# Will employees at IKEA help me load stuff in my car? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 26, 2009, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478 "2009-02-26T04:28:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/21 "2009-02-26T15:36:10Z")
We bought a lot of bookcases from Ikea in Massachusets a month or so ago, and used the delivery service they provide. You have to personally buy the items at the store, and after you check out you go to the delivery desk. Their price was $99 to deliver as much stuff as you bought. When they delivered it, they brought it all inside and up stairs. It was really worth the $99. You can call your Ikea and see if they do the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/22 "2009-02-26T15:45:38Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > IKEA is not in the business of selling to single people. [Jonathan Coulton](http://www.lyricstime.com/jonathan-coulton-ikea-lyrics.html) [disagrees](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTJEtMSuMqg): > [@](#): > > Ikea: selling furniture for college kids and divorced men šŸ˜ƒ Seriously though, single men are a huge part of IKEAā€™s target customer base. Itā€™s just that any kind of major furniture shopping is a horrible pain in the rear by yourself, whether itā€™s getting the stuff in the vehicle at the store or unloading it at home. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/23 "2009-02-26T17:34:05Z")
When you get home, donā€™t drag the heavy boxes inside. Youā€™ll have to open the boxes where the van sits and bring the pieces of furniture in separately. A lot of trips but the packing material stays outside to reduce clutter. Works okay if the parking is secure were you will be unloading. Note: It will rain whatever day you do this. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/24 "2009-02-26T17:49:34Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > When you get home, donā€™t drag the heavy boxes inside. Youā€™ll have to open the boxes where the van sits and bring the pieces of furniture in separately. A lot of trips but the packing material stays outside to reduce clutter. Works okay if the parking is secure were you will be unloading. Note: It will rain whatever day you do this. It gets worse. Once you have have dragged all the parts inside, and tore open all the plastic, and found the manual, you will read that _some of your furniture will have to stay, unassembled, indoors_, to get to its definitive temperature and humidity. So for the next two days, you will have to camp in your own living room, in between opened boxes. Forty eight hours later, once you start assembling stuff, you will notice some essential parts got missing in the hubbub of opening boxes. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/25 "2009-02-26T17:55:14Z")
Missed edit: I was only messing with you. AFAIK, only IKEA kitchens and laminate floors need to acclimatisize. ---
**Author:** ![dactylic\_hexameter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@dactylic\_hexameter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dactylic_hexameter)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/26 "2009-02-26T18:54:02Z")
The other option is to go to Ikea, find a bored looking husband, and offer him 20 bucks to help you load. I know I would do it. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/27 "2009-02-26T19:24:44Z")
> [@dactylic\_hexameter](#): > > The other option is to go to Ikea, find a bored looking husband, and offer him 20 bucks to help you load. I know I would do it. That was my thought as well. Get the stuff to the loading dock, wait for an honest looking person waiting with their stuff, and ask them if they would watch your stuff and help you load it for $20. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/28 "2009-02-26T20:24:18Z")
I called Ikea, and they said they donā€™t offer delivery to Madison from their Schaumburg store. They do offer it from their Bolingbrook store, starting at $165. So it looks like Iā€™ll be trying to get someone to come with me for a shopping trip. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/29 "2009-02-26T20:34:53Z")
> [@](#): > > It gets worse. Once you have have dragged all the parts inside, and tore open all the plastic, and found the manual, you will read that some of your furniture will have to stay, unassembled, indoors, to get to its definitive temperature and humidity. ā€¦Is not a problem becauseā€¦ > [@](#): > > Ikea: selling furniture for college kids and divorced men No Ikea directions have actually ever been read in the history of time. ---
