Never mind the Elephant, will it hold the kids? (Ikea)

Member Name: MandyMinx

Product:	Ikea
Date:	13/02/04 (634 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap, easy to erect

Disadvantages: crowds, flat packs

Wouldn't it be a boring world if we all liked the same things? It is the choices that we make and the things that we find attractive that make us all different and that is definitely a good thing. Take furniture for example. There are so many different designs to choose from, so many styles, so many different materials. Some people find themselves drawn to very ornate pieces. Large, lavish pieces of wood with decorative corners and fancy edging are some peoples idea of style and elegance.
This sort of furniture is not for me though. I like plain and simple. I like crisp clean edges. I like strong bold lines and smooth surfaces. I like simple, yet chic. When I am shopping for furniture I am looking for practical. As many of you will know, I have two boys with special needs and as you can imagine the furniture in my house can sometimes take a real battering. When I am shopping for furniture I need to make sure that the furniture I buy will be suitable for the, sometimes extreme treatment my boys might subject it to. So where do I usually end up when I need something in a hurry? Ikea!




For those of you that don't know. Ikea is a Swedish company. The idea is that they provide a wide range of home furnishings with good design and function at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.

My local Ikea is about 5 miles from where I live in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. The store is well signposted and adjacent to the A610 and the M1, making it ideally situated.

The car park is huge. I think it has to be because Ikea is a massive store. It is nicely laid out with plenty of disabled parking which was nice to see. Outside the main doors is a play park for the children. It was nicely fenced in and well maintained but not suitable
for you to leave your little ones alone in.

We arrived at the store at about 9.30 in the morning, not realising that the store didn't open until 10.00. The restaurant was open though and we were surprised to see how many people were in there, until we noticed a sign saying that all tea and coffee was free before the store opened. What an excellent idea. We sat, we drank coffee, we relaxed and we even had breakfast. An 8 piece breakfast with all the trimmings cost me a pound. I have to say I was impressed with the service and the customer consideration before I had even entered the main store.
So relaxed and replenished, after the twenty minute drive that it took us to get to the store, we set off around Ikea to seek out the bargains.

So what do they sell? Well I would say that if you had to furnish and equip a house in a hurry you would be able to do it all here. Ikea pride themselves in providing design opinions to allow you to furnish your house in the way that you want. On entering the store you are able to wander around various tasteful interiors, decorated and furnished to give you an idea of what you can achieve with the products on offer. So for example there are little living rooms and kitchens, bedrooms and office areas for you to peruse. Children's bedrooms and playrooms, so inviting that the fussiest of children would be happy. Multi function rooms that would have the pickiest teenager in heaven. If there is one thing that Ikea will fill you with, it is ideas.

So you have seen something you want. Who fetches it for you? You do. Using the pencils and pads provided, you note down the aisle number and position of the item in the warehouse and then when you get to the end of the store you can then pick your choice up.


Sounds great doesn't it? All your furniture and household accessories under one
roof, with no fuss or no hassle. Well, like most stores Ikea has its good points and its bad points.

What do I like about Ikea? I like the bright colours that they use for some of their furniture. I like the variety and choice on offer. I like the different designs and handy ideas that are dotted around the store and of course I like the price. There is no question that the prices of the furniture at Ikea are really competitive, and the furniture is of a good quality. I'm not saying it is of superb quality and in the same breath I am not saying that it is poor quality. Ikea furniture is tough, durable and usable and priced to suit the average pocket.

Ikea say that they 'tough test' all their products. I wonder if they have jobs for my boys.
There is a lovely free catalogue on offer that can help with your selections. I like to take one home and browse at my leisure.
If you can't visit in the day, the store is open until 10.00pm, which I thought was great.

It's a big store and it takes a while to go round it all. Therefore, Ikea have lots of toilets with baby changing facilities to make life a little bit easier for the customer. Its clean and well lit and the staff that are dotted around the store seem polite and well informed.

Before I go on to tell you about some of the things that don't work for me, I have to mention the trolleys. Now I have lugged a trolley around many a store in the past, fighting to run a straight line and desperate to avoid hitting someone. Many of you will understand when I say that some trolleys have a mind of their own. The trolleys at Ikea are the Rolls Royce of trolleys and a pleasure to push. You might laugh, but with such a big store, a good trolley made all the difference.


OK, so onto the bad point
s.

Firstly those two words guaranteed to have even the most competent DIY fanatic breaking out in a cold sweat........FLAT PACK.

Much of the furniture on offer at Ikea comes as a flat pack. Why? Well, it saves space. Storage and packaging costs are lower and as well as being easier for you to get home, it means that the money saved can be passed on to us. The customer.
I have to say that more and more furniture from other stores is now being flat packed. In Ikeas defence the instructions seem much clearer than we have had from some stores and even my husband, who has a habit of trying to read them upside down has managed our Ikea purchases quite easily. Personally I don't mind flat packs, it means I can fit more furniture in the car in one go. I did wonder how disabled customers managed to shop in Ikea, with flat packs to collect and carry but I was pleased to see a young lady make for a gentleman in a wheelchair at the till and offer assistance. I would also suggest that if you aren't very good at lifting and carrying, you take someone else with you as DIY means just that.

Another grumble. The layout of the store is terribly confusing and often I have found myself going around and around in circles trying to find my way to a particular section. I would almost describe the display area as more of a village than a store and it is very confusing. It is well lit though and there is plenty of aisle space,leaving room for both prams and wheelchairs.

The only other thing that put us off was the fact that when you leave the store after paying for your purchases there is a small bricked off area that prevents you from taking your trolley to the car and this meant that Mark had to fetch the car up to this area before we could load it up. Now my hubby is a fit bloke
and for him that was no hassle. I would question how difficult it would be for someone a lot older or less firm or perhaps a single mother. I did look around to see if there was anyone nearby in case they were needed to help but I have to say I didn't see anyone.
Delivery is a standard price. Excellent if you live a good few miles away, not sure I'd be happy paying the same if I lived around the corner though.


All in all ,it was a really worthwhile trip and as usual I saw lots of things I wanted to buy and lots of ideas I wanted to try. Ikea is a good store and there is a lot on offer. I know many of you will be sitting reading this thinking that Ikea is actually the store from hell but it really is a matter of taste and opinion and for me Ikea has good quality, affordable furniture that can withhold the onslaught of my boys longer than most other brands.

What did I buy? I bought an up-lighter for five pounds ninety. I bought two breakfast bar stools for a tenner each. I bought some white plates and bowls at 50p each and a lovely flower print for my newly decorated bedroom wall. The staff on the tills were fast and efficient, the queues small and I was able to pay with my Solo card. I have been told that the queues at the weekend are really bad. I'll stick to going midweek I think

There is a bistro for coffee and snacks as well as the excellent restaurant I have already mentioned. There is also a Swedish food shop, that didn't sell that much and contained mostly biscuits and sweets, but Mark and I did laugh at the big bags of frozen meatballs on offer at just under three pounds. How Swedish is that!

I went home very happy and when the coffee table took no more than five minutes to erect, Mark was happy too.
If you haven't been to Ikea, you
really should check it out. It might not be for you, but then again you might be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks for reading

Mand xx

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