News on the Winter Sale!

The IKEA Winter Sale. It’s why Santa gives you cash.

For the initiated veteran, the IKEA Winter Sale is the event of the year. Deals Galore.

It’s when they close out discontinued products at huge markdowns. Sometimes even 50% off or more. You just never know what. Could be a entire line, just be one color, or just one model of a collection. Never know. What you do know is, if you see something marked down, don’t wait. Get it now. It might be thre when you come back. When they are gone they are gone, as usually they are things being removed, or already removed from the the product lineup. (This is the kind of sign you will see if it’s marked down to clear out forever, yellow with red price, just so you know what you are looking at when you see it.)

The key of course is getting there as early as you can into the sale for the best selection. Going later on might have even further markdowns, but you will have less choice, so I suggest get in there as fast as you can.

This has grown to be a yearly tradition for us. We drove to Shaumburg, IL every Christmas break for six years to go (usually the week after Christmas, if not the day after).  Sometime we would haul family members with us, lured along with promises of a fabulous Brazilian Churrascuria resturaunt near the store. (Last year when we went to Canton, MI. late in the sale and there wasn’t much to chose from.)

So, December 26th when you are bored of playing with your new Wii, load up the car and join me at IKEA. I’m sure I’ll be there somewhere!

IKEA West Chester Reveals 2009 Catalog

I never get invited to these things, what does a Ohio’s IKEA blogging #1 fangirl have to do? Get a tattoo? Chop off a finger? I can do that.

Anyway, the article tells what is in store with the new catalog (Late August ETA), and changes IKEA West Chester has made to educate the buckeye masses to the “IKEA Way” and making warranties and such more clear to those whom this is all is new.

I assume those who have been getting their catalog mailed will still do so, though I hear that some cities issue catalogs via bulk mail or with the newspapers, I think it depends on the area, not sure on that one.

I figure the readership of this blog are already signed up to get catalogs mailed to them, but if not, Sign up to get yours! And to get on the mialing list for local events!

Theft at IKEA WC

Teens arrested on suspicion of theft at IKEA

I have to say this isn't the first shoplifting I've seen at the new store. I wasn't going to blog this, but what the hell.

Within mere minutes after grand opening, the very first day, we saw shoplifting in the cafe during breakfast.

Two obviously very well off ladies in their 40's (I mean VERY well off) were stuffing the plastic kids cutlery from the cafeteria into their pants. Slyly they thought. First one was going over to grab them out of the holder, then her friend would, and they'd return to transfer them to their purses. But we saw them. Watched them do it more than once.

After we finished breakfast, one of the ladies was on her fourth trip to steal more and we couldn't take any more. We confronted the one at the table, asking how many more pieces of kids wear they were going to steal. She feigned ignorance of course. We told her they could buy an entire bag of them for $2 downstairs (actually less), she looked completely stunned to have been fingered. But not so much that she didn't look guilty as hell. We weren't very quiet about it, I'm sure the tables around us heard.

On the way out, just three tables away were were greeted by a manager keeping and eye on the crowd and we swiftly we pointed her out and reported what they'd done and pointed to them mere feet away. He said that people were often taking them thinking they were disposable, but never by the handful. He was amazed at the brazenness as we were.

I have no idea if they pursued it being opening day and all, though maybe they didn't need to that we'd cornered them and they were standing out, dunno. But I was personally ticked that we finally get a store and women who could easily afford anything in it would steal something so cheap in the first 10 minutes it was open. That's gall I tell ya.

IKEA Insider says:

Got a little letter about what's going on at the West Chester Store from a co-worker there - some funny stuff! 

They say:

• Two women have shopped until their water has broken so far.
• Still have a gazillion people taking floor samples down to the registers to buy not figuring out the whole self-serve warehouse thing.
• Many customers are giving up by the time they reach children's frantically asking "How to I get out of here" like they have been lost in a maze upstairs or held captive.
• A raccoon snuck before opening move in. Finally one day on a human resource tour she was caught sleeping soundly on a malm bed… and of course even she thought the beds were comfortable. Just as pleasant as can be but off to the woods she went.
• Lonnie the manager comes in early and offers monthly breakfast time with coworkers for them to chat it up as well a lunch time with him. "He is fantastic." (I concur, he's super nice! - Jen)
• They need lots of people still, so keep the applications coming. They especially need closers, so apply online. They suggest after doing that make a call to the department. Textiles and children's really could use help (textiles is the biggest in North America) and let them know you have applied online and hope to get a call.
• Sales are through the roof!!!

IKEA reciept happy fun time

I bought about a dozen of these for myself and my vet’s office. It’s a BÄSTIS wall hook for leashes - or whatever really. I love them, they are cute as hell.

Finally looked at the receipt today when I was folding up the bag - and broke up laughing.
It’s listed on the receipt as “B-STIS HOOK ASS“.

(I imagine Ä is a character the US registers don’t/won’t/can’t do thus it being edited to a - mark.)

Damn I love them swedes.

Jealousy thy name is Jen

Racked.com got inside the upcoming Red Hook/Brooklyn NY IKEA store which is still well under construction for a fall opening - how did they rate that when OHIKEA couldn’t?

Hrmph!

Virgins

I’m wanting to hear from folks who went to IKEA the first time, ever, in the last two weeks since the West Chester Store opening.

What did you think you’d find and what did you actually get? Did you try the food? What had you heard about the store before you went? And most importantly: what did you buy?

Tell us everything in the comments!

Before I head to the store again…

Third time this week mind you, tee hee, I thought I’d post this little story on WVXU about myself and my pal Bev (See I said your name, you said I never say it!). He found us lured by our playing the IKEA song by Johnathan Coutlon (on the Smoking Monkey album near the bottom). he was one of the more fun and interested reporters we talked to. (Hint:The TV ones were the worst)

Local blogs her first visit to IKEA

Yup, she tried to buy a floor model… - Mommin’ It Up! » Blog Archive » Our Ikea Adventure

Pimping IKEA en mass

The Enquirer has a HUGE themed page of articles it’s done about the store.

And I’m in the graphic banner TWICE. Well actually one shot of ME and a shot of my license plate. If you missed any local coverage , you’ll prolly find it here.