Ikea

Lex Luthor

anyone been to ikea in the last week?

thinking of planning a trip out there this week to pick up a few things but heard there are long lines etc

Its not a place where I would think its easy to keep social distancing of 2m

Tabnabs

Very long line outside, minimum 45 mins. Very quiet inside. A few idiots still going against the flow of traffic, but otherwise it's calm and relaxed. The only busy point is the checkouts. Lots of staff on hand to make sure people are adhering to social distancing, as much as possible. Only one person/family group in a display at a time, too.

Lex Luthor

just back, arrived for 10:00, line of about 1hr 10min, then it was ok inside but in fairness busy enough

checkout was quick, straight to the front and checked out

Shelves empty though, I went with a list and got about 20% of what I wanted

I checked the screens when I got in to see what they had and where to get and a lot was low in stock, but by time I got to the aisles, they were gone

Looks like I'll be working on the ironing board for another month or so

mac_09

Went to Ikea last week in the evening time and was very impressed. Whilst I was queuing for 45-50minutes inside the flow was quick, checkouts were well controlled with little to no queue and I actually think overall I probably spent the same amount of time as normal there!

Some stock levels were low but I got everything I wanted, including Dime bars!

Sanitisers throughout the store (although they smelled about 99% proof!!)

Lex Luthor

mac_09 wrote: »

Went to Ikea last week in the evening time and was very impressed. Whilst I was queuing for 45-50minutes inside the flow was quick, checkouts were well controlled with little to no queue and I actually think overall I probably spent the same amount of time as normal there!

Some stock levels were low but I got everything I wanted, including Dime bars!

Sanitisers throughout the store (although they smelled about 99% proof!!)

ya agree, its organised apart from low or no stock particularly for office/home furniture in the storage dept

the sanitizers were strong alright

zeebests

Same as most places trying to get new stock in

CarPark2

Was there on Sunday evening. Very long queue outside. Inside it was fine. It didn't feel particularly busy. Stock levels of what i needed were a little low, but i got everything i needed.
I think that you can check the stock online before you go. Given the length of the queue, it would be very frustrating to get through the queue and find that the thing you needed wasn't there.

Lex Luthor

I had checked online before going and most of what I was looking for was showing either available or low
When I got there I typed in on the screens and got the locations but when I got to the end it was just empty shelves

CarPark2

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I had checked online before going and most of what I was looking for was showing either available or low
When I got there I typed in on the screens and got the locations but when I got to the end it was just empty shelves

That would be very frustrating. I guess the lesson at the moment is that if it appears as "low" on the website, there is a strong chance there will be none there.

Like i said, i was there on Sunday evening and i got everything that i was looking for and overall there seemed to be a reasonable level of stock, albeit less than is usually there.

Lex Luthor

CarPark2 wrote: »

That would be very frustrating. I guess the lesson at the moment is that if it appears as "low" on the website, there is a strong chance there will be none there.

Like i said, i was there on Sunday evening and i got everything that i was looking for and overall there seemed to be a reasonable level of stock, albeit less than is usually there.

ya I'm going to give it 4-6 weeks before going back and hopefully get the rest of the stuff I need

I've borrowed my sons desk he uses for studying for the summer months so no mad rush

Caranica

Queue was 2 hours when I was there Monday. Inside was the most civilised I'd ever seen it. So much stuff out of stock though. It will be mental again next week when travel restrictions ease so I'd definitely give it a few weeks.

Liberal_irony

Any idea if its still mental? I was planning on heading up this week

Lex Luthor

Liberal_irony wrote: »

Any idea if its still mental? I was planning on heading up this week

if I was guessing, I'd say its worse since we are now in the next phase and the travel limit is now lifted to national

cython

Lex Luthor wrote: »

if I was guessing, I'd say its worse since we are now in the next phase and the travel limit is now lifted to national

The flip side of that is that there will be a whole other category of people who previously had nothing better to do during the day that are now back to work, so it may not be that bad in the middle of weekdays, but I'm sure will be as bad as ever in the evenings or at weekends.

