Visiting Ikea after a long absence made me realize that I really don't miss coming to this store. My first extended exposure to this store was when I moved up the Great Canadian North and furnished my place mainly from em. I was happy that the setup didn't cost an arm and leg did draw admiration from friends that the place had a minimalist yet functional feel to it. I had time so I didn't mind putting up things together even though you need to be a Nordic god to get things that are somewhat complicated put together correctly on the first try (I recall a cabinet took me over 3 hours to put together!!)
I kept on coming back for more and more till I had to move. I came to realize that why is their stuff called disposable furniture. Even a slight ding would make the items unusable. Pulling it apart was next to impossible. After this experience I realize if one factors in the labor one puts in and the flimsy stuff they have I would rather buy real furniture. The stand alone already assembled items are a bit better but meh one can do a lot better for a little more money.
Now on to this store being a weekend this place was a predictable a mad house. Parking was hard to get and one is greeted with a wallop of people and help is few and far between. The layout maps though posted frequently still requires one to familiarize with the store to know where what is. Checkouts can be mind numbing though the new (for me) self checkout does help out things a bit. I would say 2 stars for this place.
If I was on a budget I would still look around at other retailers and buy real furniture instead of disposable one.