Just the other day I had developed a hankering for cheap furniture and, wah-lah, an Ikea catalog arrived in last Saturday's newspaper. The Petite Filet found an item in the catalog that she thought might work great in our kitchen. Our local store (only the second one in Texas) is in Frisco, about an hour's drive from Fort Worth.
I went online, got the measurements for the box the item would come in, and reconfigured my car so that it would fit. It was my first trip to the megastore, and it didn't really disappoint as megastores go. There are neat little rooms set up according to uses (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, Den of Love) and there's cheap Swedish crap as far as the eye can see. To get anywhere in the store, it's necessary to follow the white arrows on the big blue signs. Be assured to wear good walking shoes, because you're about to take the only route available – the scenic one.
I went upstairs to the showroom to check out the item. Satisfied, a little tag told me it was available in the "self-service furniture area" (oh my, what are people doing down there?). I got to see the whole store, possibly twice. Fifty blue signs with little-white arrows later, and I loaded the more than six-foot-long box onto a nifty cart with two handles. I had to fight off tons of low-cost merchandise that tried to hop onto the box, but somehow I made it to the checkout unscathed.
Then, time stood still for a few days while mothers/fathers paid for things to brighten their kids'/teens' rooms or future dorm spaces. There were a few old ladies with cartloads of votive candles and flourescent napkins, but the majority of shoppers probably didn't remember when Michael Jackson was cool. I even saw a couple of youngsters who appeared to be on a "date" at Ikea (telltale sign: lots of cuddling and no shopping cart).
The buffet with hutch I procured wasn't all that cheap, and it happens to be one made of solid wood that is lacquered and stained to look like fake wood. I bet they do the same thing with Volvo dashboards nowadays. I had the piece assembled in less time than it took to find it in the store, and the Petite Filet had a nice surprise when she got home. She is now shuttling dishes/crystal pieces and various decorative flotsam, from a Wal-Martish barrister bookcase that we're planning to jettison, to the new Ikea cupboard.
I can say I am no longer a true Ikeaphyte, having survived the drive, the shopping experience, loading/unloading the heavy box without crushing a toe or two and ... drumroll please ... buying only one thing. I think that achievement deserves a meatball, but then that would have been buying two things. I recommend that if you pop into an Ikea near you that you take a specific shopping list or have a clear idea of what needs you're looking to fulfill. Otherwise, you're going to end up with a bunch of pillows, picture frames and trendy lamps that you'll never need in the real world.
Ahhh, IKEA! I lurve IKEA . . . had no idea you hadn't been there yet. And kudos to you for going with a mission and only getting what you went for . . . it's difficult, I know.
I was just thinking last night that we need new lamps in our living room, so I may have to make a trip there next week . . . on a weeknight, for god's sake, never on a weekend!
We have an IKEA less than half an hour's drive from our home. We've been shopping there a couple of times, and the size of the store is amazing. I think you could go through the store a second time and see lots of stuff you didn't see the first time.
Cas
Have a nice weekend.
our closest ikea is six hours away. it is a sad way for us to live since we love it so much. granted, they have some cheap stuff there, but they also have some amazing stuff there as well. we have a bookshelf that is never going to fall apart... loves it.