Shopping at IKEA
IKEA shopping can be an event. It can take an efficient shopper that knows the short cuts and the layout only 10 minutes, or it can take a newbie over 5 hours. My longest shopping trip was 4 and a half hours, and included a lunch break at the restaurant, a sit down in the couches, and a fight over curtains.
Shopping at the Richmond store offers free parking for up to 4 hours if you purchase something from the store. Parking for the first hour at Victoria Gardens is free, but you still need a parking ticket. Once you've finished shopping there is a trolley minding service if you need to go pick up your car and bring it in to the loading bay.
Things I love about shopping at IKEA:
- free parking
- IKEA As-Is corner. IKEA display items and returns at reduced prices.
- Trolley minding . I love knowing I can leave my trolley and get my car without fear of theft, or trying to push an overstocked trolley through a car park.
- Funky fabrics . I love the brightly coloured and designed fabrics to buy by the metre, and the fabrics on their chairs, couches, sofas and cushions.
- Design ideas in the showroom.
- Handy storage tips for apartments and small unit living.
- Road testing the drawers, beds, chairs, desks and child toys.
IKEA As-Is Bargain Corner
A good tip when arriving at IKEA, and this tip can possibly avoid the hours and kilometres of walking the store, stop by the IKEA AS-IS bargain corner to check if the items you are after are reduced. The As-Is bargain corner at the Richmond store is hidden in the corner beside the checkouts. Me, I usually wander in to the bargain corner (through the checkouts) and have a quick scout around before heading off to shop for frames, furniture or whatever else I've come intending to buy. Items in the bargain corner are either ex-display stock, returned items, or items with ripped packaging. It also holds any discontinued and reduced items. Anything you buy from the bargain corner is As-Is and is non-refundable. Additionally most of the shelving products are assembled, not flat packed. You will need to dismantle any shelving units you buy. I have purchased a large Expedit bookshelf from the bargain corner (at half the RRP). We had to push the large shelving unit in a trolley through the checkouts and then dismantle it in the parking bay. It took a bit longer than usual to load it in the car, but it was a great saving and no signs of damage. And it was quicker to assemble at home as we knew how it was put together.
IKEA Billy or RIBA frame not in your colour?
If you find something in the As-Is corner of IKEA, online at eBay, or get given some IKEA preloved Billy or Aneboda and it doesn't go with your current interior design then why not have a go at renovating it? Just use some decorative wall paper, a lick of paint or play with the door handles.
Take some ideas from the blog IKEA Hacker here...
Can't make it to IKEA? Find new and used IKEA furniture and homewares online at bargain prices at eBay:
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