IKEA, a Swedish Home Furnishings Company and named after its founder, opened their doors to the public March 12. IKEA West Chester sits on the corner of Allen Road and Mulhauser Road, easily accessible from I-75.IKEA West Chester has employed in the neighborhood of 400 people, including myself. I have worked with IKEA West Chester since January, and thus far it has been the best civilian job I have held.
I work in the Full Serve Warehouse, in which access is restricted to Full Serve Co-Workers only because it can be incredibly fast paced, and we not only move fast but operate heavy equipment. And that is why Full Serve access is restricted to Full Serve personnel only. The fast paced environment and the heavy equipment creates a more dangerous environment.
However, customers never see what goes on in that part of the Warehouse, as do few IKEA West Chester co-workers. Occasionally Self Serve Warehouse co-workers and Recovery co-workers pass through, but their time behind the gates is minimal.
The most unique thing is trying to help all the customers, in some cases because of language barriers, and in others because the concept of shopping at an IKEA may as well be a foreign language.
Some don’t speak English very well, and that creates a barrier of communication that makes assisting that customer incredibly difficult. But even if they speak and understand English, as hard as they try, their accents are often too thick and it’s just as difficult to understand them.
Yet some who do speak English have never shopped at an IKEA before and are unfamiliar with how IKEA works. But that’s no surprise; I too was unfamiliar with how IKEA works, and had I been in these customers’ situation, I would’ve been just as confused.
But there’s always a remedy-explanation.
The Showroom, which is on the second floor, is where complete rooms are set up for the customer to see. Aside from the Kid’s section, there aren’t articles to collect for purchase on the second floor.
This is also where customers talk to co-workers to get what they want prepared in an order so that when they progress to the Self-Serve Warehouse, they can pick their items. Or, should the items be Full Serve items, the cashier can ring the customer’s order more quickly.
But the order prepared in the Showroom also generates a pick slip for Full Serve, and without the pick slip, Full Serve doesn’t pick anything.
Before completely leaving the Showroom, customers have the opportunity to stop in the restaurant and get a well-priced meal before continuing through the store. And as customers leave the Showroom and pass the restaurant, they move into the Markethall.
The Markethall does have items that customers can collect for purchase. Within the Markethall customers can find countless accessories for every room of the home. Customers won’t find the furniture they want to purchase there, because it’s neither displayed nor stocked in the Markethall, but customers can definitely find a wide and plentiful array of accessories.
As soon as the customers step outside of the Markethall, they are in the Self Serve Warehouse. The Self Serve Warehouse is a warehouse in which the customers can pick their own items. However, the Self Serve Warehouse is not stocked with all items. Some are too big, and some are slow moving objects.
And should you ever visit IKEA West Chester, when you’re in the Self Serve Warehouse, do not open the gates and enter the Full Serve Warehouse. If you need assistance, there will be people wearing yellow shirts with IKEA printed on it. They will be available to assist you.
Just before the customers get to the cash lanes in the front, they can meander through As Is. As Is is a part of the store in which customers can view and purchase discounted furniture. This furniture is discounted because it cannot be sold as new.
That isn’t to say all the furniture is poor quality or damaged, but often times customers make a purchase and aren’t satisfied with it. And often enough these articles cannot be repackaged, so they have to be discounted.
But wait, there’s more. Just before you leave the store, there’s a Swedish Food Market to the left side of the Bistro. You can buy food to take home, you can buy food to eat before you leave, and you can even buy food to eat on the way.
By the time the customers are done checking out and stopping in the Bistro, if they have purchased Full Serve items, Full Serve Co-Workers have likely picked it and brought it to Full Serve Handout, which is to the immediate right after exiting the cash lanes.
There’s never a dull moment at IKEA West Chester. There’s always something going on.