caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,454
Location: So Cal
Jun 26, 2014 16:42:12 GMT
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Post by caangel on Sept 20, 2020 4:41:20 GMT
Always check the website to see if it is in stock at your store.
Choose curbside pickup whenever possible.
If you have to go in, go on a weekday, 30min after opening.
Before you go check the website to know the location of everything you need. Avoid the showrooms if possible. My store has direct access to the warehouse, but you had to look for it or ask as you came in the front.
I was in and out in 15 min.
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Post by elaine on Sept 20, 2020 4:43:19 GMT
Regarding DMV area IKEA locations. Besides the Woodbridge on in northern VA, there is College Park-- and if you really want something these days remember Baltimore. I forget who asked, sorry. elaine are you by any chance old enough for senior hours? I did manage to snag a pickup time at College Park a few weeks back, but after I drove all the way there, half my order was not gathered for me. It's not just desks they are out of by a long shot. I’m 57, so don’t think I’m old enough yet, but I think that today aged me by several years. I’m sorry that they didn’t get half of your stuff after going through getting a pickup time.
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Post by padresfan619 on Sept 20, 2020 4:48:56 GMT
I was planning on buying a new dresser next week and it is showing out of stock at my local store. I was ok with waiting for it to be shipped to me, I’m not in a rush to receive it, but I can’t even choose that option. It keeps forcing me to do the pick up option at a store in Texas. Well, that may cost just a little bit in gas coming from San Diego!
I gave up and signed up for email notifications for when it is back in stock, now fingers crossed it comes before March.
What a mess of a day you had, I’m sorry you had such bad luck. I hope you can find suitable desks.
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Post by elaine on Sept 20, 2020 4:52:06 GMT
Not a problem for me, because I hate going to IKEA. I hate Costco, as well. I think that makes me an outcast. Have you looked on Amazon for the desk and chair? That might be your best bet right now. Also, I believe they sell a limited amount of IKEA stuff. We need the desk by Tuesday, so Amazon wouldn’t work in this case. If I had a brain, I would have realized IKEA would be a nightmare, and gone the Amazon route. Lesson learned! I think that the tabletop + sawhorses will work for now. We do have a desk chair coming from Amazon for ds1 this week.
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Post by elaine on Sept 20, 2020 4:53:40 GMT
I was planning on buying a new dresser next week and it is showing out of stock at my local store. I was ok with waiting for it to be shipped to me, I’m not in a rush to receive it, but I can’t even choose that option. It keeps forcing me to do the pick up option at a store in Texas. Well, that may cost just a little bit in gas coming from San Diego! I gave up and signed up for email notifications for when it is back in stock, now fingers crossed it comes before March. What a mess of a day you had, I’m sorry you had such bad luck. I hope you can find suitable desks. Yes, the website kept trying to get me to pick up my Skadis accessories from Texas too. That store must have the mother lode of all the stuff!
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Post by pynke on Sept 20, 2020 4:56:27 GMT
We did the Click and Collect way several times in the past month and it was fantastic. I was surprised on how quickly the process is.
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smginaz Suzy
Pearl Clutcher
Je suis desole.
Posts: 2,606
Jun 26, 2014 17:27:30 GMT
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Post by smginaz Suzy on Sept 20, 2020 4:57:47 GMT
I also find a lot of IKEA stuff on marketplace, but it is hard to find that route now for the same reasons it is hard to find at IKEA.
