# First trip to IKEA - tips, tricks, favorite products? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 30, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796 "2011-12-30T04:14:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/41 "2011-12-31T16:04:32Z")
> [@ProbablyProcrastinating](#): > > Wrong. I had stuff delivered to my address in Seattle from Tukwila just a few months ago. They do have home-delivery, at least here. Possibly not in your state, though. What I was saying they don’t do is rent cars and trailers at IKEA, as described by **constanze** who is German I believe. All IKEAs have delivery as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/42 "2011-12-31T19:19:51Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > [Lesser-known Ikea products.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=81396) 🙂 I just got a chance to read through most of this thread and laughed my ass off. I’m considering getting a Spanki and a Jurken for my husband :D. **Hello Again** , thanks for the tip on checking stock - I checked again earlier and it looks like the cart will be in stock sometime around Jan 8 - 16th, and I’m pretty sure I’ll need to go to DC in the next couple of weeks, so I’ll stop on my way home or there and pick it up. Plus, I feel like there’s a lot of stuff that we didn’t get because we were somewhat overwhelmed. We must have wandered the same area four or five times because we were comparing different storage options. I’m actually glad that we didn’t decide on anything yesterday because once we’ve decluttered and made some trips to Goodwill and put a few things up on Craigslist, we’ll be in much better shape to make a decision on how to organize what we have. They offer so many more options when it comes to storage and organization that it will be easier to designate where books go, where CDs and DVDs go, where toys go, etc - instead of just buying yet another bookshelf where things end up just getting tossed onto shelves. We’re also having way too much fun with those poseable wooden dolls. My 5 year old made a beeline for them when he saw them and I think we’re going to make them our dining room table centerpiece for fun. Worth the $10 :). ---
**Author:** ![TheTerribleTako](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TheTerribleTako](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTerribleTako)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/43 "2011-12-31T20:37:27Z")
For next time, if you and your husband still have any time and energy left at the end of the trip, check out the As-Is section. It’s usually tucked away in a corner next to the cashier’s section. This is where they put all their returns, semi-damaged items, and floor models, usually at good discount. If either of you are handy at all, you can get really good deals on items that just need a little extra paint or scavenge some of the parts for new projects. All the big furniture items will have a sticker stating its price, how much of a discount it is from the new in-box item, and what exactly is wrong with it. We recently got a perfectly good Hemnes dresser from the As-Is section. The only thing “wrong” with it was that the drawer panels are a different color than the rest of the frame. It’s a little funky looking, but we like funky, so we got it at around 25% discount from the original price. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/44 "2012-01-02T10:28:23Z")
> [@Elza\_B](#): > > … and two wooden people I can pose (I have no excuse for those except I wanted to put them in compromising positions when I’m bored.). … In other words, you want to re-enact the sex scene from “Team America: World Police” ?😃 ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/45 "2012-01-02T10:31:43Z")
> [@Elza\_B](#): > > We also spent an hour and a half wandering around the furniture section trying to decide on an entertainment center setup that we liked. We LOVED one of them (Expedit again, I think), but the section where our TV would go was .9 inches too short, we think. So of course, nothing else looked right. We need to do some measuring and decide how we want to move the furniture and then we’ll decide on a setup - we realized it would be better on our space to maximize the entertainment center rather than just add more bookcases. I’m still hoping if I measure the TV, it’ll fit into the one that we loved If you’re a family member, there’s an online community where people exchange ideas for how to re-purpose IKEA products differently than intended. They also have regular drawings where people can enter either their own ideas on how to decorate an empty virtual room and win a cheque, or enter their current room and win a do-over with an expert designer from IKEA. The results of these do-overs are then reported on in the family journal, giving ideas on your own situation. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/46 "2012-01-02T10:33:03Z")
