IKEA PH: A Review

Image from IKEA PH website

I was not supposed to book a reservation but when i received the email, I'm glad I did. It's a bit worrying though because we were exposed to so many people at once! I'm just hoping we didn't get a Covid Freebie.

Reservations are a must for going to IKEA. We've booked on the 3rd day of it's opening 11/28/2021 at 10 AM. We arrived there with no fuss, there was no line yet. We parked on the ground floor (it's paid parking! we've parked there around 8AM and left at 2PM = 90 PHP) and we've tried to park very near the entrance. 

We have not eaten yet so decided to find somewhere to eat. There's a stairs that leads to the ground floor (but we're already on the ground?) which upon getting to the guards a group of older people were complaining on where they're supposed to queue because no one seemed to have a clue. It was funny that they got there earlier than us and was already expecting to be in line even though their schedule is at 10:30 whilst we are still out for food. 

IKEA is sandwiched between the Arena and the leftmost wing of MOA so we attempted to look around for open restaurants. We ended up with Starbucks (1 star, the waiters are extremely slow, it took them almost 20 mins just to ask for our order) to eat as hurriedly as we can. Back to where the guard was that lead us to an escalator to which was another entrance to the mall and to IKEA's entrance. For a reserved visit, the queue was unbelievable. There were pockets of lines that you really had to ask where to fall onto else you'd be stuck on a line you're not supposed to go. 

5 minutes before 10 and you can feel the excitement. By 10 AM the line is moving--- but not ours. Some people brought seniors so they get to come in first. We were able to come in a couple of minutes later. 

First things first, I got Karen her catalogue. In our entire run I was only able to get the PH magazine + 2 catalogues for Kitchen and Dining. I didn't get the rest because I wasn't able to see them. Also to  note there are no pencils and measuring tape. Of all the times we left ours at home.. sigh.

Some reviews said that it was extremely cold inside. I guess that depends on how many the people are in. Our cashier was sweating and I felt not any chill when it was us inside. So no, at this point you don't need to bring in jackets which we found with other guests to bring. 

There's also reviews on how you need comfortable shoes. Well, that depends if it's your first time inside an IKEA or in MOA for that matter. I remembered how there was a show that went with a "certified" shopaholic who attested to how exhausted she was when she roamed MOA the first time it opened but going around it all day is not exactly an unbelievable feat. If you've been to any of our huge malls, MOA, Megamall, the trifecta of malls in Ayala (SM Makati + Landmark + Greenbelt), Southmall or even just Landers and SnR the trip at IKEA isn't as hard. I came in with slippers and survived. If you've survived walking through those malls for 5 hrs or more, you will absolutely survive IKEA.

Now, if you've been to other IKEAs, you will feel comfortable here since the "layout" is basically the same. I am not sure if the showrooms at the 4th floor would stay because they have absolutely went all out with it. There's so many sample rooms you can already lose track of time going around. It would have been a better experience if there's a 50% less number of people and no COVID because as much as I would like to soak in a design, I couldn't because I try to stay away from being with anyone for too long in a small space. 

The wait for food in our time was 2.5 HRS. We've already tried the meatballs before and some other food in IKEA HK so we decided to just come back when the "hype" is over and skip it for the meantime. After all my intention in coming is to just see and feel the furniture I would like to buy online that would not fit in my car.

The line for the cashier was also long however, it seems that the IKEA gods have granted me a huge favor. See we were in a long line when I noticed one of the cashiers prepping. I had Reagan wait for me in line and I get to ask the cashier if it's OK if we form a line in front of him and I was glad that he said yes. I tried to move my hand as little as possible and be as discreet with my reaction to make Reagan and our cart to the cashier before everyone else. I was glad he made it before anybody noticed. By the time we started loading our carts our line got long as well. I can actually sense the daggers of the lady on the next line who could not believe that we're going ahead of her (and she's supposed to be next in our previous queue). 

Our bill was... unexpectedly expensive again. This is the second time I paid for so much in a run (it's not as much as our last trip in Landers but still it was a surprise) which can again be attributed to how we just put anything we fancy on the cart. See, I was right. I could never shop like this online because I can already see the prices and think it through. The prices are OK don't get me wrong, Reagan even purchased a nice pair of scissors out of spite (and with my taunting) because it was priced 30PHP compared to the one he bought yesterday from a local store that was 200PHP (I think?). Based on looks they basically weigh the same, so what gives?

We bought plates, cutlery, a lot of kitchen stuff, 2 DIY stools which we are now using as bedside tables (they fit exactly to the spaces we've put them on), some bath stuff amongst others. We ended up with the 2 boxes for the stools and 1 large blue IKEA bag and 1 mid sized, both extremely hard to carry. 

OK, so now for the tips if it's your first time in an IKEA. 

On the fourth floor you can either grab a yellow bag or a yellow cart. Since most of it is a showroom, maybe you don't need it yet. However after the showrooms there are already stuff you can grab, you may check out for the yellow carts in case your bag is starting to fill up. When you arrive downstairs you can also change to a bigger cart when it comes to loaded too.

The marketplace + warehouse is at the 3rd floor. If your item is a DIY and you can't seem to find a box of it, take note of the item's codes so when you arrive there you have the code to guide you. It's  the red tag with the numbers on it. It says there on what rack and section you'd find the boxes. Be mindful also of how many boxes you need to get which are usually labeled with numbers. They've also arranged it so that you'd know how many boxes it will take for you to complete a piece. There's also a different cart if your pieces are larger than what you currently have. If you're planning to get a cabinet make sure you have someone stronger to haul those boxes. They could be quite heavy.

There's also a map of everything overhead. If you're not interested in that current space you're in, go ahead and look at the map then look at the arrows on the floor so you'd know where to go. There are also shortcuts which along the sections so you can skip ahead. 

If you come to IKEA and you're planning to go crazy in your shopping, at least have someone with you. They've set up a space for shoppers to unload purchases which means someone has to fetch the car, park it in the loading bay and another person to pay the for the parking fee before you leave. You only have 15 mins. to leave the premises after paying, so make sure that you'll only pay once you are really going to leave.

 

I would really love to post some photos here but currently Blogger has issues with attaching Google Photos. Which is super annoying that's why I even have to borrow IKEA's. Probably in the future when it's OK. And also you're not getting anything from me anyway, most of my photos are just shelves and cabinets. I went for the things I came for :-D

Happy shopping!