19 Ikea Shopping Secrets Only Die-Hard Regulars Know - Best Life

Nearly 800 million shoppers visit Ikea stores every year to fight the crowds, wend their way through the stores’ notoriously circuitous layout, test out the massive array of sofas and chairs, and sample its famously tasty meatballs. But only a fraction of those customers are truly knowledgeable in the Swedish retailer’s most secretive ways.

For example: Do you know the best no-hassle time to show up at an Ikea store to shop? Do you know what a “yellow tag” means? And do you know how to score a “family” discount even if you’re a twentysomething single? Some truly savvy Ikea shoppers do.

If you want to know the answer to those questions and more, here are 20 Ikea shopping secrets that the smartest regulars use to make their trips a breeze.

1 Never shop at Ikea on a weekend.

If a particular Ikea item catches your eye, pay close attention to its price tag. In addition to, you know, the price, you’ll find that it’s also equipped with a product’s size, color, material, measurements, features, and—most importantly—location in the warehouse. If you’ve never shopped at an Ikea before, that may sound odd. But the store is laid out in such a way that you can’t actually pick up many products to purchase until the very end of your journey—and so that location will come in handy.

The majority of the store is actually just displays where you can get an idea of how the furniture will look when assembled. As Janice Simonsen, Ikea’s U.S. design spokesperson, told once Domino: “The price tag at Ikea is your friend.” The savviest of Ikea shoppers never forget it.

3 Lost a screw? Go to the “Spare Parts” section.

Ikea experts always sign up for Ikea’s moving program before switching homes. Sure, it helps you stay on top of your packing by sending you emails with checklists and advice, but signing up also means you’ll receive a useful coupon for $25 off of any $250 Ikea purchase. Why turn away free savings?

5 You can score extra savings during every trip with Ikea Family.

Once your Ikea Family account is all set up, you can take a look at all the special sales being offered to subscribers either by going on Ikea’s website or by logging into your account and checking the Ikea Family page.

At the time of this writing, for instance, Ikea Family members can receive 15 percent off of any custom quartz countertop purchases, and up 10 percent off of certain snack and beverage buys. Not bad!

7 It’s best to pre-order whenever possible.

Far too many Ikea shoppers forget that the store doesn’t give you any bags to take your new goodies home in. So if you want to save money, smart shoppers know to bring their own. If you forget, you run the risk of having to fork out an extra dough for some of Ikea’s blue bags.

9 Shop the As-Is section on Mondays.