[Susan]

As in this similar thread Name your IKEAn
I'm hoping we can share information on the different stores for the benefit of all. We are working on a new feature (see screenshot below) that will display the info for each of the stores (when you hover on the name) and I hope to get it fully fleshed out over the next week or so. Please help?

For your store, list it if you know it!

1. Store name/location
2. Don't worry about regular phone numbers - I can find those, but if you know the voice menu #'s to get directly to kitchens, work, store manager, etc. that would be great! Extensions for the Kitchen Expeditor or After Sales would be great info also. FAX #'s.
3. Best time/day to visit - also, times to avoid
4. Best parking place!
5. Avg. time allowed for Smalland deposits.
6. Shortcuts to Kitchens, etc.
7. How to get to AS-IS
8. Other tips/tricks, like I know in my store they can ring you up in Kitchens so you don't have to hoof it downstairs and then wait an hour and a half for Cash and Carry. What secrets do you know?

Please dig out business cards, notes...what ever you may have that will help you to contribute! Thanks in advance for your help on this!

Susan

[DesignDiva]

1. Store name/location
IKEA Tempe, Warner Road exit off I-10

2. Don't worry about regular phone numbers - I can find those, but if you know the voice menu #'s to get directly to kitchens, work, store manager, etc. that would be great! Extensions for the Kitchen Expeditor or After Sales would be great info also. FAX #'s.
??

3. Best time/day to visit - also, times to avoid
It hasn't been terribly bad when I visited, I go during the day usually about 10-11 AM, weekends are of course insane but not wall-to-wall people.
4. Best parking place!
Just outside the stroller-family parking. It's almost as convenient, just a driveway to cross. Go in the entrance marked "deliveries".

5. Avg. time allowed for Smalland deposits.
??
6. Shortcuts to Kitchens, etc.
When you go upstairs on the escalator, go LEFT through offices to kitchens. Most people go right, but you have to go all around the store to get to kitchens that way!
7. How to get to AS-IS
When you enter the store, go through the cash register area towards the warehouse, and head due left. The AS-IS room is just behind the glass security room.

8. Other tips/tricks, like I know in my store they can ring you up in Kitchens so you don't have to hoof it downstairs and then wait an hour and a half for Cash and Carry. What secrets do you know?

You can ring up in kitchens and that will not only reserve your items in the warehouse but if you have a large order, go down and pay for it right away when kitchens gives you the slip. You can go back and shop while they are pulling it, but they won't start pulling until you give them the receipt showing it's paid for. They will also hold items until store closing that day if you need to make more than one trip. Catalogs are at the service desk. There is a rack of small bins to the left of the service desks where you can get small bits and parts, mostly screws.

There is a ticket dispenser for the service area, make sure you get a ticket because that's how you'll be called. You don't need a ticket for the order pickup, though.

If you're not there when your irder is ready, they will write your pull number on the white board in the corridor leading to the stock area. Check there and if your number is listed, your order is ready!

[dafogle]

1. Store name/location - IKEA West Sacramento - 700 IKEA Ct. exit on Reed off of 80
2. phone numbers: 916 371 4532 x1927 Kitchens, FAX 916 403 1503
kitchen expediter ext 1451, kitchen manager 1920? (not 100% sure), customer service x 1447, 1100, 1445

3. Best time/day to visit - I've been there friday afternoon and evening - both are great times to go... weekends are pretty crazy ...
4. Best parking place! I generally park in the lot across from the family parking area - that way I don't have to cross the major traffic area on foot.
5. Avg. time allowed for Smalland deposits. - don't have kids so I don't know
6. Shortcuts to Kitchens, etc. look for the blue signs hanging from the ceiling when you get off the escalator
7. How to get to AS-IS - AS-IS is located near returns/pickups - just walk past the cash registers and it's on the right hand side
8. Other tips/tricks, like I know in my store they can ring you up in Kitchens so you don't have to hoof it downstairs and then wait an hour and a half for Cash and Carry. What secrets do you know?

Get an order form, complete it at home and FAX it to the kitchens dept - they will create a draft order and can FAX it to you. Double-check everything is the right door styles etc ... FAX adds and deletions to the kitchen dept, when you're ready to order they can quickly convert the draft order to a real order. If paying by credit card you can actually purchase in the kitchens dept - once you're done shopping to the pickup area and your order might actually be sitting there waiting for you!

[nicollet]

1. Baltimore (aka White Marsh) - from I-695, take I-95 north to exit 67B (White Marsh Blvd. westbound), then turn left on Honeygo, stay in the center lane so as not to be diverted into park-and-ride, you'll see IKEA on the right.
2. no special knowledge
3. Weekdays are thinly populated
4. There is family parking right next to the building - it is never so crowded that parking in the regular lot is a problem
5. Smaland - 1 hour
6. There is a shortcut to the main part of the kitchen department, but if you take it, you miss some of the demonstration kitchens. After passing by couches and coffee tables, take a right through the chairs display and you'll be in the kitchen tables; continue right and around the corner to the left to the heart of the kitchen department.
7. AS-IS is on the other side of a wall parallel to the check lanes
8. I don't think this is a secret or unique to Baltimore, but putting in a "warehouse order" for my kitchen worked really well - the pieces were all picked directly from the factory and packaged together on a pallet. It took a few days and they called me when it came in. The kitchen people told me there was less chance of an error happening this way, and indeed, everything was 100% correct.

[kisaacs]

1. Stoughton, MA
2. Don't know any phone numbers
3. When to go: Right when it opens, or about 2 hours before closing. It's empty. When not to go: Saturday afternoon. Sundays aren't as bad.
4. You often have to park where they tell you, but if I can I park on the upper level.
5. No kiddos yet, so have no idea
6. Up the stairs and leftish through the kids section. There are signs.
7. Go in the door and left towards the checkouts. Go backwards through the checkouts and it's on your left.
8.
You can pay in kitchens to avoid the line downstairs if you're ordering kitchen stuff.