Rightly or wrongly, the travel limit was being widely flouted in the last few weeks anyway (as well as being unpoliced and unenforceable due to the Garda powers lapsing). As such, I'd be very surprised if all the people queuing for IKEA were from County Dublin or within 20km of the store, so the formality of it being lifted may not be as significant as one might think.

Lex Luthor

from what I could see from the queue it was mostly mothers with children, young people, teenagers and over 60's. Not a lot of middle aged so guessing people with just time on their hands and couldnt wait for the place to open

I still get lost in there but some people seem to be seasoned pros and whizz around the place

kaerobe

Does anyone know how the vulnerable hours are working?

I'm frontline HSE staff and had to move house due to Covid (lived with a pregnant person). Ive been putting off getting some essentials for the new place. Wonder is there healthcare priority?

Lex Luthor

kaerobe wrote: »

Does anyone know how the vulnerable hours are working?

I'm frontline HSE staff and had to move house due to Covid (lived with a pregnant person). Ive been putting off getting some essentials for the new place. Wonder is there healthcare priority?

thanks for your services

you could try, maybe call them in advance

while we were queing the last day there was a few people on occasions walked right in and top of the line no need to queue, maybe they were priority

they seem to walk to the top and showed something on their phone

javagal

has anyone had to return anything? How does it work with queuing when your bringing back a box of furniture

coughdrops

We were up there the other evening, arrived at 6.15 got in at 7. Really well organised inside, nice flow of people and no crowded areas.

I think with returns you speak to the staff member at the door - there seemed to be a few people waiting with items just inside the door, away from the customer queue - it looked like they were bringing stuff back and being processed one-by-one.

There were still people queuing to get in as we left around 8.15 which seemed kind of pointless as they were going to be closed at 9 - although I suppose a lot of people nip in just to get the stuff they want rather than wandering around like we do!

horse7

Still queuing

whosedaddy?

Took the plunge this afternoon and was in after 55min queueing.

okidoki987

whosedaddy? wrote: »

Took the plunge this afternoon and was in after 55min queueing.

Would expect longer queues at weekends.
Midweek mid morning, 2-3pm and an hour before closing seems to be best times for shorter queues but really depends on how long you would need in there.

whosedaddy?

okidoki987 wrote: »

Would expect longer queues at weekends.
Midweek mid morning, 2-3pm and an hour before closing seems to be best times for shorter queues but really depends on how long you would need in there.

Agreed. Had some time and thought let's see how far I get in 15/30min and ended up staying in the queue. The staff was commenting that it was quiet compared to during the week. They thought the good weather got ppl to do other stuff...

Lex Luthor

Someone I know was saying they need to return something so they have to go to the warehouse entrance

seamus

Lex Luthor wrote: »

Someone I know was saying they need to return something so they have to go to the warehouse entrance

If you're returning something, you can go straight to the "exit" lifts, as that's where the returns area is. You don't have to wait in the queue.

Dempo1

I bit the bullet and decided to register an account to facilitate online and delivery, Mother of God their delivery prices are outrageous, €55 for an item costing €99, WTF, I'm in a county bordering Dublin, not timbuktu. The €55 wasn't even for express delivery and 2 week delivery time, what is the point I wondered

seamus

Delivery is really for when you're getting so much stuff or the item is so big that you can't carry it yourself. Their business model is based on self-service, so when you ask for delivery, you're basically paying the cost of having someone go to Ikea, find your item and drive it back to you.

A surprising amount of their profit is in people wandering around the shop and picking out things they didn't go to Ikea for. In offering delivery, they lose that extra business. So they don't really want to encourage it for small purchases.