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Post by karinec on Sept 20, 2020 4:58:14 GMT
I used to live 20 min from an IKEA and had a definite routine. Enter through the exit, go check out the markdown area, go through the warehouse using the back aisle right up against the furthest wall (no traffic), grab an actual cart, and pretty much shop backwards through the store. Then, the elevator is in the right place to go upstairs on the off chance I need anything or need to get food supplies. I am guessing one entrance means I would have to skip using the exit as an entrance, but unless they route you directly up the escalator, I'd still head over to the returns area first and see if I could follow my typical route. Disclaimer: I know I am shopping against traffic so I stay off the main aisles and stay away from the traffic flow so I am not impeding others. I also used to go Saturdays at 7pm when it was pretty dead. Now that I live a hour from IKEA, I just never go. At our IKEA there are two lines, one for shopping and one for returning. When I went to purchase the buffet, the were routing every up the escalator, but I was able to make a quick turn and head back down to the Marketplace. It was irritating because the person directing traffic at the bottom of the escalator insisted I would have to walk through the entire showroom before I could go to the Marketplace, but the woman at the top of the escalator let me hang a right and go down the stairs!
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Post by Legacy Girl on Sept 20, 2020 5:04:16 GMT
Years ago, we didn't have an Ikea in town, so we'd drive a few hours in different directions to visit the ones closest to us from time to time. DH and I also tried to visit when we were on vacations in cities where they were located. It was always a fun (for me) trip, with many items I just had to have. After much anticipation, we finally got an Ikea in our city. And now I rarely go. Maybe it's just my decorating style or stage of life, but it doesn't really appeal to me so much any more. That may change as DD gets ready to fly the nest. But hearing the stories on this thread, I won't be in a hurry to go. I'm sorry for those of you who have been frustrated. Nothing worse than standing in lines and finding items out of stock.
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,454
Location: So Cal
Jun 26, 2014 16:42:12 GMT
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Post by caangel on Sept 20, 2020 5:27:40 GMT
I used to live 20 min from an IKEA and had a definite routine. Enter through the exit, go check out the markdown area, go through the warehouse using the back aisle right up against the furthest wall (no traffic), grab an actual cart, and pretty much shop backwards through the store. Then, the elevator is in the right place to go upstairs on the off chance I need anything or need to get food supplies. I am guessing one entrance means I would have to skip using the exit as an entrance, but unless they route you directly up the escalator, I'd still head over to the returns area first and see if I could follow my typical route. Disclaimer: I know I am shopping against traffic so I stay off the main aisles and stay away from the traffic flow so I am not impeding others. I also used to go Saturdays at 7pm when it was pretty dead. Now that I live a hour from IKEA, I just never go. At our IKEA there are two lines, one for shopping and one for returning. When I went to purchase the buffet, the were routing every up the escalator, but I was able to make a quick turn and head back down to the Marketplace. It was irritating because the person directing traffic at the bottom of the escalator insisted I would have to walk through the entire showroom before I could go to the Marketplace, but the woman at the top of the escalator let me hang a right and go down the stairs! I almost never go to the showroom.
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,454
Location: So Cal
Jun 26, 2014 16:42:12 GMT
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Post by caangel on Sept 20, 2020 5:29:34 GMT
I was planning on buying a new dresser next week and it is showing out of stock at my local store. I was ok with waiting for it to be shipped to me, I’m not in a rush to receive it, but I can’t even choose that option. It keeps forcing me to do the pick up option at a store in Texas. Well, that may cost just a little bit in gas coming from San Diego! I gave up and signed up for email notifications for when it is back in stock, now fingers crossed it comes before March. What a mess of a day you had, I’m sorry you had such bad luck. I hope you can find suitable desks. I have never received a notification email from Ikea 👎 What has worked for me is it set a reminder to check back on the day they say the item will be restocked and plan to go that day or two after I verify they have my item(s).
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Post by julieinsweden on Sept 20, 2020 9:36:45 GMT
Ha ha. I live in Sweden and can walk to our local store. It amazes me how jam packed the place is at the weekend. Even here in the motherland they are having problems with supply during the pandemic.
The purchasing people have to guess how many of each item they will sell in a given region, they then book that volume from suppliers, which is often the suppliers complete capacity. The pandemic hits and suddenly the whole country is asked to stay home so everyone wants desks and chairs that was never predicted. Suppliers cannot match the sudden demand, if they can work at all. So the shelves are empty and anything that does make it into the store flies straight out again.
