My best advice for IKEA survival is:
- Buy a power cordless screwdriver before you go - Try to find an Allen wrench bit for your screwdriver. Putting together the furniture with the enclosed Allen wrench is nearly impossible. The $7.99 "FIXXA" toolbox IKEA sells is no help in speeding the process assembling the furniture. It took me four hours to assemble a sideboard using my power screwdriver. As dedicated as I am to IKEA, I might have given up if I was only armed with the old-fashioned "FIXXA" screwdriver.
- Get there early - the $0.99 breakfast is a good start. If you miss it, I like to energize with the shrimp and egg salad sandwich on rye. (Most of the people who've watched me eat it thought it was frightening, but I think it's so delicious! I daydream about it sometimes when I'm hungry before lunch at work.)
- Bring your own notebook and rollerball pen - At IKEA, you have to write down the aisle number of the items you like so you can pick them up in the warehouse. IKEA provides golf pencils and shopping lists for this purpose, but it's nearly impossible to write with the paper balanced on your thigh. The dull pencil just punches right through it. A hard-backed notebook and easily flowing pen are better suited. A Palm Pilot also works for this task.
- Never bring a cranky person with you - If your shopping partner is cranky, leave them at home. If you discover the crankiness after you arrive, put them into the Smaland children's area, or if they're over 48 inches tall, park them in front of the TV in the cafeteria with a packet of ginger cookies.
next IKEA adventure.<= My IKEA Aneboda This is my very first real nightstand!
Yum! The IKEA Shrimp and Egg Salad Sandwich! A culinary experience that surpasses all others.
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So true, preach on sister Mary! Also: I'd avoid busy times like the weekend and daylight. Actually, during the day on weekedays isn't a half bad time to go. Also: spend 5 minutes studying the map of the floor layout and learn where the super sekrit shortcuts are. You can shave about 30 minutes off of an ikea run by using the shortcut between the chair and office area and the bedroom and kids area.
ReplyDeleteI've discovered the shortcuts. There's one in the greenroom that I used to go backwards last weekend. I found a nice pair of curtains in the as-is area, and then I had to try to swim upstream to get back to the curtain rods. My entire visit took about four hours. I'm putting up the curtians today. Finally, my chance to enjoy embroidered Swedish window coverings has arrived!
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