I love Ikea!

[gear02]

So I'm currently in Chicago (in the north suburbs to be exact) and since I couldn't bring much in my tiny civic, I needed to buy furniture for my apartment for the next 3 months. Nothing big, just a chair. There's an Ikea nearby and I figured I go there. I haven't been to one in like 5 -7 years, but I remember my parents dragging me to the Ikea in Houston when I was young and I remember I hated that place with a passion.

Now that I have my own place I LOVE IKEA. It's so much fun with some neat stuff. I bought a bath mat and shower curtain at Target and the cheapest I could find ended up to be $30. At Ikea, I got a $1.99 shower curtain and a $.99 bath mat. It isn't much, but I'm planning on tossing it after I leave Chicago. I went back today to get another chair since I was planning to furnish my apartment at school and I needed something to sit on here in Chicago and I found a really neat chair for pretty cheap. I also found a $2 ironing board. There's so much I want to get over there but I can't bring it all back to NC with me!

Anywho, I love Ikea!

[avlena]

:stupid: Everytime I go to Ikea, I come home with a bunch of random stuff I don't need, but was just too cool and cheap to pass up :heh:

[ArkiStan]

Yeah it's so much fun to fine the same chairs, tables and shower curtains at all of your friends' places. ;) Go make your own unique furniture!

[jstreet]

IKEA's a good time, so long as you give yourself a day and are able to control your urge to kill every single other person there.

I have a ton of stuff from IKEA... I particularly liked a new comfortable chair I got from them that folds out into a twin bed, it's great for reading in the den and then for a guest.

What's always been a problem for me is that they seem unable to keep all of the components for a given product in stock... the first time I went I had a bed frame without the slats to put my mattress on and a coffee table without the glass top. The chair above I spoke of doesn't have the "good" mattress of the two the offered, so I compromised by buying a twin-sized mattress pad which makes it comfortable.

Despite the hassles, IKEA critics who say "you get what you pay for" are right about the cheapest of the cheap there, but wrong about the more expensive stuff. I have an all-hard wood no particleboard bureau from them that is rock solid and works perfectly.

[redcolours]

for CHEAP good-looking furniture stuff, i either go to ikea, target, or ross.

[gear02]

Actually, for me it wasn't that bad. I went on Saturday and though there were TONS of people (including people with Uhauls and even a tour bus) it wasn't bad at all. I found all the components I needed, carefully labeled, and was able to speed through checkout through the self-check out line. However, it's not a walk in the park.

I don't think a lot of the furniture is cheap. I think they look good and are very well built. Besides, at my level I don't distinguish between a $500 chair and a $100 chair. Though I can tell the difference I don't need it. Ikea is essentially the perfect college dorm/bachelor pad/new family store.

[zippyjuan]

They are kind of set up like a Vegas casino- you have to walk through everything to find the exit. Then you see more stuff you might want. It is impossible to just run in and get one thing and leave.

[avlena]

my in-laws bought us a very nice dining table from Ikea. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality - it's a very sturdy, well designed & built piece of furniture.

[zippyjuan]

What surprises me is that they do not do online sales. Their products are designed to be easily packaged so that they can be taken home easily but they would also go in the mail easily. I guess they want the add- on sales people get in the stores.

[cadetevon]

I like IKEA muchly and my son used to LOVE hanging out in the little play area and doing the art projects and such while I shopped.

Fun for us both! :)

[Airencracken]

What surprises me is that they do not do online sales. Their products are designed to be easily packaged so that they can be taken home easily but they would also go in the mail easily. I guess they want the add- on sales people get in the stores.

Sure they do!

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/IkeaNearYouView?storeId=12&catalogId=10103&langId=-1&StoreName=homeshopping

[blueindian]

What surprises me is that they do not do online sales. Their products are designed to be easily packaged so that they can be taken home easily but they would also go in the mail easily. I guess they want the add- on sales people get in the stores.

i think it's because of the shipping. unlike, say, target who has regional distribution centers, ikea does not. you can have them ship you stuff if you call, but the price is murder. i have a $100 tv stand from them which a friend drove down to me. the shipping was going to be $120.

[zippyjuan]

Thanks. Must be fairly new. I haven't checked them for a while, but the last time I did they did not do that.

[gear02]

I talked to the store about shipping and online sales. Basically BI is right. Ikea does not have DCs. Their stores act like DCs and so buying online is essentially like buying from the nearest store, only that the online group has a little bit better shipping rates since they have volume shipping discounts.