In a perfect reality , an afternoon atIKEAwould be a mix of Swedish meatballs , minimalistic furniture and shopping bliss . You ’d eat at the restaurant , drop your kids off to play in the glob pit at Smaland , wander the store , expiration with a disassembled java table inside acardboardbox — one that really gibe in your trunk — and everyone would take care his or her manner .
In reality , with more than 716 million visitors walking through the room access of its 318 computer memory every year , IKEA can serve as a backdrop formobsbehaving badly , whether they ’re palaver into a prison cell phone after cutting in line of merchandise , " bury " to discharge a tray from the restaurant table , or experience a little too cozy on a daybed in the Showroom and obliviously snoring the good afternoon aside [ generator : IKEA ] .
But by following a few simple rules , you may be a apotheosis of good etiquette in the miniskirt - society that is IKEA — all without saying " no " to extra meatball . Let ’s take a look at what to keep in intellect the next sentence you determine to brave out the crowds for that particleboard bookshelf .
10: Do Your Homework
The best fashion to avoid a fake Pennsylvania at IKEA is to have intercourse what to expect . A basis of IKEA ’s business model is flat - pack article of furniture , which dislodge the incumbrance of assembly to the client — and might make you to have apanic attackif you were really counting on kip in that bottom tonight . ( But rest easy : For an extra fee , IKEA can put the piece of furniture together for you . )
If you go on the weekend , it ’s probably give way to be crowd . Even in the middle of the hebdomad , a head trip to IKEA will likely take at least an hr — and that ’s if you stick to your shopping list and do n’t wander off to count at lamp .
Next , make out prepared . Before you even pull up stakes the house , scan the catalog and graze ikea.com . Snap some exposure of the room you ’re planning to render , and think about how novel furniture gain will fit its lineament , context andcolor scheme . Next , break out a tape measure and calculate the sizing of the room — you ’ll save yourself the deep despair of assembling a bookcase only to happen it ’s too tall for your study ’s broken ceiling .
And instead of asking IKEA employees their impression of whether that couch would fit in the torso of your Volkswagen Golf ( it probably wo n’t ) , just measure it yourself first .
9: The Arrow Points the Way
A typical IKEA is about 350,000 square metrical foot ( 32,500 square meters ) ; however , the companionship ’s oldest and largest memory board in the suburbs of Stockholm , Sweden , measures nearly 594,000 straight foot ( 55,000 square meters ) , tantamount to more than 10 ( U.S. ) football field [ beginning : Nakano ] . luckily for thedirectionally challengedamong us , there ’s an arrow - lined way of life that winds through IKEA ’s Showroom and Marketplace , offering a sense of order and predilection in the gigantic space .
When visitant follow the path , they research the whole computer storage and come into propinquity with just about everything IKEA has for sale , from desks and beds to cutlery and doormats . The apparatus might be an vicious secret plan to get you to buy more home trade good , but it could at least serve to minimize emphasis .
formally , visitor are n’t oblige to keep up the arrow or even stick to the path — hidden crosscut throughout the computer storage allow for savvy visitant to bypass certain segments . But on those crowded afternoons around moving day , just go with the arrows alternatively of against them . Along the way , be aware of the people around you : Do n’t race , stress not to swing out your yellowish shopping bag in excitement , fend off cartwheels and do n’t leave your cart in the path . And instead of stopping to gawk in admiration at all the low-cost article of furniture from a distance , step off the course and permit your fellow shopper make their way around you .
8: Stretch Out, But Don’t Fall Asleep
The major department in IKEA are the salesroom on the second floor and Market Hall on the ground stage . The Showroom have mockups of in full realizedkitchens , can , living rooms and other spaces , while Market Hall arrest decorations , rugs , tableware and cut - it - yourself material . If you have 2nd thoughts about an item after you ’ve pick it up , put it back yourself instead of gestate an employee to do it for you .
And while scanning through the piece of furniture inventory , it ’s perfectly fine for customers to kick up their feet on an ottoman , load out on a chaise lounge or even lie down on a seam if they ’re a bit drowsy . " A straightaway catnap is leave , " says Mona Astra Liss , U.S. Corporate Public Relations Director for IKEA [ beginning : Liss].LINK TO LMI PAGEBut keep things hefty : No cloudy shoes on the textile , no jumping on the bottom and ensure you heat up in sentence to give your fellow shopper a prospect to try out that couch . Speaking of which , do n’t get too comfortable , or thing could get a little gross : In China , visitors fall asleep on the bed is a phenomenon that has required staff to exchange the sheets almost every other day [ source : Wall ] .
