As we all know, I’m a huge fan of reviews of things written by amateurs. Half the reason I take vacations is for the excuse to look through Tripadvisor reviews of the worst hotels in town. I have bored no less than three different girlfriends while indulging in this obsession.
Then, today, I realized that so many other things must have HUNDREDS of reviews. Okay, restaurants are a little boring because it’s a matter of taste. WINK!!!!!!!!!!!! But hey, what about…Ikea?
What I found was a handful of real gems. In the negative reviews, the most common word was “hype.” I had to see what the hype was about. This is the most over-hyped place ever. All that good stuff. Are people hyping Ikea in some big bad way?
As a quick note, Ikea has become a sort of fallback joke for the lazy. I saw two separate sitcoms where the characters had uncomfortable Ikea trips. So I get it. But hey, we don’t have a 30 Rock budget around here. We takes what we can gets.
Also, if you haven’t been, I’d go. It’s an experience that you can enjoy if you have no desire to make any actual purchases.
Michael M:
I bought a blue real wood dresser for the kids. Assembly went fine until the top which was face down in the box and the last piece. It had 3 collapsed paint bubbles on the surface with raised ridges around the edges, about half inch wide. Would not be long before they pealed.
Packed up just the top and returned to Ikea (same day) thinking just get a new top, boy was i wrong. The return counter lady apparently had a degree in furniture finishing and told me it was acceptable quality. In the same breath she said it was a defect in the wood. Mind you this is a smooth sanded all wood top.
I asked if I could swap out the display top and put a sign saying this is the quality you get at Ikea. She declined and would not exchange my top.
I asked are you really going to make me take this back to my car, go buy a new dresser, take it to my car, open the box and swap tops, then return the new purchase? She said if that is what I wanted to do. So I did. Just had to tell her at the return counter 20 minutes later I changed my mind and did not want the dresser.
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Austin F.
IKEA almost KILLED MY BABY!
You know those small knee high gray stumps they put in the walking path toward the escalator? Well my wife was carrying our 10 month old baby and she didn’t see this stupid stump, tripping over it, and the baby goes flying through the air landing on the concrete floor!
What the HECK IKEA? Why would you put small gray stumps against a gray floor on a gray walking path? How many people have tripped over these things? Next time I better see nice BRIGHT YELLOW paint all these things!
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David B.
Absolutely the strangest not-shopping experience of my life….Seriously.. This was surreal – we drove to Centennial from Broomfield to specifically go to IKEA (or, IKEAnt) – but…..
WE COULD NOT ACTUALLY GET INTO THE STORE, EVEN THOUGH WE WERE STANDING AT THE ENTRANCE- (of the Twilight Zone…apparently)
Seriously – we drove 35 or so miles to get there, and were shuffled through a maze of undertrained traffic controllers/security people pulling their hair out, with no signage, or hint of where to go, or what to do. Finally, we figured out on our own how, and where to park.
We walked from the parking garage to the giant “Entrance” sign on the building. However, in front of each actual entryway, there was another completely clueless security guy/gal blocking the door, saying “Keep Going, the entrance is down that way, to the left.”
Well, this thing is a loop, so we did the loop 3 times, and at every entrance, the same thing – “Keep going, the entrance is that way, to the left.”
It wasn’t. I finally sheepishly (since I felt like a sheep) asked one traffic controller/security guy, in these words –
“Hi, I know this is a dumb question – but, we are here at the entrance, but how do you actually enter the store”
His reply – “Keep going, the entrance is that way, to the left” –
Thus, entering the endless loop again –
There were tons of people coming out of the store, with stuff in their hands, so apparently, it can be done…. After about 20 minutes of trying to actually enter the store – we gave up – and we will never go back.. IKEA successfully made two intelligent, educated people feel stupid …..
If my wife wasn’t there with me to confirm that this was actually happening, I would have thought that I was truly going crazy…
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Ron G.
this is the most worst store I have ever been in nothing but crap furniture which belongs in a dormatory room and in no one’s house at all. the kind of people that were in the store were rude.. I had to use the restroom and while using the restroom someone came in and said are you done yet. nothing but rude people and garbage furniture what a waste of time. you could do better by going to a Wallmart
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Dave B.
No free Wi-Fi. You spend 3+ hours here per visit, Wi-Fi would be useful. Exhausting. Hot. Be sure to bring your own bottle of water. Kids. Way too many kids underfoot. I think they breed them in the back room. Very good service from the staff. Spent $1200, but did not have fun.
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Avie R.
I heard all the hype about IKEA so my husband and I went it. I felt like I was in a depressing warehouse. It also felt like we were cattle being pushed through with a certain flow.
Everything we sat on was uncomfortable. I guess it would be great for young folks just getting started, but not for someone in the over 50 group.
We just wanted to get out, but could not find our way out and got lost in the huge depressing dark warehouse….
We finally found our way out and will never be back again. I am sure there is a place in this world for IKEA, just not in my world.