Lex Luthor

I placed an order over the weekend for delivery, it made sense to me

I had a big list and when I factored in the cost of diesel & tolls, that would have come in at around €20. To be standing in a queue then for 2hrs plus in the shop for another 1.5hrs I weighed it up and thought all that time and cost was well worth the €49

Time is money

whosedaddy?

seamus wrote: »

If you're returning something, you can go straight to the "exit" lifts, as that's where the returns area is. You don't have to wait in the queue.

And once returned, can you go in for further shopping or need to go back out and join the queue?
I need to return some bits and need other stuff instead.

zac8

whosedaddy? wrote: »

And once returned, can you go in for further shopping or need to go back out and join the queue?
I need to return some bits and need other stuff instead.

There’s a separate queue for returns at the main entrance. You’re not supposed to use the lifts to go up as they have a sign saying exit only. When you get in they ask if you want to go into the shop when you’re finished at the returns desk.

CBCB

went on Friday evening around 8. qued for 25 mins. They didn't have alot of what I wanted but managed to get a few things and then ordered the rest for delivery. The market hall got quite busy near to closing, I guess with everyone in a dash to get out. Overall not my worst Ikea experience, more pleasant than Ikea would usually be on a Saturday or Sunday.

Lex Luthor

I was able to order practically everything I wanted from my list except 1 item. Most of the items I ordered were not available in the store which was another deciding factor to order as I could be over & back a few times for the rest of the summer trying to pick them up

Now all I need is for someone I know to go and pick up the item I need

Strange thing is the item I need is showing available in store but not available for delivery

Tree

They won't post certain items which is frustrating. All I want is the wood stain, but they won't ship it. They also won't ship fabric (cut to order) and some other small bits and pieces.

5500

Guys does the ikea carrickmines order items in for collection for you without the delivery charge? I need a few bits that are only available for delivery but they are charging €50, can I go and pay/order in carrickmines and then collect from there for free?

Lex Luthor

5500 wrote: »

Guys does the ikea carrickmines order items in for collection for you without the delivery charge? I need a few bits that are only available for delivery but they are charging €50, can I go and pay/order in carrickmines and then collect from there for free?

afaik there is a charge aswell to carrickmines

LenWoods

Lex Luthor wrote: »

afaik there is a charge aswell to carrickmines

+1
The fee to get items to carrickmines is more than two toll payments and fuel cost,
I don't think IKEA are utilizing the benefits of that additional store perhaps its main purpose is to divide profits for tax purposes because its definitely not benefitting customers as much as it could,

Would be nice if you could order online then travel to carrickmines to collect; but last I heard; one needs to first physically be present inside the carrickmines store to place the order; then return again to collect that order the following day or so on.
Not atall of any use for someone travelling up from Waterford or anywhere outside of carrickmines really.

Lex Luthor

LenWoods wrote: »

+1
The fee to get items to carrickmines is more than two toll payments and fuel cost,
I don't think IKEA are utilizing the benefits of that additional store perhaps its main purpose is to divide profits for tax purposes because its definitely not benefitting customers as much as it could,

Would be nice if you could order online then travel to carrickmines to collect; but last I heard; one needs to first physically be present inside the carrickmines store to place the order; then return again to collect that order the following day or so on.
Not atall of any use for someone travelling up from Waterford or anywhere outside of carrickmines really.

It might cost more than the fuel and tolls but when you factor in your time, it’s probably worth it if you live Southside and near Carrickmines

But I thought you could order online and collect
I’ve never used them as I’m not near it

5500

How much do they charge to carrickmines? Cant seem to find any prices online. There's no option to order to the store either, as len said I think you have to go and pay instore, then go back to collect.

The items I'm after aren't instock in ballymun but are available for delivery, the €50 delivery charge is just a bit hairy as its nothing huge

Tree

For items that are smaller, they use an post for a flat fee of seven(?) quid. I got an omar shelf delivered and loads of cushions to Limerick before, and they're w/i the an post limits so it's cheap

okidoki987

As far as I can remember it wasn't a massive amount for delivery to store (can't remember the exact amount) but that was before Covid.
Previously you could order in the store, pay for it and then get a text to say when the goods had arrived and go up and collect it, saved the hassle of going to the Northside :rolleyes: if you lived Southside.
The queues for Carrickmines haven't been massive when I've been around there in last few weeks but obviously a completely different store to Ballymun.

