Because international travel is still restricted, we’re very happy that Swedish furniture maker IKEA is finally opening its first store in the Philippines at the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City tomorrow (November 25).

We can pretend we’re in an Ikea store in Singapore, Hong Kong or maybe even in Sweden, just like pre-pandemic times.

So what can we expect from Ikea Pasay City?

First, expect a lot of walking because, at 68,000 square meters, this is IKEA’s biggest store. So, wear comfortable clothes and shoes because you’ll be walking through the equivalent of 150 basketball courts. The building occupies five floors in Marina Way alongside Entertainment City. You won’t be walking through all five of them as two of the floors serve as the warehouse.

IKEA Pasay City has 500 employees called co-workers in store and in the service office. They’re very helpful and they can answer your questions. Ikea is, however, a self-serve store so if you eat at the Swedish Bistro, you’re expected to bus your plates and cutlery after eating. At the checkout counter, you’re expected to bag your purchases.

If you see any item in the showrooms (which serve as sort of inspiration boards), you can take a picture of the product tag so you can easily find it when you get to the Self-Serve area, which is the ultimate budol section. Aside from the showrooms, by the way, there are areas for each room of the house. There’s even one for plants as Ikea sells artificial and lives ones.

Contrary to what some people expect, Ikea items are not expensive. There are so many things (around 500) that cost less than Php100 each.

Now for the part that many people are interested in: IKEA’s food. The food, like many of the things you find there, is not expensive. A serving of the famous Swedish meatballs (eight balls) with mashed potatoes and broccoli, costs Php159. The hotdog on a bun costs Php29.You can also buy these meatballs, chicken meatballs, vegetable balls and plant balls frozen to take home at the Swedish Food Market. They also have soft-serve ice cream near the checkout area.

Many of IKEA’s products are flat-packed so you could take them home using a car but there are delivery options, Many of the items are supposed to be easy to assemble. If you can’t do it, IKEA has an assembly service that you can avail of. IKEA also has a 365-day return policy so as long you have the receipt, you can return whatever item it is that you regret buying.

Finally, if you’re going to Ikea make sure to free up your afternoon so you can browse and shop to your heart’s content. To shop, you need to book a slot at www.ikea.com.