21 People Who Shouldn't Shop at Ikea

Having shopped at Ikea for the first time in recent months, the experience is still fresh in my mind. I am itching to get back there, though I'd readily admit — and my shopping companion seconds this thought — a visit to the nearest location of the Swedish-founded company in the USA since the '70s isn't for everyone. Here's a playful look at the type of people who just might not be ideal Ikea customers. (If you do go to Ikea, remember these 18 Secrets and Hacks for Shopping at Ikea.)

Olivia Lin also contributed to this story.

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Ikea isn't a quick in-and-out kind of place. Large in scale, the locations can be crowded — but there's also a lot to see, first in the Showroom and then in the Marketplace. Prepare to spend some time here, first looking and then sometimes standing on long lines, and you won't have a meltdown on your hands.

If someone's idea of home is old-fashioned and, yes, staid, then Ikea might not be the ideal shopping ground. That's because vignette after vignette offers options galore — from mod to glamorous, funky to practical. Those trained to look hard to isolate the "bare bones" basics will miss out on the design fun.

Related: Vintage Ikea Furniture Pieces That Resell for Serious Money

While the vignettes throughout the Showroom lull you into daydreams of the ideal life, you never really lose sight that you're in a huge, huge store where people are pushing around shopping carts, filling out order forms and then, heading to a Marketplace to grab all they can. An afternoon at Ikea is far from a trip to the old-time mom-and-pop where you chat with the owner, hear what's new, and then deliberate over a purchase.

If you're a personal-shopper kind of person — or someone who thrives on interaction with a store's staff, there might be an issue here. On our visit, not a single employee (here called "coworker") approached us to see if we needed help. We were okay with that, as we were browsing, but for those who like a bit of hand holding, it might prove problematic.

If you want a couch, there are dozens to choose from. Same goes for beds and bedding, lighting and appliances. Ikea is mega — from its physical size to the range of goods on offer. For some it's a wonderland of options, but for those who would rather choose between two items rather than from, say, 10, it might prove overwhelming.

Related: The Best Ikea Mattresses

At Ikea, you are "gently" guided through the shopping experience — there are even floor plan/maps along the way to help you see where you are and what's ahead. Arrows on the floor keep the flow going — and making sure you see everything on offer. Yes, there are shortcuts, so you can cheat your way out of the maze.

It's all about quantity at Ikea. You can buy 100 tea lights, for example, and people routinely stock up on essentials, often randomly grabbing impulse buys throughout the Marketplace. This isn't an antiques shop or art gallery, so you're not buying something truly unique. But sometimes that's perfectly okay, if you're outfitting your first home or apartment — or the budget's tight.

Ikea's vignettes are filled with clever ideas of unique ways to use and display what you buy. You might see products that offer novel storage solutions or around another corner, see a fresh way to create singular display areas in your own home. Yes, you can learn something here. At different moments, you might see products that offer novel storage solutions to others that help you create singular display areas in your own home.

Related: 19 Home Improvement and Decor Trends for 2020

Ikea's Swedish roots are never far from thought — or sign. Shoppers can learn a few Swedish words and phrases as well as find products created by contemporary Swedish designers and artists. And, of course, there's all that Swedish cuisine in the restaurant and café sections.

Related: Delicious Foods Worth Buying at Ikea — and Some to Skip

Technology is an integral part of the Ikea experience. There's an app to download to make the shopping experience easier. You can sign up for the Ikea perks program, apply for credit or create or access a gift registry — all without any human interaction. Touch screens throughout the store offer further (digital) help.

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Have you heard of fika? It's the Swedish tradition of a chat over coffee and a cinnamon bun. The signature buns were touted like crazy, as are the other foodstuffs. These include the much-referenced Swedish meatballs available in The Restaurant (or frozen in the Swedish Food Market) and hot dogs as cheap as they were tasty in the Bistro. But what really dazzled us? An array of never-before-seen, by-the-pound Swedish candies that we are still daydreaming of eating again one day.

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We were in the store nearly two hours before we even hit the area we had envisioned the whole store would look like — the cavernous space with ready-to-assemble goods reaching the rafters. Yes, there's a lot to see — and much of that you will make yourself (with options for paying to have it done for you). Ikea, you see, is a process.

Ikea does a lot — from sustainable practices (solar panels on the building's roof) to a People + Planet initiative, from sharing the mindful origins of many of its products to being active in the local community. How do we know that? Signs, signs, everywhere signs share the good news. They say informative, some might say self-promoting.

Everyone has errands to run, but those with truly limited time may be better off shopping at a store that delivers assembled furniture. Ikea trips can take anywhere from a few hours to an entire day from start to finish, and that doesn't include the time required to put a piece together.

Related: 10 Ways Shopping at Ikea Can Cost More Than You Expect

Obsessed with home decor photos on Pinterest? Constantly daydream about redecorating? Stay away from Ikea. The store's stylish sets are put together by expert designers and are almost impossible to recreate. Plenty of Ikea shoppers have bought something that looked cute in the store but simply weird in their living room.

Ikea provides illustrated step-by-step instructions, but people lacking in fine motor skills should proceed with caution. A small cube shelf is one thing, but larger pieces like bed frames and couches take more time, attention, and skill to build.

If you have no intention of moving anytime soon, you might as well invest in more permanent furnishings. Whether you're building equity and claiming tax breaks or sitting pretty in a rent-controlled apartment, use the extra money to buy solid pieces that will last (and don't require assembly!).

Buildings without elevators don't easily accommodate large pieces of Ikea furniture that come in sets of big, heavy boxes. People who live on the second and third floors may be able to manage, but anything higher is a strenuous workout without hired movers or delivery people.

People with two-seater cars and sporty coupes won't get far at Ikea. To get larger pieces of furniture home, a truck, van, or SUV is required. Delivery of large items starts at $49. Compare that with the cost of renting a vehicle.

Ikea provides tools for assembly, but hands start to ache from turning basic allen wrenches for larger pieces of furniture. A power drill and a proper set of tools make everything a lot easier.

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Many head to Ikea for essentials but leave with much more. Can't focus on shopping for necessities? Don't go to Ikea. It's possible to load up an entire cart with impulse buys, especially from the marketplace section near checkout.