Also, if you just want to get somethign in the marketplace, there's a door past Smalland before you go up the escalator which will drop you there. This same door is accessible from the marketplace to just get out if you don't want to go through it all, but it's marked "Employees only". You have to wait for someone to come through it so it'll open, but it usually doesn't take long.

When you go to cash and carry, if you miss your name, they'll put it up on a tv screen, so look for it there.

If returning something get there first thing in the AM, as this area gets really busy (like an hour wait, plus) and grab a number. No number, no service.

[stacylu]

1. Store name/location Seattle, WA (truly it's in Renton)
2. Don't worry about regular phone numbers - I can find those, but if you know the voice menu #'s to get directly to kitchens, work, store manager, etc. that would be great! Extensions for the Kitchen Expeditor or After Sales would be great info also. FAX #'s.
3. Best time/day to visit - also, times to avoid We like either Friday night between 7-close or Sunday between 4-close
4. Best parking place! We don't have kids so we trek from the 2nd parking garage unless it's terribly late and we cheat
5. Avg. time allowed for Smalland deposits. ?
6. Shortcuts to Kitchens, etc.From the Front door, go directly to the right towards the restrooms and Smalland. Follow the corridoor around Smallland and you'll be in Kitchens
7. How to get to AS-IS Go in the Exit door and it's on the right behind the checkout area
8. Other tips/tricks, like I know in my store they can ring you up in Kitchens so you don't have to hoof it downstairs and then wait an hour and a half for Cash and Carry. What secrets do you know? If you only need a few items and/or know the item numbers go to the self serve kitchen pick up area and they can tell you the location.

[Susan]

Thanks! I've done all the data entry I can to this point. I need more info! Please -- if you're a lurker and want to stay that way, you can send me either a PM, an Email, or contact me through Contact Us. I can't get this information any other way! It's got to come from the people that use the stores....and that means you!

I still need phone info on some of the stores above as well as entire entries for many, many stores. US, Canada, France, England -- all of you! It would be nice to start rolling out some of the new functionality, but I want to be at least 80% done with the collection process. PLEASE HELP!!

Thanks in advance!
Susan

[gwen]

My info is on the brand new (as of Nov. 15th, 2006) Round Rock, TX IKEA. Much of the information I don't know or is special because of the Grand Opening rush and will undoubtably shift once the crowds thin a bit.

1. Store name/location

Round Rock, TX - Northern suburb of Austin
1 IKEA Way
Round Rock, TX 78664

2. Don't worry about regular phone numbers - I can find those, but if you know the voice menu #'s to get directly to kitchens, work, store manager, etc. that would be great! Extensions for the Kitchen Expeditor or After Sales would be great info also. FAX #'s.
telephone

(512) 828-4532 General Store #

3. Best time/day to visit - also, times to avoid

It's all busy right now but less so during the weekdays. The store (including Kitchen Dept) was incredibly efficient during the opening week because they brought in specialists from Houston and Dallas IKEAs to help out.

4. Best parking place!

They are still directing traffic (and telling you where to park) last time I visited.

5. Avg. time allowed for Smalland deposits.

45 minutes was the alloted time on weekday visits when I visited (again during opening weeks)

6. Shortcuts to Kitchens, etc.

Don't have map in front of me . . .

7. How to get to AS-IS

Was in the front of the store by registers I believe.

8. Other tips/tricks, like I know in my store they can ring you up in Kitchens so you don't have to hoof it downstairs and then wait an hour and a half for Cash and Carry. What secrets do you know?

The Round Rock IKEA is one of the smaller locations and is all located on one-level. On a good note, this makes the stair/elevator issue mute. However, it also makes short-cutting from certain areas not as quick as we found in the 2-level Houston store. Loading area is fairly small - I can see weekend pick-ups being a bit of a bear. Kitchen Dept. seemed to ready stock more than Houston and I was able to get Lidingo style as in-stock (vs. special order in Houston). Pick-up system was on a televised screen (also not available in Houston last time we visited.)

Hope this helps. Susan - I have the map around here somewhere. Let me know if you'd like a scanned copy.

Also - if there is anyone in the Austin area that needs help with their IKEA Kitchen or extra parts, let us know. We've built just about every cabinet and have many parts and pieces hanging around.

Gwen

[jenplocher]

I don't have much info on Atlanta, that's where we bought the kitchen but I've only been there once! Here's what I've got.

1. Store name/location: IKEA Atlanta, 441 16th Street NW (In the new Atlantic Station development)

2. Phone/FAX #'s: Kitchens phone 404-745-4532 x1925, Kitchens fax 404-817-0421

3. Best time/day to visit
4. Best parking place
5. Avg. time allowed for Smalland deposits
6. Shortcuts to Kitchens, etc.
7. How to get to AS-IS
8. Other tips/tricks - No idea about any of these unfortunately.

Our IKEAn there was Guy Wilburn, he was great.

Hope that little bit of info helps.

[GardenOfDarwin]

Gwen, thank you, thank you, thank you! I will get your info on a new one for Round Rock!

Jen, that's great! Little bits here and there will help fill in the gaps. You've got the phone numbers which are sometimes the hardest information to get! Thanks!

Speaking of phone numbers...I still need FAX #'s, extensions and/or voice menu #'s and direct numbers for TEMPE, BALTIMORE/WHITE MARSH, STOUGHTON and SEATTLE - Please don't think that because we have entries for those that you don't have something to add!

Stone by stone, we build a castle.

Susan