We started using the Ikea play area, known as Småland, about a year ago. Before my kids were potty trained and before they'd reached the minimum height requirement, I'd eye that place with curiosity. Would my children like it in there? Would I be comfortable leaving my kids to encounter germs play there? Would Ikea Småland give me enough time to buy something?
Visit after visit, as I'd push my double stroller full of double trouble into the nearby elevators, I'd glance over at Småland and think to myself...another year...six more months...two more months and finally, bingo! My twins were 4-years-old and well beyond being potty trained and well above the minimum height requirement so off to Småland we went. We were all excited about our first trip to Småland. This is going to be a win-win, I said to myself, smiling in anticipation of 45 blissful kid-free moments to roam about Ikea and for free (Ikea doesn't charge for use of Småland.) We went off-hours when I knew Ikea would not be crowded.
The first thing I noticed was that, despite the friendly sign that beckons children into the "Magical Forest," this was drop-in day care. I knew it straight off the bat. Nobody welcomed us in like they do on the first day of preschool. Nobody sent us loving smiles. Instead, I heard, KEEP THE BALLS IN THE BALL PIT. DO NOT THROW THE BALLS, PLEASE! I wondered to myself how many times they probably screamed that throughout the day. Soon she'll be screaming that at my kids, I figured, resigned.
We got off to a rocky start, not knowing the procedures for checking in and all. Mistake #1: My boys took off their shoes and held them in their hands while we lined up for entry.
YOU NEED TO GET A BIN.
Oh, sorry. C'mon boys, let's get a bin.
My boys put their shoes into the bin and kept their socks on.
Mistake #2: YOU NEED TWO BINS.
Ah, I get it, one per child. Sorry.
Then I filled out a registration form and as I turned to attend to my children, a couple of stickers appeared on the counter. Two were name tags, easy peasy. My boys thought that was that and tried to open the door, but we were stopped again.
Mistake #4: THESE NEED TO GO ON THEIR WRISTS.
Oh my gosh, paper ID bracelets, so important, sorry. I hadn't noticed them amongst all the tiny pieces of paper on the counter. Okay, let's get these on, shall we, kids?
Stupid mistake #5: I tried to follow my kids through the gate, not intending to go into the play area, but to help my children put away their bins. But I was stopped and told not to come in. Whoops, sorry again, I swear, I'm not an overbearing mother!
I wave to my children, who are still holding onto their bins. As I walk away, I can hear the voice in charge.
PUT YOUR BIN HERE AND YOUR BIN THERE.
I grab my buzzer and note the time on the attached card: only 35 minutes left! Geez, I just lost 10 minutes checking in. No fair.
But if felt good to ascend the escalators alone. The eyes in back of my head rolled back to where they should be and off I dashed into the Ikea showroom.
Um, make that a sprint. As the minutes quickly ticked by, I found I had very little time to do anything but stay on the path and blow by everything I'd wanted to look at. I didn't browse, I didn't take my time. Man, I sprinted! By the time I hit the finish line, time was up. My buzzer was ringing!
I didn't buy anything on that first visit.
On a subsequent visit, I bought a flat pack book case. But I didn't have time to get it to my car so I had to wheel it over to Småland, retrieve my children and then find myself in the unenviable position of having make my way to customer service with an unwieldy cart and unwieldy children. We had to wait 15 minutes before we could get someone to help us get our cart to the car.
On our third visit, we went with friends. My friend Linsey brought along her three children and by 10am when the store opened, we were kid free and doing the Ikea Småland-to-finish line sprint. As we reached the checkout lanes with our hastily grabbed items, the lines were long and again, our buzzers were vibrating and flashing just as it was our turn to check out. We contemplated leaving our items near the checkout and coming back for them after we'd retrieved our children, but instead, we risked it and arrived back at Småland a few minutes late but with paid for purchases in hand.
Today was our fourth visit to Småland, just the three of us. This time, I was a seasoned Småland user. We did all the prep work in record time and within minutes, we were off on our respective paths through Ikea; my children to the magical forest and myself to the bed linens. I had a plan. I was confident. I knew the Ikea store layout well, even the shortcuts.
45 minutes, you are mine, all mine.
But I made a mistake.
I was tired.
I bought coffee.
There were 3 people in line ahead of me.
That coffee cost me 10 minutes, a big mistake.
I raced through the store, quickly picking up the bed linens I'd came for and doubling back briefly to pick up a white mouse pad. I managed to picked up a few more things and felt smug because I'd even remembered to bring my own bag. I stayed focused, keeping my eye on the clock and my whereabouts in the store.
How do people get through Ikea in 45 minutes? I know the store layout well and still, I can't do it.
All was going well as I made a mad dash toward the finish line but then...what's this? Lines, long lines and only two registers open. Self-checkout was roped off. It didn't look good. I glance at the clock. I had 5 minutes left and a 10 minute line to stand in. Grrrr, I mumbled, as I abandoned my items on a random display near the checkout stand.
I bought nothing that day, save for a cup of coffee.
As I returned to Småland, I could hear the woman shouting again: KEEP THE BALLS IN THE BALL PIT. DO NOT THROW THE BALLS, PLEASE!
I glanced through the window and saw my child along with a couple of other naughty boys, all in the ball pit. When my children emerged with their bins, I could see that they'd not been behaving nicely. Cranky time had arrived, which meant they'd not have the patience to run through Ikea again with me to locate my abandoned items.
My children love visiting Småland. It is a really cute place but I'm just resigned to not being able to buy anything there in the scant 45 minutes we're allowed to be away from our children. I could do it if I'm super organized and focused, but I've changed my expectations. I'm just thankful to have 45 minutes to myself, even if it's nothing more than a brisk roundtrip walk through Ikea.
But from a financial point of view, if a majority of parents shopping at Ikea find that 45 kid-free minutes is not enough time to shop, is it worth it for Ikea to offer this service? I say extend the drop-in minutes to a full hour (at least) which really means 45 minutes to shop and 15 minutes to get settled, use the restroom, return to the car with purchased items and get that all important cup of coffee. Sprinting through Ikea is good exercise, yes, but I want to buy something!
An hour, Ikea? Please?
Original post to Chalk and Cheese Chronicles.
