Well, I finally caved. After all the hype over the past several months about the grand opening of the IKEA store in Orlando, I decided to go out there and see what all the hype has been about. Actually, Scott, the kids, and I all went out there yesterday since we all had the day off due to the President's Day holiday. I am not normally one to jump on bandwagons just for the sake of it, unless it is something that truly intrigues me. To be honest, I had already looked through their catalog when they first opened and I really thought I might not really like too much of their inventory since I don't typically gravitate towards the utilitarian style of decorating. But, I can definitely say that the catalog does not do the in-store experience any justice! Visting the IKEA store is something you should experience in person, first-hand! I was very impressed by all the choices and unique home items they have to choose from. I was more impressed by the awesome low prices on almost everything! I had heard that was one of the great benefits of the IKEA store...their low prices, and it's true! Some things were actually less expensive than you might find at your local Wal-Mart or Target store! The best part of our experience was signing the kids up for one hour of their in-store child care! They had a great time playing in their kids play center and it gave Scott and I a nice time alone together to browse and shop without the distraction of three young kids. Of course, we also had to go to their cafe area afterwards for some food and drinks, which the kids loved! I can't wait to go back for another hour of shopping while we let the kids play again there! It was a fun afternoon outing and a truly unique store to visit! I have not visited something quite like that before and it was a treat! I also ran into an old friend of mine that I haven't talked to in a year-and-a-half, and her two children while picking up our kids at the play area, so that was an added fun bonus! The most difficult thing about the whole experience was finding our way out of the store...LOL!! If you've been there, you know what I mean! We didn't realize you had to make your way upstairs through the entire maze of their departments just to find our way to the check-out aisles...pretty clever marketing strategy if you ask me!
