IKEA Belfast - Saturday?

That's brilliant Lorim! i think i've decided I'm defo gonna do that then! I was debating on hiring someone to build the furniture (I've seen a few places that specialise in that!) but if it's as easy as you say it is I may just go for it myself! You never know how comfy beds and couches etc are when you are buying them flatpack so it is great to get someone's p.o.v who already has bought them! Thanks

Ok i was there on Saturday and maybe its just me but i was extremely disappointed with the place, the majority of the stuff in my opinion was of very very poor quality and a lot more of it seemed tacky. As for the driving at the moment there are major roadworks on the road we were stuck in them for 2 hours just outside the hollywood interchange.
Was really looking forward to seeing the place but i can safely say i would never go back or want to buy stuff from them.
Thank god the self build expo had some great stuff and deals there, i can recommend the crown plaza hotel as a great place to stay on the way up in dundalk and very cheap €75 for the room for the night 4*

Oh no!!! so much for my decision then! i don't fancy sitting in traffic for two hours!.. and i defo don't want my apartment to look "tacky!" I won't be doing anything for at least 4-6 weeks so may just see what the situation is then!

Word of warning. My parents went up 3 weeks ago, bought a flatpack bed but when bed delivered there were no lats. Contacted IKEA, and apparently youve got to buy each of the lats separately which is highlighted on tags near the bed on sale in store. Both parents say they didnt see this when they were in the shop on the day, which may have just been an oversight on their behalf, but be aware of this if anyone was thinking all the parts come with flatpack kits.

I know IKEA well from living in London.

I advise you to go late at night and/or midweek if possible. Less crowded, more chance of grabbing a staff member for help.

Can actually be pleasant, but not at weekends when it can be hellish. Don't go there with a hangover or in a bad mood. IKEA is not known for helping with those.

Food there is handy, quick and good for refuelling the tank, not gourmet but good value (at least it was in London, not sure about Belfast).

You can take shortcuts, but sometimes its easier to go with the flow.

Obviously do your research first, online or catalog. Bring measurements.

IKEA have some good stuff and some absolute rubbish. You need to see it to figure out which is which. Some good bargains for basic things.

Didn't think much of their sofas but maybe they have changed.

Personally I would not kit out my whole house from IKEA, that might be considered a bit naff ;-) But up to you.

Generally the IKEA stuff is reasonable to assemble once you get into it. Definitely recommend a power screwdriver or drill that can do same.

There are a whole lot of fixings for most items, but that is definitely a plus as it makes them strong.

My 2¢ worth...

Yes - some of the stuff is tacky - but some of it is great - you get what you pay for, really. And the design is always thoughtful - all in all, generally better designed and better value than comparable stuff available in the Republic.

Ikea have always sold slatted bed bases separate to the bed frames - which might not be intuitive, but is a good reason to study the brochure, or the website, before visiting. They do things slightly differently, and it's best to know just how *before* you leave the store with your purchases!

I would advise caution when using an electric screwdriver to assemble Ikea furniture with the supplied screws - they are of weak quality metal, and a powerful screwdriver can sometimes wear down the screw head - sometimes before the screw is fully in... Which is not ideal...

As another Ikea veteran, also in London, I would second all of Eamonn123456's comments.

Especially - do not make a final choice on the products until you have seen them in the shop. The catalogue/website sometimes make them look better (or worse) than reality. Generally though, they are very good value for money, - my 'Billy' bookcases have withstood lots of abuse over the years - including a few moves and eventually back to Ireland !

I searched through all the Ikea posts and can't find the reply where one poster suggested checking a bathroom supplies place across the road from it. I can't remember the name of it and googled it but couldn't come up with it. Can anybody remember it?

i am in the process of buying a kitchen from ikea in the process means that we had to and will have to make several trips from dublin to get all the pieces we want .you see they might not have all in stock for a one stop visit and because its cash and carry principle you have to return to get bits and pieces .do not think this is a negitive report i found the quality and styling standards of their wares excellient matched only by the friendly and helpfull staff especiall in the kitchen departiment (ask for lee )the prices are a complete shock in the reverse way to the shocks you get when buying in dublin.Make a day of it feed yourself on early arrival and enjoy the prices of things that in dublin resemble telephone numbers
ps when they come to santry and if they honestly convert the prices from belfast the game will be up for lots of shops in dublin and we will get some fairness again as consumers

I went to IKEA when I was in Glasgow last year and would not bother going again.

Quality was very mixed with some stuff not being even as good as Argos.

Joetoaster, are you going to fit your ikea kitchen yourselves or have you found someone to do so?

Hi there,
just to give you my experience of Ikea belfast. I went two saturdays in January, one in early jan and then again two weeks later. the first saturday it was packed, couldn't move your elbow, definitely bad mood inducing. the second week it was fine. same time, middle of day, and it was nearly empty by their standards, so seems to be the luck of the draw concerning weekends. I'd say if you went there midweek it'd be v quiet.

Re products agree with previous posters about the quality etc. you definitely need to see and use the furniture before making the decision to buy. i sat on nearly every fabric chair and sofa they had.... extremely uncomfortable and definitely wouldn't buy. I did however find one attractive leather sofa
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40084489
which was actually far more comfortable than a very similar one in Next.
[broken link removed]

so i bought it and it's being delivered tomorrow. They charge £100 to deliver to the republic though, so that brought the price up to £695 in total. Was pleased with the level of service etc though, so would recommend a trip just to see if there are a few things up your street, definitely wouldn't want to furnish the whole house there, the hassle of buying a lot of stuff prob would put me off as well as having to assemble it all! eek. hope that helps some.

Hi Joetoaster,
We're hoping to buy a kitchen in Ikea also. We have our drawings etc and it should be pretty straightforward. We're hoping to use their delivery service to get it shipped to Dublin. If they dont have everything what are the options offered by IKEA? Will they wait until everything is ready before shipping? I'd call them myself except they only seem to have a freephone number which doesn't work from the Republic. Does anyone have a number for them by the way?

Thanks
WLM

hi wlm
you have to remember ikea is cash and carry however having said that there is a bit of lee way.you can ring the auto service at 00448453551113 this will tell you have they got the stock you want if you have the code number of the article.if you make contact with lee he is a manager in the kitchen dept he will give you all the alternatives.be patient the price will be worth it

hi
Just a bit of info on the kid's free supervised play area. We went to Ikea last friday, asked in reception about leaving the kids there, but unfortunatly the session had just started and the next one wasn't available for another 2 hours.. After chasing two kids around the store for about an hour and queing for another half to get some food, we went to queu yet again on the kid's play area,just to be told that you have to book them in advance and we had to wait until the next session, two hours later!
Needless to say we had to leave.... so for those parents thinking of going there with the kids, you have to fill in a form in advance and book them in.