I must admit, I do feel rather conned, an assistant was really helpful (the young man near the bike helmets sitting at that desk) and he helped me register for your "family" card and told me what to do after the checkout to get my "surprise gift" but along with many others this took ages to work out and finally when we all got to the bit of getting the surprise fit it didn't work and so when I returned home (several miles away so its NOT an easy trip for me to get to Ikea!) and did as instructed, went on line - again it didn't work so I DO feel it was a marketing con and I do so hate to be conned into something!

I don't know what all the fuss is about, if you are an IKEA Family member and you swipe your family card at the checkout, then look at the bottom of your receipt and it tells you to scan the barcode to see your prize. the only problem is that the barcode readers are out of action today 29 March 2016 at Lakeside. you can still do it at home on the internet. but I think the problem today is effecting the whole system as it tells me the barcode number is invalid.
Other days it has worked fine.

3 separate purchases :wink:

I bought a Christmas tree, used a voucher for dinner, bought a frame on the way out and kept my surprise card to check online the next day. Then back another day whilst Christmas shopping and won again.

Will use my £20 tree voucher next week and have dinner for the family.

Really? Probably the last place I'd want to eat. My local store had issues with rats at one point. IKEA was also had horse meat in it's products. And besides those minor issues, it doesn't look like particularly great food anyway.

so far i've won dinner for 2, dinner for 4 and then dinner for 2 again!

only used 1 voucher so far, not sure i even want to eat in there that many times, would be nice to win something else but then the person next to me won a hot dog, so not really complaining

Only real surprise I'd like is if what I've bought hasn't fallen apart in a weekoO

In Southampton they have swipe a surprise poster everywhere. You can win anything from a doughnut to dinner for 4 in their restaurant or anything else from the store. I won a kids play tunnel and a doughnut. There were long queus at the kiosks, that's when I noticed something is going on.

Thanks for that. So it's only at Southampton...

Nothing at lakeside

I've been buying ikea for 20 years (usually Warrington), shelves, kitchens, wardrobes, beds etc....all still going strong, except one small very cheap table which I assembled and disassembled more than 15 times over the years, hardly surprised it gave up....

I went go Lakeside , Thurrock branch yesterday and bought a trolley load but no vouchers or offers given. Think this must be store specific.

Love west query on a Sunday

I am not why people get fooled by marketing gimmicks.

To digress a moment if i may, their sale has been really disappointing from my perspective and all of the items i have watched since November, are at least the same price. This is also true of other items in other shops.
The only items offered, as a 'friend', are a handful of items that i do not need. Also, i would have to collect in-store and that is no good for me.
Not voted either way, as will not be going.

nothing in Leeds when i went yesterday.

may have to go there tomorrow was going to go West query anyway. You have a look in tesco around the corner? any bargains

and Cardiff! spent a small fortune too!

I was in ikea wembley yesterday went self serve but wasn't made aware of anything of the sort :S

any confirmation if nationwide?