Swedish meatballs: Visit to Ikea Tampines

I had been wanting to visit the new Ikea at Tampines for some time. I like Ikea - the way they combine practicality with modern design, the bright and fun colours in the kid's section and the whole shopping experience in general. But somehow it was difficult to find a time when my mother (the one who has the Ikea Friends card) and I both felt like visiting the new Ikea.

That is, until today. Finally! We drove down the TPE and there, just at Exit 5, was the familiar bright yellow "IKEA" sign against the blue background. The car park was large, with lots of available lots (at least when we got there) and best of all, it was FOC! The cafe was likewise large, and (in stark contrast to the Alexandra Road store) had places to sit. We got our Swedish meatballs and the herring platter (we got into herring when visiting Scandinavia) and tucked in.

After lunch we wandered through the many room displays. My cousin says that she gets lost in Ikea's maze, but I have never really had major problems. I sometimes wish I could redesign my house, whenever I see the knacky storage/organising solutions which Ikea comes up with. Sigh, some decisions are unfortunately irreversible. Moving downstairs, we swapped our Ikea shopping bag for a trolley and proceeded to fill it up - a computer lapdesk, candle holders, a new iron pot (which can be used on an induction cooker), tea lights, new file holders, a new toy for our cats (incidentally we found the pet section, which we'd never seen before!), a new plant pot etc etc. Finally we picked up a mini-console for my new office from the open shelving area. Although the place was crowded, there was sufficient circulation space which enabled us to move around, unlike the old Ikea which would have been packed with customers on a Saturday afternoon. And I finally understood the Ikea model of combining warehouse with retail space. The cavernous space was filled with row upon row of high shelving.

We spent about 3.5 hours in Ikea, we could have easily spent longer there. I suppose what I like best about Ikea is their attention paid to the customer experience - just like the way they design their furniture, it is the details which matter. There were special little trolleys in the cafe which carry many small trays of food just in case your single tray isn't enough. There is a trolley park next to the cafe, and pegs to hang your Ikea bag on whilst you eat, or go to the loo. The little note sheets, the pencils and tape measures for customer use are also very helpful for those people who (unlike my dear mother) go shopping for furniture without bringing a tape measure along. And it's this attention paid to customer needs which keeps bringing people back.