Ordering and delivery

Ordering:
The short version:
-Expect to spend a few hours at the store (more if taking delivery yourself)
-Have your design finished
-Don't go on a weekend (or if you must, arrive when they open)
-Take lots of notes
-Make copies of your receipts (needed for the warranty)
-ALWAYS BRING YOUR FOLDER WITH RECEIPTS if you need to modify your order (including adding items) - you will be able to get the kitchen sale discount again (if you qualified with the main purchase).

We went early on a Monday afternoon - definitely a good idea, as there were very few customers in the kitchen department. Our two young kids were in school/daycare (an hour in Smaland would not have been enough!). We pulled up our IKEA kitchen plans at one of the kiosks, and an associate began processing the list. 

We also decided to add under-cabinet lights (Utrusta hardwired), so the associate helped us configure those (using a spreadsheet). Cabinet lights were eligible for the kitchen sale, so it was worth the additional time. I really wish I had taken good notes on the configuration of the lights; I'll have to go back and discuss that with an associate. Unfortunately they would not give us the discount on accessories (drawer organizers) but we bought them that day anyway. The entire process took a little over an hour.

We paid for everything in the kitchen department. They gave us a printout of the items in the self-service section: the lights and cabinet door handles, plus the accessories we had added. After we gathered those we headed down to the checkout area - but to our surprise, they didn't double-check our cart - so hopefully we counted correctly.

We knew our Traemand contractor/installer wasn't available until at least late May, so we wanted to postpone delivery. We placed our order on 3/30, and the latest delivery we were allowed to choose was 4/27. I still can't believe the delivery fee was only $99.  Four other items were back ordered; we had to monitor our store's inventory online and then visit the store. The store gave us a gift card for the amount of the missing items (with the 20% discount factored in). We only had to order one item through the website. I'm glad we didn't wait until later in the kitchen sale, as other people had many more backordered Grimslov items. 

One of the kitchen associates had put a hold on the missing items (some cabinet doors and a bracket). I kept checking the IKEA website for the stock prognosis on these. Surprisingly, she only put a one day hold on them - but there was no notification to us when they were available. I came to the store knowing one door was in stock, and just happened to be there on the right day - if I hadn't come, we would have lost our claim to the bracket (there is a long waitlist for it). I felt very lucky!

Update: I asked more about the procedure for missing items. The hold should have been seven days, and I was expected to call the store weekly to check on the status. Items only show up in the online stock prognosis if they have more than those that are reserved. 


Delivery day - 158 items arrived (the oven, microwave, and cover panel for the side of the refrigerator are out in the garage). It took a few hours to double check the list and organize everything (IKEA asks that you check this within 48 hours of delivery).