IKEA — Attraction in Tempe

I really love this place. I've been coming since it's grand opening 17 years ago. Prepare yourself for an adventure. Have a problem walking? No worries, there are escalators to take up up to start the browsing or you can take the elevator. There are bags to borrow to store your happy finds you want to purchase. There are special carts that are designed to hold the bag and give you something to lean on. Or you can opt for a full grocery cart but warning, it is an abs workout. All for wheels glide in the same direction to make movement effortlessly, but changing directions you'll feel it in our abs.

Once you are up top, to begin your journey, look for the Arrows on the ground, both painted and light projected. As you follow the arrows on the ground you will be led through several display rooms and all of them have chairs, beds or couches that you may sit on to take a break. Take a picture or note of the code on the furniture's tag so you can claim the box to purchase to assemble that item at home.

Don't feel trapped or that you have to follow the arrows the entire way. There are shortcut isles that let you skip sections. Just keep your eyes open. They have no arrows but sometimes there is a sign (but not always) letting you know the quickest way to the bathrooms which is by the eatery. And yes there is a children's section not only furniture for your toddlers but fun toys too. I loved the Ankylosaurus plushie. There was also an IKEA Chocolate bunny you would then have to assemble after purchase, so classic IKEA style. IKEA is know for selling the kits to build your own furniture. Few things are sold already assembled.

I discovered that there is a discount corner all the way to the left, after the last register near the return door. Items are sold 'AS IS' at great prices. I'm very satisfied with the rug we found. It was in great condition!

There is a place to buy food upstairs. This is were there are bathrooms, there is also a bathroom deep in the back of the children's department. The eatery is a great place to take a break before you take the double stairway or elevators to the lower levels and sample the meatballs.

Once you are down stairs you run into more of the room fillers, towels, more kitchen gadgets, plates and such. A shortcut leads you into the lighting section, TV stands, and wall hangings.

The last area to wander before you are on the last party of your journey is the garden center. There are so many scented candles to choose from. They had plants both silk, plastic fake plants and real houseplants like pathos, succulents, cacti, mini trees and so much more. My husband loved the orchids and lucky bamboo.

Now you are released into the realm of boxed furniture. An information desk in between the isles of 13 & 14 can help you locate which isle you are on

When checking out, the shortest line is always the very left or the very most right. After purchase, helpful IKEA people will carry your large purchases out if you ask them to assist you.

There is a small grocery store where you can buy frozen items that the eatery sold up stairs, so you can reheat it at your convivence at home. They sell very unique times. it's quite a cultural feast to explore and try.

Outside there are twine and cutter stations if you need help securing your purchased boxes to your vehicle. Although IKEA personal will help you load your items into your vehicles, they take no part or responsibility in securing your items. That is all up to you. There is parking right against the exit door but it is only for 15 min or so for loading or returning. There are a lot of parking & Handicap spaces in the parking lot. there is even a special family parking lot tot he right of the building so your children don't have to give you a heart attach while you navigate to your shopping experience.

There is a clear and safe path from IKEA to the bus stop. I thought that was very nice and well...

I had a horrible experience with Hadir at MPG Interiors who was subcontracted by Ikea to install our kitchen.

Hadir is a liar, a coward and a terrible contractor. He was sent by Ikea to assemble my kitchen, he entered my home without me present and without my prior approval, which I have recorded on camera. He lied repeatedly and I recorded our entire conversation. He said that my address was not within Ikea service limits, this is untrue and verified in person at the Ikea Tempe location before and after our interaction and via email. He also lied and told me that he could not install my design which I worked with two Ikea consultants to complete. One consultant helped me create it and another verified it before purchase, there was nothing wrong with my design. He simply did not want to do the job and tried to place the blame my location and design when the blame can only be placed on his unprofessionalism.

While he was on my property, he said I needed to speak with Ikea to verify that my design was okay to install, so I called Ikea to verify his claims and while I was on the phone he packed up and left even though he told me he was not leaving. He then told Ikea management that I was unruly and chased him out of my home. I would never treat anyone that way and I had video recording of him leaving my home. I stood on my porch and did not speak to him as I was on the phone with an Ikea representative, and I had a contractor on site as witness who witnessed his leaving and our interaction as well. I will not be slandered, especially by someone of such low moral character. All of the proof I collected via audio and video allowed me to receive proper compensation from Ikea, but they were not going to right this wrong without me providing all of the audio, video, and call logs. Beware of these terrible business practices, and beware of the kitchen installers that this Ikea location will send to your home, document absolutely everything because Ikea management will not believe you without...

The retail space was well designed and nicely stocked. However, the cafe area was far below expectations. Unfortunately, this brought down the quality of our whole experience because the cafe is integral to our shopping adventure. The problem with the cafe is that the employees seemed to be outright unhappy to be there, incompetent, and deceptive. These adjectives may seem extreme, but here was the situation. When we arrived, we happened to be there while breakfast was still being served. We noticed the advertisements for scones and thought they sounded wonderful. We saw that they were nowhere to be seen in the cafeteria so we asked the employees and they said that they were not making them today. We were disappointed but we continued into the retail space to shop. When it was time for lunch later, we again went to the cafeteria in search of our favorite items. I love the Stockholm salad but noticed there was none available. There was however salmon and salad separately, so I asked one of the employees if they would be preparing it as it was still listed on the menu. They said they would not have it today. Additionally, my daughter absolutely loves the garlic bread. Again, it was listed on the menu. When we did not see it and asked an employee if it would be available, they said it would be in the afternoon. The time was about 11:45 a.m. We proceeded to pick up menu items that were available and sat to eat in the cafe. When we were done we went back to the cafeteria to see if the garlic bread was now available as it was after noon. The employee again told us it would not be available in until the afternoon. We asked what time specifically and they said after 12:00 p.m. I then told the worker that it was 12:30 and she said that they would not be making garlic bread today. On top of this there was one employee working that did not speak or understand any English (she appeared to be of Asian descent) and was deferring to one of the other employees. As you can read, this is really poor...