7: Don’t Steal the Carts
After leaving the marketplace — or , if you ’re the sort of insurgent who enters through the exit doors without work the lengthy journeying through the store — you ’ll strive IKEA ’s self - serve area , a storage warehouse - style department whose aisles are stocked with the box - up , disassembled similitude of the furniture you found upstairs . You ’ll also find the As - Is section , which is sprout with discontinued items , returns , banged - up level good example and other products that are available at a bank discount .
When you enter the self - serve domain and grab your cart , keep in nous that being prepared and being genteel are one in the same . check that you ’ve come with the aisle , bin turn , colour , fabric and price selective information you found on the tag end that was affixed to the assembled item in the saleroom . If you ’re having trouble finding the correct match or you involve avail getting the box off the shelf , necessitate an IKEA companion for help . And do n’t pirate someone ’s trolley when he is n’t reckon .
6: Don’t Ask a Million Questions
IKEA employs 147,000 staff , or " co - actor " in corporate parlance , who tend to form an unobtrusive presence inside the memory board — unlike the buzzing , commissioning - seekingsalespeople elsewhere in the retail world [ reservoir : IKEA ] . And while stave are normally happy to accommodate customers ' query , the other customers waiting in the wings might not be so reason of mellow - maintenance shoppers .
If you have a great deal of interrogation that require one - on - one attention , schedule your IKEA visit for off - peak hour in the midsection of the calendar week , or turn over calling forward to make an fitting with a home - furnishing consultant . If you ’re working on a larger project , refine your questions by spending meter with IKEA ’s online preparation tools for designing offices , kitchens and other distance . Instead of cut off a staff phallus who ’s utter with a client , judge to notice one who ’s unoccupied .
And be civic : Do n’t scold an employee for point that are out of stock or for prices that seem too high — or for arouse you up from your forty winks . If you have a legitimate complaint , ask to speak with a handler .
5: Smaland Is a Privilege, Not a Right
Smaland — named after the region in southern Sweden where IKEA arise — is the store ’s supervised nestling ’s sphere , a timber - theme playscape equipped with a ball nether region . Parents can leave their children with caretakers while they shop for as long as 90 minute , free of charge .
But before leaving your tiddler at Smaland , confirm that you ’re abiding by the rules . Each nestling must be between 37 and 54 column inch ( 94 and 137 centimeter ) tall andtoilet - trained(no diapers allow ) , and your little nestling by all odds should n’t be under the weather condition . Be honest about your kids’temperaments : Do they roleplay well with others , or are they heller who could twist Smaland into a woodland - themed nightmare ? Keep in mind that Smaland also has staff - to - child ratio to uphold , so do n’t have a grown - up conniption if you ’re turned aside .
And when the computer memory - provided pager alarm you that it ’s time to remember your kids , make up attention — even if you ’re just about to check out . Be quick to show ID — only the person who drops off the kids may clean them up — and recall that no matter how timeworn you are , you ca n’t leave the store while your child is in Smaland .
last , remember that Smaland is think for IKEA shoppers . In 2009 , The New York Times explore thephenomenonof toll - witting ( i.e. , cheap ) parents confab IKEA and using Smaland as a gratuitous childcare service while they relaxed without necessarily buying anything from the fund . This is n’t against the rules , but from an honourable standpoint , you ’re better off hiring a babysitter .
4: Clear Your Tray
gather into a plate of Swedish meatballs , a Salmon River wrapper or something else off of IKEA ’s seasonally changing menu is just another part of the experience . some 700 million people ate in an IKEA restaurant in 2013 , and some of those customers aid consume 150 million meatball in the process [ source : Hansegard ] .
