How to Get the Most Out of Your IKEA Shopping Experience

IKEA is one of the world's largest home furnishing and accessory stores on the planet. Originating in Sweden, IKEA offers modern design options for every room of your home or office.

IKEA offers the flexibility of online shopping where you can have goods delivered to your door or your local IKEA warehouse. This allows you to purchase the products and shop online from any part of the country. So don't worry if there isn't an IKEA nearby, you can still enjoy all of their wonderful items by purchasing them from the comfort of your own home.

If you do have a store nearby, you are in for a real treat! If you don't have one within close range, then by all means, climb in the mini-van and plan a road trip -- it's well worth it!

I call it the Disney World of home furnishings and home accessories! This is due to the fact of the vastness of the showrooms and the marketplace carrying an abundance of items. The large size makes its hard to absorb in just one visit. Multiple visits to the store are what's needed to gather everything that IKEA truly has to offer.

I had the first hand pleasure of being able to visit and experience this store for myself.

I would like to share with you my IKEA experience and how to manage your way through the metropolis of cutting-edge products that you can purchase for your own home.

Be sure to dress comfortably upon going to the store - there is a lot of walking involved. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a minimal amount of extra carry-along items.

Upon first glance from the outside of the building, the IKEA store does not appear to be overwhelmingly large -- that is due to the fact of the way it is set up and how they utilize every square inch of space. I call it an optical illusion. On the contrary, the store is absolutely mammoth once you step inside.

Upon directly entering the store there is a day care center that will watch your small children responsibly and in a safe environment while you shop. This is a wonderful tool made available to parents who are unable to find day care and need to focus on their shopping excursion. If you choose not to utilize the day care center, there is plenty of color and "people noise" along the way to keep your child in wonderment.

As you begin your shopping experience, you should grab a free plastic coated burlap shopping bag, you wont need your cart just yet. Also be sure to grab a map, IKEA shopping list and pencil, trust me you will be working hard to get to your favorite items. Make your way up to the second story via escalator or large elevator or stairs.

Before you start shopping -- are you hungry? I was overwhelmed by the smell of hot cinnamon rolls rolling throughout the store, so I had to get one. If you are watching your sugar intake, feel free to order a breakfast for only .99 cents at the store, and you will get scrambled eggs, country fried potatoes and 2 slices of bacon. You can't eat that cheap at McDonald's or even at home. So enjoy a nice breakfast and gain some energy for all the walking you are about to do. There is plenty of space to sit down and relax and grab a bite to eat if you get too hungry, and trust me with all of the hard work ahead you will need a break before you shop till you drop.

Ok, now on to the fun part -- shopping!

Each section of the store showrooms are grouped into small rooms that are on actual display as they would be in your own home. The sections are divided into different areas of product -- ranging from living room areas, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, dining areas and office workstations.

IKEA encourages you, as the shopper, to go in and really "feel" the products. It is definitely a "hands-on" store. Go ahead and crawl in bed, jump on the bed, switch the lights on and off, sit on the couch and prop your feet up! Don't be shy to feel the quality of the cabinets and carpeting. Don't be embarrassed to sit on the cow chair and spin around on it. Feel the lamp shades and the different textures and styles. I myself am a very hands-on person when it comes to products, which is why I love the IKEA store.

Many of the designs at IKEA are distinct in their own right -- appearing as if they have come straight from the designer as a one-of-a-kind piece, when in fact -- they actually have. IKEA has its very own team of designers who design their own line of furnishings exclusively for IKEA and no where else. This is how they are able to keep their prices affordable.

As you continue to stroll through the showrooms, you will find that each item is tagged with a price tag, bin and isle number. This is where the shopping items list and pencil come in quite handy! You will need to write down those three things along with an item description so you can find it later in the warehouse. Be careful because most items come in separate packaging. I bought a bedroom set for my daughter and we had to buy the bed frame, the wooden slats, a metal brace bar, and a mattress. Each one had separate tags and different numbers. If you don't have the numbers as you enter the warehouse, it is next to impossible to find the items -- they are boxed up and stacked to the ceiling. You will be unable to see what it looks like and there are generally no displays near the packaging in the warehouse.

After you have looked through all of the displays and gotten a true feel for the products, now you can go downstairs and grab a cart or two to enter the marketplace and warehouse.

Just when you think IKEA cant get any better -- you enter the marketplace. This is a mixture of everything IKEA and everything you could possible need to accessorize your home. Nothing is in any particular order so you will need to search. From candles to kitchenware, to rugs and textiles to pillows and sheets and everything in between. You will find what you are looking for here and will not leave empty handed.

Don't worry, you may be still be shocked and awed at the prices, such as a sturdy cast iron cookware pan for just $5. Bed pillows for $2 and rugs starting at only $1.50 each. Some things are pricier depending on the designer, such as a sheepskin rug for $49. The uniqueness of product is second to none at IKEA. Examples include; paper lamps for only $5 and glowing alien lamps for kids for $10. You will not find these same exact items at your local Wal-Mart.

IKEA has plants and garden items also. I have been wanting a lucky bamboo plant for a while and they had them for only $1.99 and they were huge! They were twice the size that I've ever seen them anywhere else. I was just pricing the same plant at Meijer and it was $9.99.

As you exit the marketplace you will enter the warehouse. As tired as you are from all that hard work of looking for just the right products, now you have to find them, load them up and pay for them.

At the top of the isles you will find the coordinating number you should have on your shopping list. Find the isle number and go down the isle to find the bin number. Underneath the bin number should be the product. Most items are in different isles so you will need to do some searching. Many of these items are heavy and hard to load, so be sure to have someone help you. Although there are not actual stock people there and it is strictly self serve, if you really needed help --just ask for it. The best bet is to bring another strong person who can help lift the heavy objects with you.

Much of IKEA's furniture will need to be put together and assembled. Don't worry, it is very easy and it only took me and my son less than an hour to put together a double-sized bed frame.

Along the way to check-out, you will find many interesting items that were not in the marketplace such as rugs, clocks and certain close-out items. Be on the lookout for some terrific accessories and bargains.

The lines may be long, but there is plenty to look at while you wait! Check-out isles are stocked with more items to look at and buy!

On your way out, don't forget to buy a couple of hot dogs to go, for only 99 cents each. After all of that hard work, you most likely worked up your appetite again.

At this one-stop home furnishings outlet, IKEA makes shopping fun again.