I work for Volvo and we had the same problem. We had to stop production because we couldn't get parts from countries that had total quarantines.
Crazy times
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,151
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Sept 20, 2020 10:47:31 GMT
We (adult dd and I) ran into the one in our state this week for a shelf she wanted. Two in stock...not so much! Luckily because it was a weekday we didn't have any wait to get in. We knew where it was located because she'd looked it up. When we couldn't find we found someone stocking a shelf and she was so helpful...and remembered she'd put a floor model in their discount section in the color dd wanted. We tried not to go, we tried to order for pickup, shipping, etc. There was no way around physically going to the store. Grateful for the clerk who helped us or dd would probably never be convinced to go again
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Post by Rainy_Day_Woman on Sept 20, 2020 12:41:15 GMT
Ours have been out of desks since March. My husband wants a standing desk, and can't find one anywhere. Currently he has my coffee table on top of my sewing table, which drives me crazy enough that I might even go to IKEA, if I knew they had desks!
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Post by workingclassdog on Sept 20, 2020 13:00:47 GMT
Yep we haven’t been able to find a desk in months. IKEA was the first place my DS looked. Thankfully he didn’t have to wait in line. (He wouldn’t have anyways)
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Post by workingclassdog on Sept 20, 2020 13:03:01 GMT
IKEA can be like the seventh level of hell, even worse than Costco on a Saturday. At least at Costco they let you use a cart...that rolls in a straight line. Don’t get me wrong, I really like a lot of the things I’ve bought there. But Lord love a duck, that store is a nightmare and a half to shop. I tend to want the things like the smaller flat pack wooden drawer things and organizers that you assemble yourself that they have in the regular store part, not in the warehouse part, so if you want it you’re dragging it all over the store in a stupid yellow bag. Or kitchen items, small lamps, storage bins. Stuff that it would be awesome to buy if you had a freaking CART. And if you do manage to get a cart, the store is two levels and finding an elevator vs. and escalator = not easy because there is like ONE bank of them in the whole store. And what is up with their idiotic carts that don’t roll in a straight line? I don’t understand that at all. And that’s on a good day, not in the middle of a pandemic. Omg I LOVE IKEA carts!!! Lol
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Post by crazy4scraps on Sept 20, 2020 14:04:41 GMT
IKEA can be like the seventh level of hell, even worse than Costco on a Saturday. At least at Costco they let you use a cart...that rolls in a straight line. Don’t get me wrong, I really like a lot of the things I’ve bought there. But Lord love a duck, that store is a nightmare and a half to shop. I tend to want the things like the smaller flat pack wooden drawer things and organizers that you assemble yourself that they have in the regular store part, not in the warehouse part, so if you want it you’re dragging it all over the store in a stupid yellow bag. Or kitchen items, small lamps, storage bins. Stuff that it would be awesome to buy if you had a freaking CART. And if you do manage to get a cart, the store is two levels and finding an elevator vs. and escalator = not easy because there is like ONE bank of them in the whole store. And what is up with their idiotic carts that don’t roll in a straight line? I don’t understand that at all. And that’s on a good day, not in the middle of a pandemic. Omg I LOVE IKEA carts!!! Lol I swear, I would buy SO MUCH MORE stuff there if I could use a Costco cart in that place! Seriously, give me a giant cart that easily pushes straight even when it’s loaded down with $400 worth of stuff and I’ll gladly fill it. Make me shop with a huge stupid nylon bag that I have to lug around a warehouse sized store? Not so much. I have done something similar to what smginaz Suzy suggested which is to go in the exit, grab a cart (if you can find one, they are extremely limited and on the lower level at the store near me) and shop backwards, but it’s just all so awkward and feels like a fish swimming up stream the entire time you’re in the store. Most of the stuff I want is in the showroom so I have no option to bypass it. It’s all just so backward to not have the carts located right at the entrance when you come in before you actually need it.
