I've got to go Ikea and it shouldn't be this hard.

[TheQueef]

I like the stuff ...but...
It's like planning an Arctic expedition I even factor in a snack for my old Dad so he doesn't flag half way through.
I only want some shelves and sandwich bags
I want to give them my money, why do they make it so hard?
It's more endurance than Iron Man.
You shouldn't need the ordinance survey map just to grab some drinking glasses.
AIBU, it's too hard isn't it?

Wish me luck, remember me if I fall.

We also live close to ikea and really it’s no worse than any other furniture shop. You are not compelled to walk round the whole thing, the shortcuts are clearly marked, staff are helpful, there are maps to show you where things are. Yes, if you go when it’s busy and shuffle round the whole showroom with the crowds it’s no fun at all but you don’t have to do that.

I only have to start saying “we could go to...” and my DP blanches and his shoulders slump. We foolishly went on a Saturday lunchtime in the rain last time, that was a new circle of hell to contend with, driving around the car park for half an hour. We skipped through the tills to get to the marketplace, only to wade through a tsunami of people going in the other direction.

It’s like childbirth, you kind of forget how bad it was until you do it again. 😭

Ikea is a hellhole. I've no idea why people think it's so great. It's essentially a giant, slightly less grim, Home Bargains. And the meatballs are [jealous] [jealous] [jealous]

When someone from my office is planning a visit they email everyone to get their meatball orders. I mean, who doesn't want some cheapo meatballs that Susan from Accounts brought home in a 2-hour car journey squashed under a box full of tealights?

I need to go to buy a table. Ikea is over an hour away from me and they charge a fortune to deliver so I usually go with a friend once a year. They rarely have what I want in stock and I come home with lots of stuff that I didn’t need, it’s like a full day out by the time you’ve got lost a few times, struggled to find your items in the picking area and filled up on meatballs.

I decided to do the hour journey to ikea with the two children once (both under 4) we abandoned our shopping half way around, total waste of a day but I couldn’t care less it was hell. I’d go again for veggi meatballs and to try the new vegan ice cream but it’s scarred me for life

Ok the meatballs are not jealous!

Or they might be jealous of....good food??

Obviously I meant envy]

Hahaha, I've not had any coffee yet...

A new Ikea store has opened relatively close to us and a work colleague mentioned he and his wife had planned to go to look at some sofas.

I told him to make sure they had something to eat first as they would need the energy and to apologise to each other in advance of any names they might call each other once they have been in the store for two hours and have the "Ikea headache" from dehydration. I told him to get a map of the showroom beforehand as they would be sure to get lost and lose each other but not to worry too much as the cafe is really nice.

He told his wife all this and they decided not to go!

I was only teasing him!

I've never had a problem with Ikea. Obviously if you go during a busy time (weekends, school holidays) it's busy but it's not difficult.

The cafe at ours is buy the entrance so you can either go round the showroom from there or cut straight to the market place. Thus is it also halfway round.

Get in at 9:30, free coffee and cheap cake, whizz round and job's done. I'm usually out by 10:30 unless I'm browsing.

Last time I took the car and there was two actual fights in the car park it was ace.

Dad's downstairs, excited, shouting at me to get a shower

I'm still dicking about on mnet and the Ikea store map.
might get TWO apple cakes as a reward.

It's essentially a giant, slightly less grim, Home Bargains

With better quality furniture.

I'm just looking at the Ikea receipt from the big University shopping trip I did with DS2. Arrived at 9:30, livened up sleepy teen with a cheap breakfast, trolley load of stuff selected and we checked out at 10:50 (at 26s apparently)

Rope yourselves together, don't forget the crampons and if you're not out by four o clock we'll get up a rescue party.

I love IKEA but our nearest one is a two hour drive away.

I went to stay with my brother in the summer and a new IKEA has opened very close to him. He asked what I wanted to do with my last day of the holiday - clearly expecting me to want a walk on the moors and a cream tea - and I wanted to go to IKEA.

The store maps now include the shortcuts, so you don't have to go to every department.

I went last weekend while the Rugby was on. It was deserted.

And then dh decided to teach ds1 how to make flatpack furntiure so I didn’t even have to do that.

Don't all IKEA stores have an entrance directly to the marketplace as you go in, near the entrance/stairs up to the browsing area?

We always find the aisle locations before we go then sometimes have a wander if we're looking to walk off lunch gather ideas and try out the couches.

Use the shortcuts if you need to see a specific section and don't go in with the attitude that it will be hell.

Treat Ikea as a day out, with toddlers. Even if it's years since you had toddlers. It needs planning, endurance, coffee and cake.
As PPs have said the cafe can be half way round for emergency coffee and cake.
Utilise dining room chairs, office chairs and other supportive seating.
Remember to pee after the checkouts too. They have loos at the exit.
Good luck OP and godspeed.

Good luck OP! Reward yourself with a slice of Diam tart afterwards!

My OH and I went to IKEA about 6 months ago - both IKEA virgins with no idea what to expect but he wanted to test some sofas out. The biggest disappointment was the total lack of GPS available as he wanted to Strava the walk and see how many times we doubled back on ourselves 😂😂 I just got a headache really early on and needed to get outside as quickly as possible 😊😊

Hate ikea and their layout is v confusing. We have restaurant right at the start and then everything else. No mid way points for rest/snack and then diam bars at the til. As an alternative I have been using wayfair more now.

Ah the Ikea headache! Yes I always get that. Along with those really thin ginger biscuits yum!

If you don’t make it to the other side, do you have any last words you’d like us to convey?

Don't all IKEA stores have an entrance directly to the marketplace as you go in, near the entrance/stairs up to the browsing area

No, ours is all on one level and the marketplace and restaurant are both just about exactly halfway round. I've been in a few Ikeas, and in all cases, the restaurant was buried right in the middle, which taught me that just going to the restaurant without actually looking for any Ikea things is a mistake, because it takes a lot longer than you expect, especially as the restaurant queue moves at glacial speed and they never have the one main course you actually went in for.

What?! I bloody love IKEA. Dp always wants to sneak through the shortcuts but I say NO! We must follow the arrows!

We went on Tuesday. I'd have stayed all day- I like opening all the cupboards even though we don't buy any. Dp and ds went and ate their body weights in meatballs so i could indulge!

I love Ikea, never go in the school holidays though.

My biggest problem is fitting in a visit to the giant TKMaxx and Hobbycraft on the same day.

In ours there are always sandwich bags by the checkouts. So you could go in via the exit and skip the wandering around