I used to enjoy browsing at Ikea until walking any distance became painful for me. Thank goodness for online ordering.
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as a rather immobile senior, I hesitate to go to Ikea because it means such a long walk
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LMAOâ:joy:
and a lifetime of Swedish meatballs!
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As a long time IKEA shopper I am happy with the design as I can take shortcuts if I am in a hurry or a longer route if I am browsing. It does help however to have been a few times to understand the layout. Having said that it is the same in all states so doesnât need to be learnt again if you move.The eating area is almost a must when on a longer trip. To me it is no different to going to a shopping centre where I may have to walk from one end to the other just to go to 2 shops. Now that is more annoying to me!
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I have the honour - dubious or otherwise - to be able to categorically say that Iâve never set foot into an IKEA store ⊠And thus shall it remain!! 
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I HATE Ikea and for that reason I rarely go. I understand their reason for having it set up the way they do, and it (apparently) works for most people, but it has the opposite effect on me. Unless I find what I want in minutes, I will leave (even more likely, if I canât find anyone to ask) and even if I found what I want, unless I find the exit quickly, I am likely to drop the item I was about to buy and leave empty-handed. I get to a stage when all I care about is getting out.
I now know most of the shortcuts at Richmond, but it is still quite a walk; if youâre forced to go upstairs for something (I try to find what I want online - including where it is to be found- and just go pick it up in the store)
I once threw a tantrum at Richmond. 
I wasnât feeling well, and needed ONE thing and as I happened to be driving past⊠I got my item then wanted the exit. I asked a salesgirl (not easy to find!) who started pointing⊠go left, then go right, then go left⊠SHOW ME!!! I shouted. She took me through a staff only door and was at the cashierâs in minutes
I used to like the Ikea store in Moorabbin, which was a lot smaller, everything on one level, and I knew ALL the shortcuts. Of course, they closed that one!
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I believe the short cuts get changed from time to time.
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Total nightmare and I refuse to set foot in these stores. I when I got out, I was totally exhausted and on my kneesâŠand Got NOTHING! Could not find what I wanted and when I asked salespersons if I could find one around A corner It would have been another circuitâŠNot for meâŠIkea is horrible and in the end it puts people off.
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The problem for me is on two levels.
One the practical, I donât particularly enjoy shopping. I have my list and my aim is to get in, fill the list, and get out. Anything that unnecessarily extends the time it takes is an annoyance. If I get too annoyed I stop shopping and leave.
Two is the principle, I am sensitive to being manipulated. I am aware that all marketing is manipulation to some degree but if a salesperson is too over the top I will redirect the process. My requirements become sharper, waffling will get interupted by the next question and if they donât get it I leave.
The Ikea plan is extreme manipulation where they aim to control the whole process and it can be a huge waste of time. Ikea may believe they gain by tempting the impulse buyer to leave with more than they intended but that only works on some people and you have to get them into the store first. I have been 2 or 3 times years ago but never again.
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As it reads now yes. The proposition has been edited.
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love Ikea! if your not a browser, donât go, I love spending time looking at everything.
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In Ikea parlance, the full route though the store is called âthe long natural wayâ. Obviously designed to get you to walk past (and hopefully buy) everything in the shop. As has already been pointed out there are shortcuts (theyâre negatively offset so to find the next one you usually have to salmon against the stream of traffic once you come out of the first one).
You can, however, shave more time off your trip to Ikea if youâre a little more aggressive in your shortcutting - ducking through the trolley return may deposit you straight at the checkouts for example, or if you know what you need and where it is located, entering through the checkouts and going backwards.
Speaking of Ikea, weâre currently testing a new Ikea fridge - weâre very interested to see how it performs, and weâll be publishing its scores on our fridge reviews page once weâve put it through its paces.
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Thank you @syncretic, thatâs exactly my point: the manipulation!
Have no quarrel with their merchandise, would happily include IKEA in my shopping list anytime.
But⊠maps⊠familiarity with territoryâŠetc,.
I do that when I travel to an unknown country and not when I shop in my own home town!
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I rarely visit my nearest IKEA store as it is located too far away. However I do recall once needing to exit quickly and I became quite agitated and stressed trying to âget outâ. I did find a staff member who assisted me to the nearest exit. Unfortunately that feeling has never totally left me whenever I am in an IKEA store.
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There are shortcuts but you need to know where to look.
There are two shortcuts thatâll allow you to skip the Market Hall in the IKEA Tempe store. If you donât have anything to purchase you can go down down a lift near the first floor entrance and youâll be at the Smaland area near the Swedish Market.
If you did grab a few things from the showroom then you just go down the stairs to the market hall, but look to the left and behind you, and youâll see the exit to the warehouse (see pic)
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I went to the Canberra store once; selected something, bought something, a staff member showed me the way out (which I accidentally found - the entrance). When I went back to get the pre-selected item, I got lost - then I needed to go through âtheir procedureâ. It took me over an hour - wife waiting outside in the car in a Canberra summer - thank goodness Iâd left her the keys for the air-con!
I will never return, despite attractive items and attractive prices.
I donât think Iâve ever been so angry at the end of a successful purchase.
In fact I donât think Iâve ever been so angry after visiting a store, for an unsuccessful purchase and rude staff (which the Ikea people werenât - they were just nice robots).
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I was there the other day. Fortunately I found the item I wanted quickly and arrived at the area where I had to select my product from the shelf. The shelf in that spot was empty. A staff member was nearby and queried the product. She indicated a place at between the rows of aisles where the product was stacked, which wasnât where it was meant to be. Apart from this, my visit was quite uneventful. Having said this, I rarely go there as it is on the other side of town.
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I check items online first so I know what I want to possibly buy, but as I rarely go I do enjoy browsing in every department. My nearest IKEA is one train stop away (Rhodes).
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There are no Ikea stores outside of Brisbane in Queensland (Iâm in NQ), and I find navigating their website as time consuming as getting out of the store. I must say, however, that a flat $9 delivery fee for flat packed spare bedroom furniture was a pleasant surprise.
I think their store design is based on a famous interior design concept, that being:
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Treasure map or escape route? 
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