Everyone’s heard of IKEA, and everyone’s seen an item of IKEA furniture — be it the signature SOMA lounge chair or LACK minimalistic table. But despite the furniture retailer’s widespread presence, not everyone has been inside an IKEA store, leaving many shoppers unprepared when the time to visit IKEA finally arrives. If this is you, don’t worry — we’ve got your IKEA survival guide right here.
First of all, IKEA has two types of items: large pieces and small pieces. Small pieces like lamps, trashcans, and rugs are compact enough to fit in a shopping cart, and customers pick up these items as they go. Large pieces, however, are big items like mattresses and unassembled furniture. Shoppers grab these items at the end of their trip in the store’s warehouse level.
In fact, most of your IKEA journey is going to be spent scoping out these large pieces. You’ll begin by walking through a maze of kitchens, bedrooms, offices, and more, all the while wielding a pencil and paper provided by the store.
Whenever you see an item you like, write down the warehouse aisle and bin number(s) so you’ll be able to find it later. It’s a good idea to write down the info for at least two of every type of furniture you need (beds, desks, etc.), as you won’t know if an item is out of stock until you make it to the warehouse.
When you’re done gathering your pieces, you can either load the items into your car yourself or arrange for delivery. Most stores offer same-day delivery as long as you select your items by a certain time.
