S/O IKEA thread: how does shopping there work?

[jent]

I know IKEAs are pretty much self-serve, but how does it work for those larger furniture pieces? Is there anyone available to help you get a big piece to your car? Will I have more luck if I can arrange to go on a weekday?

I think I want an Expedit (not even the biggest, but the 2x4 one) but DH will hate the whole IKEA experience so I have to go it alone. I might be able to get my mom to come with me, but she's a 5' tall weakling too.

[kijip]

The Expedits IIRC are flat packed and self serve, you don't have to go to furniture pick up for it. I have never needed help loading so I don't know if they will or not, however I have never seen an IKEA employee loading a car unless it was from the larger furniture pick up area. Things come in several boxes, I can usually manage them on my own even if they are large.

You can pay for delivery. My car was too small for a bed and two dressers so I paid them a small fee and they delivered it the next day.

[elektra]

You can totally do the 2x4 expedit with you and your mom. You could probably just do it solo too. Like Katie said, it comes flat. I have had a bunch of ikea pieces through the years and I have yet to get anything that is not packed flat. My guess is that the couches have to be delivered (I have never bought a couch there) but most everything is in flat boxes.

[Veronica's Mommy]

You can do a stock-check for your store @ ikea.com. If an item is not available, they sometimes give an estimate of when it will be in. I would definitely check before you go; last time we went was around this time of year (back to college) and they were sold out of what we wanted.

[C99]

It's flat packed. For some things, they are self-serve (the 2x4 EXPEDIT should be one of them), whereas somethings require that you order it a kiosk upstairs and then wait for it at a pick-up counter. They will help you load things into your car, but it's more ad hoc - you have to ask one of the people standing out in the loading area.

[jess_g]

Just wanted to add to what pp have said that you can ask for help from a desk at the self serve area and they will help you put the box in your cart for you. It is a real help as sometimes the boxes can be quite heavy.

Jessica.

[jent]

You can pay for delivery. My car was too small for a bed and two dressers so I paid them a small fee and they delivered it the next day.

Oh, I forgot to say that I live much to far away for the regular delivery-- I'd be hit with those crazy delivery charges.

You can do a stock-check ...I would definitely check before you go; last time we went was around this time of year (back to college) and they were sold out of what we wanted.

Yes, I knew this, but I forgot about back-to-school. Thanks! Because the IKEA is so far I am definitely planning this trip. I've got a good list going from the several must-have threads. (I almost wish we didn't have these threads... there's so much I want I think I need to rent a van!)

Just wanted to add to what pp have said that you can ask for help from a desk at the self serve area and they will help you put the box in your cart for you. It is a real help as sometimes the boxes can be quite heavy.

Thanks. Glad to hear others have been able to ask for help. I know IKEA stuff is flat-packed but in general that stuff can be quite heavy.

For those who have bought the 2x4 Expedit, is the box pretty compact? If I don't rent a van I will need to fit it in my Prius.

[kijip]

For those who have bought the 2x4 Expedit, is the box pretty compact? If I don't rent a van I will need to fit it in my Prius.

We brought ours home in my dad's minivan. I think it would have fit in the trunk/cabin passthrough in our Camry but we were getting a 5 x 5 at the same time and that was NOT going to fit in a sedan. The 2 x 4 is about 5 feet long so you would need to be able to get a 5 foot+ long box in the Prius, which is going tobe more than a foot wide. Maybe without a passenger that would work?

[Andi98989]

If this is what you're looking at getting, the dimensions and weight are on the page (there's a package dimensions and weight link at the bottom):

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50103086

Width:16 1/8"
Height:8 1/4"
Length:58 5/8"
Weight:71lb

[DebbieJ]

I can always find people to help at my IKEA. It does help having an obviously pregnant belly, though.