IKEA Shopping Secrets. Prepare for battle!

I am not sure why there are two listings for this IKEA.

This is a good location, it is just like every other IKEA you have been to. 

There isn't a lot that I can say that has not been said, so I will give you my IKEA secrets.

Go to http://IKEA.com and sign up for the family card to get discounts. You get free coffee and a free ice cream cone with this as well.

You can look up products online ahead of time and get their aisle and bin number before you leave, print that out if you want to skip the showroom.

You can also see what is in stock online at your locale IKEA. This helps incase you are looking for something specific.

Wear comfortable shoes!

Empty your car out and measure where you have room or plan to tie stuff to the top if you are going to buy anything large. 

Plan to be here ALL DAY!

Plan to get ideas and take pictures perhaps.

If you have kids, they will enjoy the kids center where you can check them in, get a pager and they are allowed to play in there for an hour.  The pager will buzz if your kid needs you back sooner.

When you start the showroom, grab a few big yellow bags.

Walk the show room - it takes about an hour to do the whole thing without a lot of stopping, make sure to pick up anything you see that you want from the bins, you might not be able to find it again in the maze.

Break for lunch! At the end of the showroom is a cafeteria, swedish coffee is great, I love the LOX and they usually have some good sweets.

Then you will go downstairs and actually start shopping. 

The marketplace is about another hour and then you go into the warehouse where you get the larger stuff. 

If you are getting any larger stuff, make sure to grab a pallet cart.. you will  need it. Stuff is boxed and heavy.

If you buy anything that might have extra pieces, make sure you confirm what you need. A bed may have top bottom, slats, mid-beam and hardware all in different bins. You don't want to get home and realize you are missing a piece.

If it's not there when you look, ASK. They will check the back for you.

Want a deal - look in the AS IS section.. lots of good stuff there for discounted prices and usually someone else has already put it together for you.

If you have a lot of smaller stuff,  grab some blue bags as you check out. They are .59 cents each, but unless you want to carry a bunch of little items out..  they come in handy and are really re-usable. I always have a couple in my car.

You will buy something you don't  need. It's a given. But have fun and plan to leave tired!

I did all my holiday shopping online!

So I can honestly say that I did not buy a single gift that wasn't purchased online.

I thought about the black friday sale lines, the pushing and shoving and name calling... and decided perhaps amazon.com was a safer bet.

Everyday a new box arrives on the door step and I take it in... open it (it's kinda like getting gifts myself, in a way...) I look it over and think about the person I am giving it to and how i hope they will love it - then I wrap it and top it with ribbons or some cut out snow flake I made and place it with the others in the music room to wait for C-day or Hannukah depending... I don't have a tree and don't usually get one, but I always listen to the Charlie Brown Christmas Album... i don't know why, but it is the absolute most calming thing in the world... 

Online shopping is a commitment though. You need to read reviews. Look at lots of photos. Compare shipping costs (amazon prime is great for serious shoppers) and take into account the time it will take to arrive.

I have to admit that my fave shops are amazon.com (they should pay me for the number of times I say that) but i do love them.. they make everything easy and Wine Country Gift Baskets (.com) - a few of my friends and family got lovely treat towers and Hannukah treats that I sent out using that vendor. They have a great presentation, timely delivery and yummy treats!!!

I can't believe that I am DONE with my holiday shopping and it isn't even the 15th! I am so stoked. Yay for the internet.

I am also using Sincerely Ink (an iphone app) to do holiday cards. The shame of it is that I realize how few friends physical addresses I actually have handy anywhere...  

Now to think about travel arrangements.. UGH...