Took the more than hour one way trip to get a countertop for my kitchen island.

I’ve heard that Ikea was big… but not told HOW big! Seeing the parking garage was my first clue!

The place is huge, so plan on staying there awhile, especially if it’s your first time there. It didn’t take long for me to figure it out but the layout is different than other stores. What they sell online are actual displays throughout the whole store. So you’ll see different living rooms setup in one area, different kitchens, etc.

After finding the correct department and getting the top I wanted, I was told that I could purchase it there and it would be waiting for me when I finished shopping and I was ready to leave. I figured just the walk to where I entered would be plenty of time for my order to be filled and paid for it on the spot. I did look around on my way back in case I saw something I could give as a gift since it was a few days before Christmas, but nothing really caught my eye.

Upon arriving at the pickup area, you have to check the large screen on the wall for your order number to be green, meaning that it was ready for pick up. Then if you want help loading it into your vehicle (like I did), you have to go to a separate location out in the parking garage to meet someone.

Well, I was parked in section F. The “help” was in section M… a considerable distance from where I was parked! Since I was alone, I couldn’t leave my purchase and move my vehicle closer. And I couldn’t leave my purchase to get the help in section M! So after pushing my cart to section M and then realizing that there was no one in section M, I had to go back to my vehicle to figure out how I was going to load it alone. This top weighs about 100 lbs and is beyond awkward!

Luckily a family saw my struggle and the gentleman loaded it for me. I couldn’t thank them enough for their help!!

I figured I had more than an hour to figure out how I was going to get it in my house…lol.

If they had someone available to either assist you with a purchase or to contact “help”, it would have been a much more pleasant experience for me.

Overall, I didn’t think it was that great… it’s just another store that is set up different.