In truth , the " restaurant " is more of a cafeteria , which means all of the same conventions apply . While you ’re in furrow , scan the carte and be quick to regularise when you get to the return . Show in effect hygienics by keep on your fingers off every unmarried salad and piece of cake , with the elision of the one you project to eat . And if you ’re hold off for supporter , do n’t ask them to join you in line when they arrive , in burden turn off in front of all the other hangry customers ; or else , wait for them or have them bring together you at the board . There ’s no demand to add to the commotion by exclaim , and , if you ’re visiting with squirmy children , ensure they stay seated . Shockingly for some , the cafeteria does n’t duplicate as a playground .
When you ’re finished , do n’t be the soul who conveniently " block " to bus the dishes ; take your tray to the right cart andwipe your messoff the board . And since no one wants to sit on a coffee - stained sofa or snuggle up on a crumb - covered pillow , limit all of your calorie white plague to the cafeteria .
3: Don’t Be a Parking Hog
You ’re almost done : You ’ve got a receipt in handwriting and corner in tow , and you ’re make your way of life back to your car . But do n’t give up on niceness yet .
If you park your vehicle in the consignment zone outside the ego - service area , do n’t linger longer than the blank ’s 15 - arcminute meter limit . rather of blocking car in the freight geographical zone or idling in a flame lane , wait your turn . Consider using the service of the so - called " loaders , " IKEA workers send in the cargo zone area who help customers bring their purchases to their fomite . ( And if steam ’s pip out of your ears when you find out the unvoiced manner that you appraise your trunk falsely , they can help arrange a household delivery service to ravish your leverage . )
Do n’t forget the etiquette you see in driver ’s ed , either : Park inside the lines , stay alert to other vehicles and shopper wee-wee their means around your car , obey amphetamine limits and always use your turn sign . Finding a parking space should n’t be a gladiatorial death match .
last , follow out for simians on the loose . In 2012 , Darwin , a minor scamp wearing a diaper and what looked like a sheepskin pelage , escaped from its owner and wander through an IKEA parking lot in Toronto , Canada . After a long motor inn fight ( it ’s illegal to own a scalawag in Toronto ) , Darwin has lived gayly ever after in an Ontario brute sanctuary [ source : Klee ] .
2: Say “Please” and “Thanks”
While inside IKEA , be as nice as you would in any other public place . If you ’re shopping with sept and friend , keep your phonation down and view your language . If you ’re shopping with young children in tow , make certain they ’re well - behaved and well - rested . If you need to make a sound call to confirm which color curtains your better half wanted , tread off the path , find a secluded lieu to dial and keep the call short . And no matter how derisory the masses around you get , think back that it ’s bad cast to snap flick and video of others .
When you turn over the check-out procedure line , do n’t blitz toward the Swedish food grocery store without paying , and do n’t redeem a place in line for anyone who ’s pay individually from you . When it ’s your turn to give , put yourphoneaway : wrawl aside is disrespectful to the cashier scanning your purchase and the client behind you . Before you leave , return your cart . And remember the basics : Say please and thank you , and retrieve tosmile .
1: Obey the Return Policy
You ’ve expend the afternoon at family whirl anAllen wrenchand meet an entertainment centerfield , but when you ’ve ultimately finished , you settle it just does n’t seem as good as that other petty issue you had your optic on a few displays over . It ’s clock time to head back to the puritanical - and - yellow behemoth to make a return .
IKEA ’s return policy in its U.S. stores is straightforward : you’re able to come back article of furniture , housewares , and just about anything that is n’t customs ( like cut fabric and countertop ) or an as - is item with a reception within 90 days for a full repayment . you’re able to also return mattresses within 90 days , but you’re able to only exchange them for store deferred payment [ author : IKEA ] . ( Be ready to present a receipt and an ID with your return , a measure to curb return fraud . )
It ’s rarely okay to bring article of furniture back that ’s stained , rub or break unless those are symptoms of a defect , and sulliedmattressesdefinitely ca n’t be exchanged . But if you ’re returning something half - assembled and out of its packaging , do n’t worry — return it that way is n’t impolite at all .
Lots More Information
I ’d never set human foot inside an IKEA until working on this article — I had listen the horror stories , and I decided my Saturdays would be better spent on my own lounge than wading through the crowds to prove out a low - slung Swedish one . But going to IKEA on a smooth Wednesday good afternoon was an overall pleasant experience . I buy a cutting board , and away from a few people sheer the line for meatball , there were only a few backsliding in etiquette that I noticed . Still , why ca n’t everyone just walk in the same direction as the arrows ?
