IKEA trip report

I finally made the trip to IKEA in Canton this Sunday, after avoiding it for the several months that it has been opened. Something about going there just didn't seem very fun in my mind, after reading about people camping out for several nights just to be the first people to get into the store when it opened. My thinking is that anything with that much hype is bound to be incredibly disappointing.

I generally make a point to try to avoid the Ford Rd and I-275 area altogether, as it is a mess of overbuilding and congestion, and can take 10-15 minutes just to get through it if the traffic is bad. But Victoria wanted to go to look for pictures for Abby's bedroom, so the 3 of us got in the car and made the drive. Since it was 11am on a Sunday, I figured the area wouldn't be too horrible, but wasn't sure what to expect for the store itself.

If anyone doesn't know what IKEA is, they basically have everything, from kitchen and
bedroom stuff to full fledged furniture. Most of the furniture is less expensive, but requires assembly (why anyone would want to spend 8+ hours assembling a couch/futon to save $100 is beyond me).

As we arrived, my annoyance level increased with the idiocy that is the parking lot. We did find a spot without much effort about 1/2 mile from the entrance, which was fine considering the 25 degree temperature with matching wind. Upon entering the store, there is an area where parents can drop off their kids while they shop. I opted to keep Abby with me. As you enter you are immediately whisked upstairs. We got upstairs and then went right back down into a mess of people into the kitchen area. There was actually a lot of worthwile items. I picked up a kitchen knife set for $2.99 (!!!) and 6 wine glasses for the first time I decide to have people over to drink win for like $5.

The rest of the trip is a blur. The store forces you to trek through all of the items to get to the checkout. There are stregically placed shortcuts, which are damn near inaccessible if you have a cart (I did). We also had to make a trip to the bathroom for Abby, which led us completely across the store, and then all the way back to the beginning for an item that we missed. When all was said and done, I was hungry, tired, sore and annoyed.

After checking out, I had spent about $20, on the above mentioned items, as well as some pictures and frames for Abby's room, 2 toilet brushes, and a silverware tray. Afterwards I commented that it was amazing how little I had spent on those items, but I also commented that I would have rather spent twice that then have to deal with that mess.

Basically I strongly recommend the store if you can get there when there is nobody there or in the area. Since that is very unlikely to happen, I recommend avoiding it unless you enjoy dealing with massive throngs of people walking around aimlessly or standing in the middle of aisles.