Between all of the quarantine-inspired home improvement projects and all of the students moving back to Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Ikea store has become one of the most popular places in town.

If you are new to Pittsburgh (or new to Ikea), I thought it would be helpful to share a few tips about the Pittsburgh Ikea store. I polled the Very Local team and here are some tips (free coffee) and tricks (how to actually get a time slot for curbside pickup).

TL;DR – Top 5 tips for visiting the Pittsburgh Ikea store

There are a lot of things to know about the Pittsburgh Ikea store. There is so much to know before you go to Ikea, that even Ikea has their own “practical tips” page. The Pittsburgh Ikea store has its own set of quirks (yes, there are two buildings in two locations).

• Visit on a weekday rather than a weekend (and be sure to check the hours before you go, Ikea has changed the hours since reopening in May).
• Check the Ikea website for stock before you go – the Ikea Pittsburgh store stocks more items than they have on display.
• Curbside pickup is available, but it’s complicated.
• Visit the As-Is section first.
• Sign up for an Ikea Family membership.

Keep reading for some pro-tips on finding things and saving money.

COVID-19 Updates

If you are a regular shopper at the Pittsburgh Ikea store, a few things have changed at Ikea since March. Here are the highlights:

• The Ikea Restaurant is closed. The snack bar by the checkout is open.
• The children’s playroom is closed.
• Masks/face coverings are required to enter the store.
• Hours. Ikea has changed the hours several times since reopening in May. Be sure to check the hours for the Pittsburgh store on the Ikea website before you go.

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Check the website before you go

See what items are in stock. I recommend checking the website before you go for two reasons. First: The Ikea website will show you if an item is in stock. Depending on what you are looking for, the stock levels change daily, save yourself a trip to Robinson and make sure that what you are looking for is in stock on the day you plan to go.

There is more in the warehouse than on the showroom floor. I’ve come across this a few times. I’ve seen an item on the website and gone to the Pittsburgh Ikea store to see it in person (this was pre-pandemic), but I haven’t been able to find the said item in the showroom. According to the employee, the Pittsburgh store is one of the smaller Ikea locations. Just because they don’t have an item on the floor, doesn’t mean that they don’t have it in the warehouse.

There are two warehouses for the Pittsburgh store

Yes, it’s kind of confusing. Some of the furniture is available right in the warehouse that is attached to the showroom and marketplace. But some of the items are kept in the warehouse that is in the strip mall across from the Ikea store. Depending on what you are buying, you might have to get in your car and drive over to the Ikea Furniture Pickup, which is located behind the Guitar Center store.

Curbside Pickup = Click & Collect

Ikea does offer a curbside pickup service called Click & Collect.

IMPORTANT: The Click & Collect pickup for Pittsburgh is in the Ikea Furniture Pickup building, not the main store.

About that Click & Collect option…

How to get a Click & Collect timeslot

The Ikea Click & Collect option has been so popular that it is hard to get a pickup time slot. If no times are available, you won’t be able to place your order. Frustrating, yes.

There is a solution. Thanks to the Ikea subreddit (yes, there is an entire subreddit that is dedicated to Ikea and it is really helpful,) I learned about this Ikea Click & Collect status tracker. A kind computer developer created a tool that will let you know when Click & Collect spots open up. You can visit the Click & Collect tracker to see if the Pittsburgh store has any time slots available. You can also sign up to get an email or a text message when there is some availability at the Pittsburgh store.

I signed up for the Click & Collect tracker in May. Initially, time slots only opened up in the middle of the night. More recently, I’m getting a couple of notifications a day, so it is much easier to get a time slot without losing sleep.

Ikea Click & Collect status updates

There are two different websites that you can use to check to see if there are Click & Collect time slots available.

• ikea-status.dong.st/ – sign up for email or text alerts. This tool is free to use, but you can make a donation to the developer if you want to support the effort.
• ClickCollect.info – you can see openings on the ClickCollect.info website or download an app for $1.99 if you want alerts.

Does Ikea offer delivery?

The answer to this question is sort of. You can order items from the Ikea website and have them shipped to your home, but it will take a while, like several weeks for Ikea to process and send your order. You can see order processing times on the checkout screen.

Shipping for larger items is a flat $49.