> [@Elza\_B](#): > > We’re also having way too much fun with those poseable wooden dolls. My 5 year old made a beeline for them when he saw them and I think we’re going to make them our dining room table centerpiece for fun. Worth the $10 :). Are you recording the action for a new youtube movie? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/47 "2012-01-02T17:44:18Z")
That’s my IKEA, and it’s awesome!!! Shipping from the store is a $69 flat rate- we just got a king sized bed frame and mattress, dresser, two storage cubes, and some miscellaneous small stuff delivered next-day. And the delivery guys put it anywhere in the house you want! Welcome to the wonderful world of assembled furniture. 😉 Don’t know if you noticed, but there’s a Costco right next door. All sorts of shopping fun!! ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/48 "2012-01-02T18:17:35Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > ?? It would be like $20-$30 at the most. If you lived fairly nearby (the Brooklyn IKEA is quite near some of the most desirable neighborhoods in Brooklyn) , maybe like $10. Zipcar is about $11 an hour. I don’t know the cab prices in the US, but assumed that, esp. in NY, they would be higher than here, and a cab for an hour is much more than 11 Euros! (A cracked article about New Year also mentioned tax fare - about 50 to 70 $ for one drive). ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/49 "2012-01-02T18:20:54Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > They also have a partnership w/ Enterprise and will rent out vans/trucks if you want to do it yourself. To me\* that’s a very smart move from IKEA because it encourages spontaneous shopping: you go there for the free coffee and maybe some candles, but while there, you discover a new table/ chair/ whatever that’s your dream product\*\* and although you took the bus to IKEA, you know you can simply rent a van for the return journey. \*It doesn’t apply to me personally, since I don’t have a drivers license. \*\* Assuming you know the numbers of your home enough to be sure it fits… ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/50 "2012-01-02T22:20:06Z")
There is an Ikea 15 minutes drive from my house. We go a LOT. Last week we bought some stuff for the child’s room. Storage boxes, new duvet cover, clothing for her multi-ethnic Ikea [dolls](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/series/21132/). Of course, we also ended up buying candles, wine glasses and a pop-up laundry basket…because, well, the Ikea Marketplace is cunningly designed to make you buy things. My main piece of advice is to buy NOTHING without knowing the size of the space you’re going to put it in. Those stores are so vast they fool you into believing that the furniture is tiny, but it will be MUCH bigger when you get it home. ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/51 "2012-01-03T00:35:03Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > Are you recording the action for a new youtube movie? 😉 Well, considering I already scared the hell out of my parents, who stopped by yesterday and saw them on the table in a position commonly referred to by a number, YouTube might be fun, too :D. (I laughed when they just looked at me like I was a freak - they raised me, I know for a fact that my dad would have put them in a similar position 😛 ) > [@bobkitty](#): > > That’s my IKEA, and it’s awesome!!! Shipping from the store is a $69 flat rate- we just got a king sized bed frame and mattress, dresser, two storage cubes, and some miscellaneous small stuff delivered next-day. And the delivery guys put it anywhere in the house you want! > > Welcome to the wonderful world of assembled furniture. 😉 Don’t know if you noticed, but there’s a Costco right next door. All sorts of shopping fun!! It’s dangerous. Costco and IKEA are a scary combo. Buy a new couch and the cook-at-home pizza to eat it on. 😉 > [@irishgirl](#): > > My main piece of advice is to buy NOTHING without knowing the size of the space you’re going to put it in. Those stores are so vast they fool you into believing that the furniture is tiny, but it will be MUCH bigger when you get it home. Holy shit, no joke! I put the Expedit shelving unit together yesterday (and it was EASY - why is IKEA the only retailer that’s figured out how to create furniture that has to be assembled so that couples aren’t ready to file for divorce by the time they’re done - the laptop desk, shelving unit, and inserts have gone together without a single issue.), and it’s much bigger than I remember! (although still fits perfectly). We’ve also discovered that the shelving unit makes a great cat bed. I found both asleep in separate cubes this morning. They’re going to be pissed when I get the inserts put in and they’re filled with shoes. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/52 "2012-01-03T00:48:45Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Nearest IKEA to the Nashville/Bug Tussle area is Atlanta. > > So, I get no IKEA. ☹ I laugh in the face of your puny 4-ish hours! Nearest one to me is 8 hours away. ☹ I went once, all I bought was a little table lamp because there was no room in the vehicle (alas, road trips!). ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/53 "2012-01-03T03:42:01Z")
