It wasn’t really the dead of night when we arrived at the Bristol IKEA this morning, but just after 9.30am. 

(The car park is under the store)

 

 

We’ve been shopping at IKEA since the early 1980s, before their arrival into the UK.  Our dear German friends spoke enthusiastically about a new home store which had opened in their area, south of Frankfurt, and on one of our visits there we made it a family outing.  Oh my goodness.  It fitted our tastes (and our pocket!) perfectly and appeared to be targeted at people just like us – young, married a few years and ready to begin replacing the hand-me-downs we’d used to furnish our first home.  A trip to IKEA was a must-do whenever we were there!

 

 

Fast forward a few more years and the first UK stores were opening around the same time as we were building our current house, which wasn’t leaving us much spare money with which to fill it.  We made several trips up the M5/6 to Warrington in hired Transit vans and came home with beds, bookshelves, sofas, dining tables and chairs.  Gradually, however, we’ve moved on from IKEA and our visits have become fewer and further between.  These days, an IKEA trip is a rare event and something which needs careful thought and planning, because our patience and tolerance of that potentially hair raising experience isn’t quite what it was.

As can be seen from the evidence above, Monday morning is a very good time to go IKEA shopping!

 

 

We had one thing on our list.  Well, TWO things on the list – a pair of Alex drawers, one to sit by my sewing machine and the other one to sit on the opposite side of the table by my papercrafting table.  We chose the grey colour, checked they were in stock and our mission was accomplished.

 

 

I couldn’t help but take a little look at the £45 sewing machines!

 

 

Neither of us could quite believe that we’d managed to stay focused, get around so quickly and still have the store almost to ourselves.

 

 

So it was really rather funny that our trolley looked like this when we checked out!  Well, that’s the IKEA magic, isn’t it?  Coathangers, plastic boxes, crispbreads, a plant and two warm cinnamon buns…but no chest of drawers?

 

 

For the first time, we had to drive to a different location to pick them up, just around the corner.

 

 

Oh yes, this is where the queue’s going to be, isn’t it?

 

 

Ermmm…………..no.  Not here, either.

 

 

And what’s more, when my Hero put the first one together just now, all the pieces were there  (and I don’t think there was anything left, either).

The IKEA experience just isn’t what it used to be, is it?