IKEA Weekend

Wednesday, 2022-09-14

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IKEA opened its first store (IKEA Alam Sutera) in Indonesia in the last quarter of 2014 in a neighboring province part of the greater Jakarta area, about 20 km from where we live. The outlet stands on 35,000 square meters of land with parking spaces for 1,200 cars.

This outlet has become a local attraction, always crowded with people bringing the whole family on the weekends. You hear parents shouting, children running around, climbing on sofas, and bunker beds, jumping up and down on display models beds. Children crying and getting lost from their parents are normal on weekends, and it's chaotic. Don't expect to get a parking space if you come on Saturday or Sunday. The car park overflows along the main road causing traffic jams.

I had visited this outlet two times before the pandemic. The first was on Sunday, and we didn't stay long because of the crowds. We returned the following Monday when it was quieter for a better shopping experience.

The 6th IKEA Outlet in Taman Anggrek Mall.

Since then, IKEA has aggressively opened several outlets in other cities and Bali. Last Saturday around 14:00, we decided to visit and check out the 6th IKEA that just opened last April 2022. The outlet opened in one of the most well-known old malls in West Jakarta, Mal Taman Anggrek, about 3 km from where we live. This outlet occupies two floors with a total of 9,400-meter squares that were once a department store but closed during the pandemic.

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This mall used to be one of the biggest in Southeast Asia, and the busiest shopping centre in West Jakarta, especially on weekends. But last week when we went there, we could easily find a parking space close to the mall's entrance. It was not as busy as we expected.

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Before the pandemic, escalators were normally full of people.

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The corridor that was once full of people now looked empty and deserted.

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The space is for rent by meters. Before the pandemic, it used to be full of many stalls.

Many shops and outlets were closed during the pandemic leaving empty spaces.

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The only place that looked a little busy was the eating area and restaurants.

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The only ice skating rink in Indonesia is on the 3rd floor and it's quite busy.

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The ice skating rink is popular amongst youngsters. On certain days the rink is booked by local hockey teams to practice.

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The escalator leading to the entrance of IKEA on the 3rd floor.

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IKEA's main entrance is on the 3rd floor.

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It was on Saturday, and quite surprisingly the place was not as busy as we had expected.

IKEA's Swedish Meatballs!

Shopping in IKEA is not complete without tasting their signature dish - Swedish Meatballs, which I just learned is Turkish!

“Swedish meatballs are actually based on a recipe King Charles XII brought home from Turkey in the early 18th century,”

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The restaurant was actually busier than the store. It has five self-ordering kiosks just like a self-check-in kiosk at the airport to place your order. The process was a breeze, we didn't find any problem doing the ordering and paying using a debit card. Once you have completed the transaction you get a payment receipt and an order slip that you submit on a different counter and wait for your order to be processed.

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The self-order stations with a big touch screen and payment processing machines attached to each unit.

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The counter where you show your payment receipt and submit your order. Not too busy as it was around 16:15, past lunchtime.

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Even though it was not lunchtime, the restaurant was quite crowded.

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Our order on a cart.

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I ordered the signature dish, Swedish (Turkish) Meatballs, and coffee. My wife ordered fish and chips, and an extra side dish, french fries. Bon Appétit!

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Twenty minutes later... we must have been hungry!

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I love their cheap and strong Americano coffee here. It costs only about $0.70 with a free refill as opposed to Starbucks' $3.50 (shitty) coffee – you can't beat that!

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On the way out, around 17:15 we noticed self-ordering stations were getting a little busier as it was approaching dinner time and people coming in early to avoid the long line-up around 18:00 ish.

Conclusion

We only bought a few small items for our kitchen needs on our trip to IKEA this time. We wanted to see the new outlet that's close to where we live, what they offer, and how's the shopping experience there. I could see this would be the IKEA we most likely visit next time we wanted to buy furniture or anything. Although they are a little more expensive, due to the tax imposed on imported goods, their goods are much better in quality and design compared to locals. So that was our weekend experience last week, and we enjoyed our meal at IKEA, something different for a change. How was your weekend?


Thank you for reading and for your support.


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                                A baby boomer who's trying to embrace and adapt to the new digital world. Worked for over 30 years in the IT industry before retiring and now run an online vegetable delivery and hydroponics equipment business. Enjoy traveling, cooking, writing, playing pool, and all IT-related stuff. You're always welcome to leave a comment or feedback, and an upvote or reblog is also greatly appreciated.


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9 comments
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How beautiful Indones ia is with its stores and stores as you can see in these photos!
And those meals look spectacular. Hmmm.

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Thank you for stopping by and glad you liked the virtual tour. 😊

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Thank you for your support.😊

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You're welcome @rebolegi, it's well deserved! Congrats on your constant involvement on Hive 😊👍🌹

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The dining area in that IKEA branch is so spacious!
I've been to IKEA many times but unfortunately haven't tried their meatballs yet.
I should try it at least once, because it would feel like I ate something made by a King 😂

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Yes, the dining area is quite big. They serve decent food, and CHEAP too! The coffee is fresh, strong, and good. This is one of the reasons why the restaurant is always packed. I see a lot of people just sitting around having a cake and coffee.🍰☕

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I think before/after a tiresome shopping, being rewarded with a cake and coffee would be wonderful!

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Yup! Nothing beats an afternoon cake and coffee before/after shopping!👍😊

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