Confessions of an Ikea virgin!

A new Ikea opened in Sheffield last year so leaving a huge 'novelty time' gap we duly visited a few weeks later. Bad mistake - it's still the horrendous experience we've been used to in the Leeds store. My husband hates it and delights in going backwards in some of the areas - we came away with nothing as usual.

One amusing story though - years ago we took my parents to the Leeds store. Dad was just beginning with dementia and prone to saying the first thing that came in his head. We got in the lift to go back to the car park but each time the doors opened we were confronted by people going to a different floor. Finally thinking we were on the right floor the doors opened and a couple were standing there - Dad shouted in frustration 'there's more of the b*****s - GET OUT!!' Needless to say we didn't attempt that outing again

that made me choke Willow!

Well done Phoenix, especially for getting Mr P to go with you.
I visited one once, courtesy of a neighbour. He had been recently widowed, and when he found out that I had never been to an IKEA, he offered to take me. Lovely, I thought, then DH, who hates shopping, decided that he would come to. (What did he think we were going to get up to on the North Circular?). All I bought were some hooks for hanging kitchen utensils and a pair of shoe trees.
We now have a new-ish store, near our daughter. She has offered to take me, but as yet , we haven’t got there.
Something to look forward to?

I've got a 2 hour appointment booked with their kitchen design dept tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to it at all. The last time I went, I kept missing the junction on the motorway and I had 3 attempts at it before I actually got there. Then there's the endless traipsing through all the departments, up and down escalators and searching for the secret cut throughs that they like to keep hidden. Sheer hell!

Auntieflo he had to, my car is a Smart Roadster, (not to be confused with the normal Smart cars, looks like something from a Playmobil set) no way could I have got a flat pack Billy bookcase in it, unless I had unclipped the roof!

My sense of direction may occasionally fail me, but I'm quite good at putting together Ikea furniture. I made a lovely corner computer desk and only had one screw left over. It never did fall apart; my Billy bookcase is over 30 years old and as long as I don't try to move it, seems to be still OK and my bedside table is in very good shape.

For all you Habitat lovers it’s very much alive and now owned by Sainsbury’s ?

Been there, done that, got the Billy bookcases.
I'm not laughing Phoenix I'm impressed with your self assembly skills.
The first time I went to IKEA, DS and Dil took me to the post Christmas sale, I was so discombobulated. So many people and I would have had no idea how to find my way around, but those two were pros. They knew all the short cut doors and steered me around like I was on fast forward.
Have been many times with DH but always mid week when it is much quieter.
Chewbacca both DS and DD have IKEA kitchens and found the designers to be very good and helpful. DD's designer was very bemused to discover that her main concern was how to fit in a wine rack, as you do.

Thanks 1inamillion, that's good to know. Whilst I'm not looking forward to the trek over to IKEA, I've heard good things about their kitchens and how durable they are, so.... no pain, no gain!

Habitat has very few shops now though and none round here.

Thanks Mamissimo I will look on line to see what I can find.

I have never been to Ikea. My youngest daughter has a house furnished by Ikea. To them it is a day out with the children...she is raising new Ikea customers...

My OH decided that as we were going to Ikea he would change the Sat Nav language to Swedish. We had been there a few times, so knew the way. Unfortunately, he couldn't change it back to English until we got home as he couldn't follow the Swedish instructions! I still don't know why he didn't turn it off. Instead, we just laughed all the way home because it was like listening to the Swedish chef in the muppets!

I moved into a flat with an Ikea kitchen. It’s very good. But several people have said that you need to have it put in by an IKEA fitter or you can have problems. I think Ikea is brilliant in terms of design and price but I can lose the will to live at the checkouts!

I have a poor knee and do not trail round Ikea any more. If necessary wait in the car and read my kindle. I do not feel I am missing anything.

We are big IKEA fans and have a lot of their stuff both furniture and smaller items. DH and I have assembled all sorts of furniture and find their instructions are logical and easy to follow. So much so that I would have no problem in doing it on my own if I had to. I just wish we were as near to a branch here as we were when we lived near MK.

I agree it's best to go "off peak" and definitely avoid weekends is possible. They do mail order too now for quite a lot of things.

We went to IKEA once, on the way home from dropping our daughter off at University.
I think it must have been a Bank Holiday as huge queues of cars to get in. We never even made it once round the car park, my husband has a short fuse, lost his temper and we drove away again.

I love Ikea stuff - and have a few items in my house. Only thing is that you should only go there when your bank balance is good because even though you might have a list, be organised and determined that you will not buy anything extra, I have never walked out of there (once I have found the exit) without picking up a few "extras" spotted on the way round - all things you convince yourself that you can't get from anywhere else!

Try bucking the trend and walking in the opposite direction to all the crowds - the looks on their faces is hilarious!

Am I the only one to take a ball of twine with me?.....

O.h dear, we have only been to Ikea once and that was not to buy anything but on a trip to the Lake District we saw an Ikea somewhere off the motorway and decided to stop, have a rest and a look (and some meatballs and coffee). But the other day we were talking about going to Ikea to actually buy something and I know the car park at our local one is a night mare so on second thoughts we will go without

I love ikea, but not on a weekend. Live fairly close to ours (15 mins in car) and know all the shortcuts to get to the picking bays. Took a lot of visits to sort them out tho. I don't know if I would bother to go if I lived three hours away though.

Being claustrophobic I avoid Ikea like the plague- there are NO windows in our local one & I hate it.
However I have discovered that there are some very good quick shortcuts between departments & now I can whiz round just going past things I want to see.
Have a look for doorways with no notices on them & try them. They will probably lead you to an area much further on in the shop.You may find you can miss whole sections of the shop very easily.

Am I the only one to take a ball of twine with me?.....
Don't drop breadcrumbs like Hansel and Gretel

For those about to go - If you look carefully at their 'map' - there are short cuts and you can usually go ruthlessly through back ways to the section you need.