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Coffee Mom
Full Member
Posts: 200
Dec 18, 2018 0:16:30 GMT
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Post by Coffee Mom on Sept 20, 2020 14:35:18 GMT
Wow! I have never been to an ikea store in my life. I ordered some kitchen stuff from their website though, one order was a couple months ago and it took less than two weeks to arrive. Well packaged and awesome, I guess I was lucky! Lol
Yesterday, I went to Target for the first time since before the pandemic started. It was so busy I could barely handle it! I definitely wouldn’t survive IKEA lol!!
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sweetpeasmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,592
Jun 27, 2014 14:04:01 GMT
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Post by sweetpeasmom on Sept 20, 2020 14:40:49 GMT
I've only ever been to IKEA once. It was about 15 years ago. I did not like the layout of it and the follow the arrow path. I remember feeling anxious in there. I haven't been back in since.
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georgiapea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,846
Jun 27, 2014 18:02:10 GMT
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Post by georgiapea on Sept 20, 2020 14:42:49 GMT
Mayfair 'ships for free' so you know exactly what you will pay before going to checkout.
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Post by paulao on Sept 20, 2020 15:06:21 GMT
I’ve never been to Ikea (or Costco), and from these stories, never will. There is nothing I need that is worth going through the hell described in these posts.
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Post by bearmom on Sept 20, 2020 16:46:56 GMT
Similar experience here, but our IKEA must have gotten a shipment because they had two styles in stock (about 10 of each). Luckily on of the in stock styles was acceptable to dd so we picked it up. It did make the trip stressful though and I didn’t get to wonder and explore other areas like I wanted....
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Post by snugglebutter on Sept 20, 2020 18:24:32 GMT
I decided in July I wanted a Kallax unit for my sewing room. It's about a 25 mile hike out to the nearest store. The website said it was in stock but when DD and I got there, nope. None. Still spent some $$ and DD found a different unit similar to the Kallax but smaller and lighter for her dorm room. So I have been checking the website every few days to see when it would be back in stock. At first it said mid-August, then it changed to the first of September, then it no longer had an actual date when it was expected back in stock. I signed up for the notification thing where they will text or email you when it comes back in stock. This past Tuesday I checked the website and lo and behold it was in stock and I bought it immediately and selected store pickup. Never did get notified it was in stock. I chose the store pickup option to get it Wednesday between 11 and 1. I wanted to go out mid morning but it says not to go until you get the email confirmation that your order is ready. Did not come through until 1230. But I went out there and the store wasn't crowded at all (except for that lady with her two teen daughters who had to cut through o e of the displays to get ahead of me than then stopped in the middle of the asile to look at something effectively blocking the entire walkway. Almost coughed on her. Managed to spend even more $$ while there, although annoyed they were out of stock of the fabric boxes. When I was done shopping I pulled into one of the pickup slots and sent the text and about 5 minutes later they brought my furniture out and loaded it for me. I think most stores are packed on the weekends and I avoid most stores if at all possible. My advice would be to check other stores and check the website often, don't rely on them communicating when something is back in stock. If you know exactly which item you want order online and pick up curbside. Good luck with Ikea, I understand the frustration of out of stock and the waiting game. In the future you might check the Threshold Target cubes in place of Kallax. Same size openings, bit smaller wood edges. I think cheaper too. I got rid of my expedits and got the thresholds- I love them. Walmart has some too that have thicker edges like the Kallax.
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cakediva
Drama Llama
Making the world a sweeter place one cake at a time!
