Ikea Tempe store review

I visited the Ikea store at Tempe the other day for the first time. I have been to other Ikea stores, but this was my first visit to the huge Tempe outlet that opened about two years ago (Nov 2011).

Apparently it is half as big again as the Homebush store - so it's massive.

I won't comment on the quality of the products, as I don't believe I am qualified to do that.

The store itself, however is another thing.

For such a large store, most of it is very homely and well laid out, being divided into clear categories, for example 'Living Room' and 'Office'. As usual with Ikea stores, you are guided through a one way path to meander past as many products as possible. Obviously they are relying on impulse buying as much as planned purchasing. There are always short cuts if, like me, you are impatient.

The good thing about Ikea is that you rarely need staff assistance in the store. Everything is clear - what you see is what you get. The choice is huge and the quantities are enormous.

That is of course one of the marketing tricks to get you to buy. When you see large quantities of stock, you suspect that they are priced cheaply. That's not always the case at Ikea, however some things were very reasonable, namely the smaller items like kitchenware and homewares.

Ikea is famous for its innovative homewares, and the Tempe store has them in abundance.

Being school holidays, I expected the store to be crowded, but given its size, it was not as bad as expected. The busy staff kept things moving, especially at the checkouts, so the wait was not excessive.

An integral part of Ikea is the Swedish food that you can buy at the cafe, restaurant and grocery store. I have to say that none of it took my fancy - it all looks very mass-produced and unappetising, but perhaps I was just brought up on good old fashioned non-Swedish cooking. As for the famous $1 hot dogs, I'll leave them to the kids.

I had applied for and printed a temporary loyalty card, called Ikea Family, before visiting the store, however I didn't see any signs instore telling me what benefits I could enjoy once I as there.

So, Ikea Tempe - it's huge, it's fun if you like browsing interesting homewares. Skip the food unless you have low expectations.