The best time to visit the store: weekday not weekend

Pre-coronavirus, the consensus was that weekday mornings were the least crowded time to visit the Ikea Pittsburgh store. Several Ikea shoppers I talked to suggested weekday evenings are the best time to visit.

Sign up for Ikea Family Card

Ikea Family is the name of the Ikea loyalty card. It is not so much a loyalty card, but you can use your Ikea Family card to get special pricing and if you use your Ikea Family card at checkout, you can keep track of your purchases on the Ikea website.

Ikea Family discounts are listed on the Ikea website here. (At the time of this post, no items are listed for Ikea Family discounts.)

Ikea Family = Free Coffee

One of the perks of the Ikea Family card is you can get free coffee or tea. This worked in the restaurant before COVID-19. While the snack bar by the checkout is open, I’m not sure if they are offering free coffee.

Ikea Pittsburgh Phone Number & Customer Service

Can I call the store to ask a question? Not really.

I wanted to include a note about this because the phone situation is confusing. Ikea does not publish a phone number for each store. You have to call the central 800 number.

Due to COVID-19, it is very difficult to get through on the phone and Ikea’s website states that they are only responding to emails about order cancellations.

Due to COVID-19 we are currently only accepting emails for order cancellations. We strive to respond back within 5-7 days.

If you have a question or need help, you have a few options: 

• Go to the store to ask in person. Go to the customer service area and there is a sophisticated system that will put you in line.
• Check the FAQ or Google your question – lots of people have published articles and videos on Ikea.
• Try the Ikea subreddit – This subreddit is not affiliated with Ikea, but other users usually answer questions there quickly.

Moving to a new location? Save $25 on any purchase over $250

If you sign up on the Ikea website and enter your move date, Ikea will email you a coupon good for $25 off a purchase of $250 or more.

The Ikea As-Is Section

Saving the best for last. Also, the As-Is section is located right next to the checkout area. The As-Is section offers a range of items at pretty good discounts. From floor models to discontinued items, to extra parts, this is where you will find a deal.

In addition to furniture and parts, the As-Is section is a good place to look for linens, lamps and frames.

I know many folks who start their trip by visiting the As-Is section. I’ve picked up a few bargains here at more than half-off.

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Other places to buy Ikea furniture and housewares

There are a few other ways to buy items from Ikea without going to the store or using the Ikea website.

If you want to have something shipped:

• eBay – items large or small, especially if you are looking for a part or a slipcover, it’s worth a search on eBay and the shipping should be much faster than Ikea.com.
• Amazon – you can also find lots of Ikea stuff on Amazon. Note that Amazon will show you lots of items that are similar to Ikea items, so you have to check. Also, the prices on Amazon tend to be much higher than Ikea.com. (The Bevar bag clips are $2.99 on Ikea.com and $6.99 on Amazon). The Behovd thermos pot is $4.99 from Ikea and $15.48 on Amazon)
• Poshmark – you can find lots of Ikea items, both used and new on this resale app.

For local pickup:

• Craigslist – you can find used and often new Ikea items on Craigslist. Usually at a discount.
• Facebook Marketplace – similar to Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace has lots of Ikea furniture.

Assembly help from Taskrabbit

A few months ago, I was standing in Ikea debating the merits of a dresser with three drawers versus a dresser with five drawers. Another woman was also looking at dressers. She told me that the dresser was perfect, but she just couldn’t bear the thought of having to put it together. I bought a five-drawer dresser and thought of her as I entered the third hour of dresser assembly.

If assembling Ikea furniture is not your idea of fun, you can hire someone to help with that task. Taskrabbit is kind of like Uber for an extra set of hands. You can hire a tasker to help with anything from picking up groceries to moving furniture.

Taskrabbit has a whole section for Ikea assembly, you select your furniture and the Taskrabbit website estimates how many hours it will take for a Tasker to assemble your furniture. Select a date and time and you can pick out a tasker to come to assemble your Ikea furniture.

Looking for more deals on furniture and decor?

Pittsburgh is home to the ONLY Anthropologie Home Outlet in the country.

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It’s true! Our podcast is called The Slaw: Staying on Top of Pittsburgh. Each week we talk to a different local guest about Pittsburgh. From breweries to bicycles, plants to the Pittsburgh potty, tune in to learn more about the things that make Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh.

📸 Header photo by mastrminda from Pixabay