Posts: 7,432
Location: Fergus, Ontario
Jun 26, 2014 11:53:40 GMT
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Post by cakediva on Sept 20, 2020 20:27:00 GMT
Well crap - pray for me peas. I’m taking DD to ikea tomorrow for a bed. She needs a single bed and this is in her budget. And due to her classes and my cake schedule, Sunday is it. And of course we can’t get there for opening. UGH I’ll say a prayer for you. Eat ahead of time - no cafe service. And if you have a blue bag at home, go ahead and bring it so you don’t have to buy another one. We made it out alive! We only got there about 11:15ish and NO line to get in!! And we used a cart - they didn’t have the blue bags out anywhere. There was a huge line for the click and collect, and there was a line to get in by the time we were leaving. But we can say we survived the trip and got almost everything we were after!
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Post by rymeswithpurple on Sept 20, 2020 20:44:13 GMT
elaine Ugh, that sounds awful. We're near that IKEA as well (even if part of the drive down 95 backs up without fail). I think half of our apartment is from there. It's always crazy, so we are avoiding it right now. We used to drive down just to look around and get free coffee. The only thing I ever got from the College Park location was a flat tire on the way home.
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Post by refugeepea on Sept 20, 2020 21:05:46 GMT
I cannot believe that I didn’t think what the impact would be of all the school districts in Northern VA remaining virtual this Fall. Apparently, everyone has decided to buy new desks for all the kids and all the adults working from home. I know, right? Ugh. Who knew that inflatable swimming pools would be hard to find? Of course we wanted a specific brand because of our destructive child. The other one lasted probably five years. Could only find one on ebay "new in box". It no longer inflates. Lesson learned. Only buying from the manufacturer now because they have a warranty if you buy from them.
Our cases are soaring and being compared to how bad it got in NYC. We have bought a little bit extra hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and hand soap. Next; baby wipes.
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Post by elaine on Sept 20, 2020 22:04:41 GMT
I’ll say a prayer for you. Eat ahead of time - no cafe service. And if you have a blue bag at home, go ahead and bring it so you don’t have to buy another one. We made it out alive! We only got there about 11:15ish and NO line to get in!! And we used a cart - they didn’t have the blue bags out anywhere. There was a huge line for the click and collect, and there was a line to get in by the time we were leaving. But we can say we survived the trip and got almost everything we were after! Congratulations!
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LeaP
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,939
Location: Los Angeles, CA where 405 meets 101
Jun 26, 2014 23:17:22 GMT
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Post by LeaP on Sept 20, 2020 22:06:51 GMT
I know of what you speak! I went to IKEA to get some Ivar shelves for the shed. It was insane.
By the way, ELFA desks from The Container Store are very nice and affordable and you can have them shipped.
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,905
Location: PNW
Jul 20, 2014 21:57:23 GMT
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Post by breetheflea on Sept 20, 2020 23:30:25 GMT
Pushing the cart at IKEA hurts my knees and the parking lot of the Portland store is not quite flat... It doesn't seem to stop me from shopping but I sure don't like their stupid carts!
ETA: I ordered a standing desk from Wayfair for DH. He's never once set it at standing level so I could have just gotten him a card table...
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Post by mellyw on Sept 21, 2020 1:11:15 GMT
Ha ha. I live in Sweden and can walk to our local store. It amazes me how jam packed the place is at the weekend. Even here in the motherland they are having problems with supply during the pandemic. The purchasing people have to guess how many of each item they will sell in a given region, they then book that volume from suppliers, which is often the suppliers complete capacity. The pandemic hits and suddenly the whole country is asked to stay home so everyone wants desks and chairs that was never predicted. Suppliers cannot match the sudden demand, if they can work at all. So the shelves are empty and anything that does make it into the store flies straight out again. I work for Volvo and we had the same problem. We had to stop production because we couldn't get parts from countries that had total quarantines. Crazy times I’ve gone several times to the St Louis store with my Swedish friend. We joke she has to touch base with the motherland every so often. Sadly, they don’t have a great stock on the Swedish foods right now, one of the reasons we go as often as we do. When they first re-opened, it was about a 20-30 minute wait to get in. But it’s been much more reasonable lately. I’ll have to pay attention on the furniture stock when we go next week just out of curiosity.
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