IKEA Philippines opened it’s largest store in the world last November 2021 with a 730,000 square foot facility in Pasay City. IKEA is a Scandinavian chain selling housewares, ready-to-assemble furniture, in a warehouse-like space.
We were not able to visit the store last year due to the Omicron scare. At the same time, they were requiring visitors to book an appointment to ensure that they would be able to control the number of people inside the store.
Now that the National Capital Region (NCR) is in Alert level 1, meaning everyone is now allowed to move around, we did not hesitate to visit IKEA.
Going to IKEA Philippines is not that difficult. If you know SM Mall of Asia then you will not get lost as IKEA is just sitting on the right side of SM Mall of Asia (if you are standing by the globe facing Mall of Asia).
Some useful tips if you are planning to shop in IKEA Philippines
1. Make sure to prepare your shopping list. It is really tempting to deviate from your ‘original list’ but somehow your list will help you organize your visit to the store and buy all the things that you need.
2. It is more fun to shop with a long list. If you are planning to buy only a single stuff, I recommend you go to the store near you. IKEA is quite huge. It will not be productive to walk inside a 730,000 square foot store just to look for a single item. Having a long list of items that you need to shop would be more productive and fun.
3. Understand the IKEA map. The map will guide you on the location of the items you want to buy. I highly suggest you start at the 4th floor – Showroom to see the products exhibited for sale and then take a break at Swedish Restaurant and then checkout at the 3rd floor – Market Hall. You will not get lost as there are several maps and area labels that will guide you on the directions.
4. Try the Swedish Restaurant. It’s not everyday that you get to eat in a Swedish restaurant so give it a try! The food selection is affordable and something that we Filipinos love to eat. Don’t forget to order the ever famous IKEA Swedish Meatballs!
Note The queue is long but manageable. The restaurant has a wide dining area so they can accommodate store visitors.
5. Clean As You Go (CLAYGO). The IKEA Swedish Restaurant observes CLAYGO. Once you finish eating, you must clear your table and bring your plates and trays to the tray area.
Note: This is not the typical store where you will just leave your empty plates in the table and someone will clean it for you. Remember, Clean As You Go (CLAYGO).
6. Get a print-out of Sales Invoice of the product you like to buy in the Showroom that are marked “Contact/Ask for assistance”. There are items in the Showroom that are marked “Contact/Ask for assistance”, and you may contact the store crew so they can assist and print you the sales invoice. Once you check out at 3rd floor and pay the sales invoice, you have options to pick-up the product and bring them with you, or delivery them to your home address. There are also items that are labelled accordingly to where you can get stocks, for instance, the Market Hall or the Self-service area.
7. Parking. If you will bring your car, parking at the IKEA Store could be challenge as the queue is long. But don’t worry, you can also park at SM MOA.
Note: If you park at SM MOA, you can not bring your trolley from IKEA to SM MOA parking area so you have to go out of SM MOA parking area and bring your car to IKEA’s pickup/drop off area.
8. Enjoy! Shopping is fun and there are a lot of items in Swedish design that truly are useful for your homes but make sure to consider your budget. There are also a lot of health benefits in walking and at IKEA Store, you will definitely walk. Walking from 4th to 3rd floor can easily help you reach your 10,000 steps goal!
IKEA Philippines is open from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM everyday.
