Bluebird's Nest

Ok, so this is going to be a bit of a rant. Just thought I should warn you.

Let me start off my saying, I love Ikea. Adore Ikea. Want to have little Ikea babies. Ok, that last statement was probably overdoing it but you get the point.

So when we went to the Concours for the tweenager, I absolutely couldn’t pass up going to Ikea since the new Ikea in Richmond, Vancouver was only a week old!

We arrived at the new Ikea (directly across the parking lot from the old Ikea). We walked in. Let me paint a picture: many many Ikea workers milling around the entrance and the escalator that is front and centre, willing you and directing you to go upstairs and enjoy the wonders of the display areas. Ummmm… no thanks. I just want to get into the bread and butter area where I can pick and choose what I want to purchase thank-you-very-much. And where might said area be? I’m glad you asked.

Rant #1: So we ask one of the 45 staff members trying to usher us upstairs and they point to a set of doors under the escalator that says something to the effect of “Entrance only. No Exit. Keep closed.” Awfully welcoming wouldn’t you say? The hubby swears that the person pointed in a different direction so after we take about 50 steps the way he thinks we realize it’s not that way so we ask another staff member. They point again to the unwelcoming double doors. But why ever would we want to go through there when there’s the wonderful display area on the top floor? So we walk back over to these doors wondering if it could be the way. It’s so not what I was thinking when I’m thinking I’m about to walk into the shopping area. This must be for employees only? So I ask again… where is the shopping area? Through the doors they say… ok, I’ll bite and go through… and once I do, there it is. I only wish I could have taken a photo of these doors! They really didn’t seem like what you would think they should look like when you’re trying to get to the shopping area!

Around we go through the maze. Same old maze, different store.

We finally get to the end when we realize that we haven’t hit the baby/kid area. So I ask one of the employees where is it?

Rant #2: “You have to go upstairs” she says. So I can’t get out of going upstairs. Ugh… “And how do we get upstairs with a buggie” I ask. “Through the elevators in the entrance” she replies. We make out way over to the elevators. While we’re waiting for them to come, the tween realizes that the elevators she directed us to are only down elevators!! No kidding. Um, are you new or something? Over to the UP elevators (right beside the lame doors I might add) and up we go to the kids area.

After we’re done that, we head back down to the checkout. We line up in a checkout with it’s light on. I start unloading our cart, the wee babe has had about enough of Ikea so she’s beginning to be a menace. Not enough sleep either. After I’ve loaded up half of the belt, I wait for the cashier to make it move along so I can load up the rest of it.

Rant #3: I wait and I wait. She’s chatting with another cashier and it seems that their trying to figure out the customer before me’s bill. Their laughing and carrying on. A jolly old time. After about 5 minutes of this I ask “could you please advance the belt ahead so I can put on the rest of my stuff?” the cashier’s reply is “this till is broken, you’ll have to move to an other one.” Say what? Are you kidding me? So I say “You couldn’t have told me that 5 minutes ago before I loaded up my stuff on your till????” NO answer from the cashier.

As I’m leaving and steams coming out of my ears, I say, “It’s probably a good idea to turn your light off!”

I’m not even kidding you, that really happened.

So now I’m torn. As I’ve said, I adore Ikea’s items but that trip just left the most sour taste in my mouth (my hubby is clapping his hands right now I’m sure).

Have you ever had a terrible experience in a store that you adore? Can you continue to spread the love even after a bad experience or are they BANNED now?