**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:** [February 26, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/30 "2009-02-26T22:05:52Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > ā€¦Is not a problem becauseā€¦ > No Ikea directions have actually ever been read in the history of time. But only because IKEA directions contain no written words (they do contain numbers). Their use of pictograms is actually quite wonderful to behold. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/31 "2009-02-26T22:24:07Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > But only because IKEA directions contain no written words (they do contain numbers). Their use of pictograms is actually quite wonderful to behold. Bah, thatā€™s plain cheating! Youā€™re not allowed to look at the papers untill youā€™ve tried without for at least 5 hours. Then maybe. ---
**Author:** ![accidentalyuppie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@accidentalyuppie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/accidentalyuppie)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/32 "2009-02-26T22:30:57Z")
Iā€™ve shopped alone at the Hicksville, NY store and itā€™s a major pain. I can always load the car myself ----heck, I assembled and placed all my huge IKEA wall units all by myselfā€¦itā€™s just a matter of assembling them in exactly the right spot and ā€œwalking them upā€ to an upright position. But thereā€™s no way I can watch my stuff while moving my car from the parking garage to the loading zone and at that store they are strict about the time limits in the loading zone. I have used their delivery service though, and it worked out well. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/33 "2009-02-26T23:34:52Z")
i am a single ikea shopper and i donā€™t drive. iā€™ve bought huge amounts of ikea stuff and had it delivered. one of the few advantages to being in a big city where not a lot of people drive, is that delivery is considered very common. iā€™m sorry it is not as common where you are, sanibelman. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/34 "2009-02-26T23:37:57Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Are you a cute chick with a big rack? Then yes, theyā€™ll help you. If not, youā€™re probably out of luck. Thereā€™s joke in there somewhere about Swedish meatballs, but for the life of me I canā€™t figure out what it is. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/35 "2009-02-26T23:39:19Z")
Ikea is like the buffet table. Two hands are not enough. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/36 "2009-02-27T14:07:57Z")
> [@SanibelMan](#): > > Edit to add: I looked at the delivery service, but it would cost hundreds of dollars ā€” probably $300-400 for everything I need ā€” and if I wanted to spend that kind of money, I wouldnā€™t be shopping at IKEA in the first place. When IKEA first started doing online shopping you had to contact them for a shipping price. There was a coffee table I liked that cost about $80. I contacted them about it, and the shipping on it was going to be something like $300. I get the feeling their mail order department didnā€™t get a whole lot of business. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/37 "2009-02-27T15:22:56Z")
Have you considered just trying to find the stuff you need locally? Madison has no shortage of furniture stores and Iā€™d bet the prices arenā€™t too far off of IKEA, especially once you throw in the cost of a round trip to Schaumburg and the hassle of having to load everything yourself. Both American and Steinhafels have clearance areas and Iā€™ve always seen pretty good stuff there. Home Concepts is another place to look. Also the Ashley Store and Goldeā€™s Futon Warehouse (not just futons). ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/38 "2009-02-27T15:33:19Z")
Humm. Iā€™ve never had a problem getting an IKEA staff member to help me load stuff into my car. When I go to the pick up area to pay (this is what you have to do for large items at the Calgary store) I just indicate that I need help getting the items into my car and they page a person who seems to be hired to do just that. Is my IKEA more user friendly than most? ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/39 "2009-02-27T15:48:54Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#): > > Have you considered just trying to find the stuff you need locally? Madison has no shortage of furniture stores and Iā€™d bet the prices arenā€™t too far off of IKEA, especially once you throw in the cost of a round trip to Schaumburg and the hassle of having to load everything yourself. Both American and Steinhafels have clearance areas and Iā€™ve always seen pretty good stuff there. Home Concepts is another place to look. Also the Ashley Store and Goldeā€™s Futon Warehouse (not just futons). I did look at the bedroom sets at American, at least, and they were way pricer than the MALM set my wife wants from Ikea. The bed alone cost $6-700, which is about my budget for a bed, a couple of dressers and a bed for our son. But maybe this weekend Iā€™ll look around some more and see if they have anything comparable at the other stores you mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478/40 "2009-02-27T15:59:43Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Humm. Iā€™ve never had a problem getting an IKEA staff member to help me load stuff into my car. Whatā€™s your bra size? Sometimes the employees think with their Swedish meatballs. (there you go, \*\*Washoe \*\*- it ainā€™t Chaucer, but itā€™ll have to do.) > [@](#): > > When I go to the pick up area to pay (this is what you have to do for large items at the Calgary store) Calgaryā€¦isnā€™t that in Canadia, where \*all \*yā€™all are polite and never lock your doors? šŸ˜ƒ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-employees-at-ikea-help-me-load-stuff-in-my-car/487478.md?page=3)