Feets

Carrickmines said they stopped getting wardrobes delivered there, so they charge you for delivery of wardrobes anyway. About fifty quid.

coughdrops

I looked at ordering stuff for delivery about 2 months ago, when the shop was closed. It was a pain because the smaller items (that should come out via the post) weren't available for delivery at all. The bigger items were giving a delivery date weeks and weeks later - which is understandable due to Covid - but I asked could I place the order of items I knew I wanted to secure the date and then add to my order if new stock came in later, and that couldn't be done either.

I could only see the delivery options (dates/costs) when I'd put everything in my basket and entered my eircode.

It felt a bit pointless as I was going to have to go to the store to get the smaller bits anyway, so I decided to wait until they were open again and do it all in one go. Although I'll still have to wait a good bit for delivery of the furniture I want, as far as I can make out.

It is a clunky system, not very user friendly (not a Covid issue, generally)

Muahahaha

Have Ikea reopened the restaurant yet? Or said when it will reopen. Need a couple of items but I want my meatballs too

coughdrops

Muahahaha wrote: »

Have Ikea reopened the restaurant yet? Or said when it will reopen. Need a couple of items but I want my meatballs too

The bistro is open but not the main restaurant.
I have no idea what the bistro sells though!

I've started buying frozen Daim cakes to take home, so not missing the restaurant yet

5500

Just to update for anyone else thinking of carrickmines collection, its €15 for an order delivered to there regardless of size, BUT the item needs to show as instock in Dublin online ie be in Ballymun.

Some stuff I needed was out of stock in Dublin, but showing instock online, but apparently the online orders come from the UK, and carrickmines can't order these in for you, hence they attract the dearer delivery of €50 online if your order is over a certain size, so just be aware of the above if your ever thinking of using the collection point

Lex Luthor

I was up in Antrim on business yesterday and stayed overnight at a hotel 15min from Belfast.
Dropped over to Ikea Belfast this morning arrived about 9:40, the queue at that point was not too bad, there were about 12 people/couples in front of me. By the time they opened the doors at 10, the queue went back another 40/50 people/couples

I was only in there about 30min and by time I got out the queue was small, probably about 20/30 but a lot smaller and moving quick

They also had a lot of stock. I was looking for an Alex cupboard and no chance in Dublin online and in store. They had 12 in stock and they also had > 20 shelves of a type I wanted and none in Dublin

I'd say if you fancied a night away it would be worth a trip

ps I stayed at the Hilton Templepatrick. Lovely setting and rooms reasonable and plenty availability. They are very stringent with their covid cleanliness aswell

mathie

Do you have to queue up to return items?

coughdrops

mathie wrote: »

Do you have to queue up to return items?

Not in the long queue for the store.

You tell the staff member at the main queue. They send you to the door, and the staff member there gets you to wait separately until it is your turn. Seems pretty quick, only been a few people waiting the last couple of times I was up.

Purple Mountain

Guys, does anyone know if IKEA is contactable by email?
I want to buy drawers on their website but it doesn't state the drawer depth.

Tree

Took me 2.5 hours to get through to them on webchat.

There's loads of stuff they don't *currently* have in their delivery hubs so they make you take that out of your basket.
When you finally *do* order what is available, you're looking at a minimum four week lead time.
IF they cancel so much as a screw on me, I will be livid.

Purple Mountain

Tree wrote: »

Took me 2.5 hours to get through to them on webchat.

There's loads of stuff they don't *currently* have in their delivery hubs so they make you take that out of your basket.
When you finally *do* order what is available, you're looking at a minimum four week lead time.
IF they cancel so much as a screw on me, I will be livid.

Oh god. Maybe a spin to the big smoke is required so!