If you can get through the experience and still find yourself talking by the end of the day then you have cracked it.
Relationships take work and that is not groundbreaking news. So many things in life can be a trigger for relationship stress and problems though.
They can put a massive amount of pressure on both parties and make things a lot more difficult. In this modern world, one of those great triggers is a trip to IKEA. I’m saying this satirically but hands up who would quite literally dread a trip to IKEAwith their other half? If you can get through the experience and still find yourself talking by the end of the day then you have cracked it.
We’ve taken the liberty of putting together an IKEA survival guide. Here are some tips to help you survive a trip to the store and come out the other side!
1. Don’t go in blind. Use the IKEA app to fill your virtual basket, browse through your products, plan for it financially and get your head around what you need and where you will find it. You absolutely need a game plan.
2. Pay attention to dimensions. Don’t even dream about picking up a wardrobe or unit without checking that it will actually fit into the car. I’ve seen many an argument in the car park of IKEA when couples realised that their haul does not fit in the car. You can take it back to the delivery desk and organise that but it’s a tonne of avoidable stress. Nobody wants to go backwards in IKEA.
3. ACCEPT that IKEA comes with one certainty and that is the fact that many many unplanned purchases will happen. I know you don’t need any more freezer bags, candles or stuffed animals but accepting this reality can be empowering. It will happen so embrace it.
4. If you’ve left your children in the Crèche on site, remember to pick them up. IKEA can be a very distracting experience and might just make you a bit forgetful. Joking. Kind of.
5. Eating something in IKEA is a right of passage. It’s part of the experience. Enjoy it and try to spend at least five minutes discussing how cheap and cheerful the food was because it might just be the high point of today’s conversations...
6. You’re not falling for the marketing if you end up driving home with five packets of Daim bar sweets and a frozen almond cake thing. It’s delicious and you’ve earned a treat after that experience so just go with it. Sweet treats are a great way to diffuse an adult tantrum too.
7. IKEA is busy. It will always be busy. Expect it to be busy. Talk about the fact that it will be busy. This is not a surprise so try to not let it catapult you in to an argument. If possible maybe try to avoid a Saturday but manage your expectations when it comes to parking, queues and the volume of people. It is what it is and it’s not your other half’s fault.
8. There will always be people who refuse to follow THE ROUTE. Resist the temptation to scream and point at the little arrows on the ground and just focus on your own journey. You do you.
9. Take photographs of the furniture and products you need to pick up at the end. Include all of the codes and full product names to avoid an incorrect digit or letter as the reason for divorce.
10. When all is said and done, let it be. Try not to spend the rest of the day, weekend or week debriefing the experience. You did it, you survived and now it’s time to crack open the gin.
Tracey is a happy mammy to four-year-old Billy. She is a breastfeeder, gentle parent and has recently lost five stone so healthy family eating is her passion! You can find her at www.loveofliving.ie.
