Ikea Elizabeth

I absolutely hate Ikea. When I furnished my first apartment, it was a great find - really inexpensive furniture that is pretty easy to put together. Now I realize - don't bother purchasing from them unless you want disposable furniture (2 - 5 years max). Here's what happened when my husband and I braved a visit last - we took the very first bus out of Port Authority and had a delightfully empty store. We walked around, took note of all items we wanted, and were about done just before lunchtime. Several items we wanted said "ask for help". We headed to the help desk on the lower floor, only to be told, "if it says ask for help, you have to ask for it by the item itself, we can't help you." Frustrated, and now having passed the 12pm mark, I ran back upstairs. The floor was FLOODED with people. It was almost as bad as the Thanksgiving Parade. Every kiosque that had an Ikea rep had a line no less than 5 people deep. I finally found a line with 2 people, and jumped on. I waited. and waited. and waited. Only one rep, and he was off someplace, leaving us disgruntled and frustrated. He finally came back and helped the first person on the line, and 20 minutes later, when it was finally my turn, then another sales rep shows up! So, I get my paperwork done, and run back downstairs, pay for the items, and wait for them to come out. We've now been at Ikea for 3 hours. We're ready to leave. When my items come out, we realize we're not going to be able to fit them on the bus, we'll have to ship them. We go to the shipping line, fill out the form, present it, and then learn we'll have to pay over $100! This was more than the item itself! We called a couple of cab companies and learned it would cost $75 + tolls to get our merchandise back home. We looked into renting a van at Ikea, but that wasn't cost effective. Four hours at Ikea. We realize we're going to have to return the "ask for help" item. We go into the returns area - the scene resembeled the aftermath of Christmas morning - people and packages strewn all over the place, waiting for their number to be called. They were on 74. I pulled my ticket. Number 12. 45 minutes later, I returned the items and literally RAN for the bus back to the city. Five hours at Ikea really stinks. I hope I never have to go there again. more

I know lots of people love IKEA but I have never had a good experience here. Located right off the NJ Turnpike, there is a large parking lot but the place is always mobbed so you need to search for quite a while to find a spot and then walk about a mile to the store. The store is big too but so crowded that sometimes people step on your feet or bump in to you. The lines at product pickup are horrible, and they try to get you to spend more money at the snack bar while you wait. The restrooms are disgusting. On top of all that, when I actually did buy furniture there rather than just accessories, it is falling apart a year and a half later. If you are looking for a pleasant shopping experience this is not the place. more

Ikea is a great store where you really get what you pay for. They have stylish furniture for great prices. The furniture is very easy to put together and most only need the allen wrench that comes with the furniture. They have really expanded and now carry a lot more styles of furniture. They also have a lot of home decor and kitchen supplies. It is huge and if you have not been there before expect to spend several hours. They have a good food court for you to eat at. more

IKEA is one of my favorite stores at which to shop. They have a lot of really cool home furnishing items for extremely good prices. They have really expanded and have stores in more locations now. Each store is massive, but layed out very intelligently. I like the layout because you can walk through and see different arrangements and you get good ideas about which items go together. Also, the layout is very logical as you go from one area to another so, for example, you go from kitchen to living room to bedroom furnishings. more

I've heard about Ikea a lot but only recently had the chance to visit this store. Wow!! Ikea has a great selection of home furniture and products. I was truly impressed by how much home items they carry and the great prices. I absolutely loved some of their stuff. I was looking at kitchen items and couldn't believe the small areas they had set up like a kitchen. It gave me some great ideas on how to decorate a small kitchen. The table/chair selection was truly more than I imagined and the quality seemed very good. I also saw some great bed linens and lamps, and what impressed me most was how they displayed everything. They give you ideas on how to decorate yoru home. Truly original items too. I can't say I've seen anything like their products in any other store. And besides being able to buy and take the item with you, they have some great smaller goods too -- and even some fine food items. I could have spent all day in this store. I will definitely come back and this will be one of my first stops always for my home. more