Ikea Furniture Shopping: A Store Guide for First-Timers

I've been furniture shopping at Ikea for years now, but every time I go, I see some confused souls who looked daunted and overwhelmed by the scale of the store. They're unsure how to "shop it" because it's different from other retail experiences. They may adore the spiffy designs and delight in the low prices, but they're a little confused about how to best undertake Ikea furniture shopping. With these folks in mind, I've created an Ikea store guide for first-timers - an explanation of how the store works and some tips for shopping efficiently.

Ikea Furniture Shopping: Start at the top.

Ikea stores resemble giant, multi-floor warehouses. The upper floors are showrooms for furniture and furnishings while the ground floor is primarily for checking out and loading. They've usually engineered the space so that it's intuitive for you to enter the atrium and ascend the escalator to the top floor. You then circle/spiral your way down through the various showrooms, using the special escalator to move you alongside your cart.

Ikea Furniture Shopping: Get your accessories.

Grab a cart, a paper tape measure, an Ikea golf pencil, and a map (which doubles as an item list). These things are available throughout the store, but it's easiest to start off prepared. Ikea also offers ginormous blue-and-yellow shopping bags, but I find them awkward, bulky, and a little dangerous on your shoulder in some of the parts of a crowded Ikea store (i.e. around fragile items).

Ikea Furniture Shopping: Begin shopping.

There are three ways to get your merchandise at Ikea. For smaller items stocked on the display floors, simply carry them with you to the checkout. This includes things like linens, kitchen and bath accessories, small rugs, prints and frames, pillows, office supplies, etc.

The other furniture items will be picked up using one of two methods (self-serve or counter-serve) once you reach the bottom floor.

Ikea Furniture Shopping: How do self-serve items work?

On the showroom floor, self-serve items are indicated as such on the display's pricetag. You'll see two numbers (usually in neat black and white circles) which indicate the aisle and bin from which you'll need to retrieve the item yourself on the ground floor before checkout. Be sure to write down both the aisle and bun number as well as the name and color, if applicable. Typically, the items in the self-serve area are home assembly furniture like chairs, desks, tables, bookshelves, cabinets, and beds. If you have a lot of self-serve items, you may want to grab flatbed cart once your reach the ground floor. As you move through the self-serve aisles picking up your Ikea furniture, be sure to match the names of the items along with the aisle and bin numbers. For additional accuracy (when color options are involved), match the long code number on the box with the one on the railings.

Ikea Furniture Shopping: How do counter-serve Items work?

Some items are just too large for self serve: most mattresses and couches, for example. To purchase these items, you'll need to find a blue-and-yellow clad Ikea employee on the display floor and tell them what you want. They'll double-check that it's in stock and give you a printout which you'll take down to the checkout (whenever you're ready). After you pay for everything, then you take the printout to a special counter where a clerk will retrieve the large item for you. If you're with more than one person, it's easiest for someone to get the vehicle and bring it to the loading zone just outside the doors while someone else waits in line at the counter for the furniture.

Ikea Furniture Shopping: Other Tips

- New visitors to Ikea (just like many of us who visit frequently) must resist the urge to over-buy. Because you may even be driving several hours just to get to Ikea, it's important to take your time. Stop at the café for a cheap lunch or just a drink while you mull over your decisions.

- Before you get in line to check out, comb over your cart/bags. Did you get the required supplies that go along with certain products? For example, many lamps take special Ikea bulbs.

- Budget plenty of time for your first-time trip. The average in-store Ikea furniture shopping experience runs well over an hour - and usually even longer.

- If you're planning to buy larger items, make sure you come with a larger vehicle to boot. While you'll be surprised what you can fit in a small car, try to borrow/rent an SUV, a station wagon, or a truck when Ikea furniture shopping

- Review the Ikea website to "pre-shop." Although the site only shows a tiny fraction of what's available in the actual Ikea store, it's worth familiarizing yourself with the product lines.

- Every Ikea product has a goofy, often faux-Swedish name. Embrace these appellations and enjoy the many puns. It's all part of the Ikea experience.

- Ask Ikea staff for help. They're very knowledgeable and remarkably patient, even when the place is busy.

- And speaking of busy, make sure you're ready to deal with crowds. Saturdays are the worst days for Ikea furniture shopping if you hate the masses.