We furnished our entire house from Ikea. At the time we had access to a 24’ truck - I’d drive it to Ikea and then we’d hit the As-Is section for all the bargains. And we got a LOT of bargains… Just the other day got a new display case and bookshelf as well…both from As-Is at almost 50% discount… ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/54 "2012-01-03T05:25:51Z")
> [@ProbablyProcrastinating](#): > > God forbid they don’t give you free stuff with your purchase. > > You deserve the wasted time. You are bound and determined to be so lazy that you don’t even drag a bag into the store and use it? For the purpose of proving that you are more important than the people who will be living on the planet 50, 100, or 1,000 years from now? > > And then everyone had to re-stock all your stuff because you were too self-righteous about your desire to waste? > > I believe that is appalling. Only in America would someone dare brag about such selfish waste. No, I’m not bragging about that. But guess what? I’m APPALLED by the fact that when I went to check out they asked if they could sell me a bag, and I replied “no, thank you, I brought my own bags” they went completely batshit and insisted I buy THEIR bags. WHAT ON EARTH? Also their parking spaces are too narrow… Just ask my insurance agent, lol. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/55 "2012-01-03T15:40:02Z")
> [@voguevixen](#): > > I’m APPALLED by the fact that when I went to check out they asked if they could sell me a bag, and I replied “no, thank you, I brought my own bags” they went completely batshit and insisted I buy THEIR bags. WHAT ON EARTH? They forced you to buy their bags, although you had brought your own? What colour is the sky in your reality? It’s one thing to joke that they force you to buy their bags, but to insist it really happened … > [@](#): > > Also their parking spaces are too narrow… Just ask my insurance agent, lol. :smack: Ah, if you hit something, it’s somebody else’s fault for making the parking space too narrow. Nothing to do with your driving. I understand. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/56 "2012-01-03T16:34:50Z")
Get coffee mugs. Specifically, get the [Dinera](http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90152536/)mug, which IMHO is the platonic ideal of coffee mugs. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/57 "2012-01-03T22:35:50Z")
Huh, nobody’s mentioned my absolute #1 rule of Ikea stuff: wood glue. Buy a bottle of ordinary wood glue at a hardware store. When assembling any flatpack Ikea furniture, add a small bead to all the joins, and add a dollop to each screwhole. Without it, there’s a tendency to loosen up over time. You can wind up with tables and chairs with a bit more wobble than ideal, and the designs often make tightening back up after the fact clumsy. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/58 "2012-01-03T23:25:46Z")
When they opened an IKEA near me, I went, but couldn’t find anything I needed or wanted, so I amused myself by looking at the country of origin of the products in the housewares department. I think I looked at fifty items before finding something not made in China. And then when driving out of the parking garage, I saw the sea of cargo containers that were used to bring the merchandise to the store. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/59 "2012-01-04T20:23:19Z")
Here’s an old thread that recounts my first experience at Ikea. Enjoy. 🙂 [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=592746&highlight=IKEA](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=592746&highlight=IKEA) ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796/60 "2012-01-04T21:47:05Z")
We live 15 minutes from an Ikea. I was just there last night! Everything in our living room, dining room, bedroom, son’s room and basement is from there. The reality is that when we moved into our house we had no furniture so we were just looking to get some stuff on the cheap until we figured out what we really wanted. Turns out that we like our cheap stuff alot! Most of the stuff is over five years old and I expect it to last another 10 years or so (except our $20 dining room chairs, those need to be replaced once the kids are a little older because their toenails made marks from kneeling instead of sitting). My favourite is [our couch](http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S29840638/#/S99853043) (ours is red). Our living room is 18 feet long and 10 feet wide so I wanted a big long couch. This one is twelve feet long! It seats 6 to watch movies or 8 just hanging out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-trip-to-ikea-tips-tricks-favorite-products/607796.md?page=4)