire store would complement each other in your home.
Sadly, no matter how prepared you are, walking in the front door of the warehouse store and seeing the range of items on offer can lessen the crime of adding to the shopping list in your mind (“How have we survived so long without a multi-level bread bin?!”). Therefore, entering through the exit, which leads directly into the storeroom, can lessen the temptation and save you the endless trail through the brightly coloured showrooms.
Even better, these areas generally have a lift which leads directly to the café, meaning IKEA’s famous Swedish Meatballs can remain on the menu!
Unfortunately, the store designers at IKEA have been rather crafty in their layouts. Many of the items that consumers pick up in IKEA, such as mirrors, picture frames and rugs, appear in the showroom levels and are placed next to related sections containing items designed to tempt consumers – much in the same way a supermarket would waft the smell of freshly baked bread through the store to herd shoppers towards the bakery section.
Yet they included one fatal flaw in this scheme, as they also for the most part built showroom floors designed around the Inner Ring concept. This, essentially, is a short cut for the weak willed attempting to get out of IKEA with the items they want, but without the necessity of remortgaging their home to pay for additional products they couldn’t resist. By sticking to the Inner Ring (and keeping your eyes down just in case!) you will be able to reach the section you require without pausing to consider the merits of an ornamental bird cage which doubles up as an iPod dock.
Finally, and perhaps the easiest option of all – if you cannot find something and do not wish to spend the rest of your life searching for a way out of the soft furnishings section, ask an assistant! These brave souls spend their days traversing the vast expanse that is IKEA with more skill than an orienteering major, meaning that they will be able to take you to the relevant section and, more importantly, help you find your way out.
Visiting IKEA on a weekend has become something of a British pastime, with complaining husbands and weary wives dragged in by their significant others on a regular basis. Hopefully, by following this guide, those visiting the Swedish superstore against their better instincts will be able to salvage at least part of their time off work – and be suitably recompensed by grabbing a handful of free pencils for the office at the exit!
Do you enjoy wandering around IKEA at the weekend, or would you rather visit a smaller store for your furnishings? Which items do you find particularly hard to resist as impulse purchases when you visit the huge warehouse section?
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