Hej! Välkommen

Okay, for you english speaking folks, thats Hi! Welcome.

I have been working for IKEA in FL for over a month now and these are some of the comments I have heard from friends and family-

1.  Isn't that the big furniture store?

2.  I've never been to Ikea (gasp!)

3.  I like swedish meatballs, do they have them there?

4.  I heard the stuff was cheap (as in poorly made)

5.  I don't like to build anything!

and the list goes on....My bff Jenna got me hooked about two years ago, I love to build things, so this is my Mecca.  My house is a strange menagerie of furniture, decor and as-is hacks.

The first lesson will be all about the store itself, you will have to come back for the rest (food, building stuff, hacking, as-is, quality, the environment and Ikea, various scandanavia, getting it home, etc.)


Da Da DA Daaaaaaaaaaaa!


Okay, you hauled your pitiful self out of bed this morning, hell bent on getting to Ikea.  Great!  First of all, every store has different hours so check before you leave the house.  If I have to look at another sad face and say sorry we are not open till 10 am or sorry we close at eight, I will poke myself in the eye with a pretzel, it will be less painful.

The store is HUGE, let me say that again...The store is HUGE.  a couple hundred thousand square feet.  It is broken up into three main areas

1.  The Showroom - this is where the dreaming and planning begin

2.  The Market Hall - all the decor and home goods you could ever imagine or need

3.  The Self -Serve warehouse - yep SELF-SERVE, that means you get it YOURSELF!

You feel faint already?  It may seem a little overwhelming, cause it is, but that is why I am here, I am all about education.  Lets start at the front door.

The Showroom


     Come on in and get on the escalator, cause your journey begins in the Showroom.  The title is self explanatory really.  Once you exit the escalator, STOP, don't go any further, you will need a map or two, a pencil and perhaps a measuring tape.  All provided free of charge just to make your trip to IKEA a little more enjoyable.
     Once you have your supplies and a map, start following the large arrows on the floor, these are your friends.  You can't get lost if you follow the arrows.  Trust me!  As the title implies, it is a showroom.              Very crafty people spend a lot of time putting together these rooms, so that you can get all the ideas you  will ever need to furnish your home.  It is still a furniture store after all and all the DISPLAYS are clearly marked with a tag that gives you the following:

1. Price
2. Location in the warehouse or markethall
3. Materials
4. Dimensions
5. and in most cases the designer

    This is where the pencil and map come into play.  On the back of the map is an empty list, waiting for you to fill it up with names and numbers.  Please don't take the tags or try to buy the display, there are plenty in the warehouse that are untouched and clean in tidy brown boxes.
    Once you have had your fill of dreaming and planning, stop and get a bite to eat, you will need your strength to tackle your next area.  I will discuss the restaurant later.
  
The Market Hall


     This is where the fun really begins.  Get a cart, you will need it.  The yellow bags are great but you will be wanting a cart.  YES, it was crazy wheels, its made that way on purpose.  The Europeans know how to navigate tight corners.  Again this is broken down into sections like every kitchen item known to man, flowers and plants, picture frames, etc.  Some things will catch you off guard and some things you will swear you need because, OMG its a dollar!!  Its all good.  Spoons for $.49, a whole cooking set for $40.00, holy crap! (yes I actually heard this the other day.)
     It may seem like time has stopped since you first walked in but low and behold its three hours later, I work here and that still happens to me.  Okay your cart is full of things you can't live without, time to go the the warehouse.

The Self-Serve Warehouse


     Don't be intimidated by its size, Home Depot is bigger and less easy to figure out.  Since you were a clever rabbit and wrote all your numbers down, this part will be a breeze...for you!  There is an aisle, bin and shelf number.  Follow it!  Once you find the location, verify that you have the right item and use the handy dandy trolly that you got at the entrance of the warehouse.  Load it up and proceed to the cash lanes.
    Ikea had the brilliant idea that you could save a boatload of money if they pack everything in small boxes, keep staff to a minimum and you build your own furniture.  Don't black out yet, all of the instructions are super easy-to-follow pictures that my three year old understands, so can you.  And just imagine the sense of accomplishment when you are sitting on your new couch and watching T.V. on that new T.V. stand that you built and oh yes, saved a ton of money on.
     You have two options, SELF checkout or regular cashier.  Self checkout is fun and faster sometimes. I always use it.  There is still a Swedish food shop to browse with frozen foods and cookies and all sorts of delicious goodies.  Thats another blog day.

Finishing your day


     YOU DID IT! I am so proud of you.  Now I know I say SELF a lot here and that is the great part of Ikea.  You are not alone though, there are co-workers all over to help you get things, answer questions and help you navigate the titanic that is the store.

Good luck and I will see you next time

Krister
(its really Kristine, but that is my Swedish name)