OxfordPress.com

WEST CHESTER TWP. — From the time the doors of IKEA West Chester opened just before 9.a.m. Wednesday, March 12, shoppers found their experience a multisensory one.

A five-piece Dixieland jazz band ushered in the crowd to the tune of "When The Saints Go Marching In" and employees cheered, whistled and banged together thunder sticks to herald their arrival inside the store.

Customers happily accepted complimentary gift cards before wandering the first floor Marketplace or taking an escalator to the store's second floor Showroom.

By 9:21 a.m., IKEA West Chester had rung its first sale. Debbie Orcutt of Loveland enthusiastically purchased two boxes of dubbla chokladflarn cookies for $10.61 with a $100 giftcard she received from her in-laws for Christmas.

"I didn't know how much they cost," she said. "I didn't care. I just wanted to get those cookies."

By 9:45 a.m., the steady stream of shoppers showed no sign of stopping. Marysville resident Sue Clark and daughter Kirsten Beck made it clear their purchase of a $149 bunkbed for Beck's twin daughters was simply part one of Wednesday's journey.

"This is just the start," Clark said, tucking away several IKEA catalogs. "We're taking this to the car and then we're coming back."

Nauman Mysorewala of West Chester Twp. headed to the "As Is" section to take advantage of the area's promise of up to 50 percent off a variety of floor-models, returns and scratch-and-dent merchandise.

He ended up with a shopping cart full of plastic and metal bins priced at $1 each, happy that he got such a good deal without having to take a day trip.

"We used to drive to Chicago and Michigan to go to IKEA. Now it's in our neck of the woods," he said.

Amanda Pisano of West Chester Twp. said she showed up at 8:30 a.m. to get a spot on the line, which had snaked its way around the western side of the building. She brought along 18-month-old twins Giulia and Genna and 3-year-old Angelina, who "goes where the shopping is."

"Seeing the conundrum in the parking lot made her really excited," Pisano said. "You would have thought it was Disney World."

Megan Bryant of Fairfield Twp. and Stephanie Margraf of Landen highlighted their dedication by showing up at 5 a.m. wearing "I Love IKEA" T-shirts.

"It's a little overwhelming," Bryant said of her first IKEA experience. "There's a lot of stuff to look at. I think you really have to know what you want before you come in, because otherwise you could spend thousands of dollars."

Yellow-shirted sales associates stood in front of aisles and displays to answer questions, provide guidance or offer a sampling of sparkling fruit drinks.

Once a customer's shopping expedition came to its end, IKEA used its 22 regular checkout lanes, 8 self-checkout lanes and five temporary lanes to speed them on their way.

"We want their last experience to be just as positive as their first experience," said Joseph Roth, director of public relations.