Every once in a while, a true shopping experience presents itself. I'm not talking about a marathon shopping trip or an epic sale. I'm talking about a once-in-a-life-time, never-to-be-forgotten, tell-the-grandkids-about-it-one-day shopping adventure. Such was the case with my first encounter at IKEA.

I had heard legends of IKEA. The quality products at low prices. The diversity of the available items. The ease of finding and purchasing what you need. But nothing really prepared me for the store itself.

I'm not sure massive is even the right word to describe the building. It resembles a small city. I had a sneaking suspicion the population of Eagle County could be comfortably contained within its walls.

I am an experienced shopper, so I knew well enough that I needed to beat the crowds. I was among the first through the doors when they opened. I had a short list of things I wanted to find, lest I let the excitement get the best of me. Focused and ready, I entered.

The whole thing is genius. Once you are inside, they manage your experience. All your basic needs are addressed before you even see merchandise. Do you need to use the restroom? Veer right to the facilities.

Would you like them to watch your children so that you are free to shop unencumbered by whining, meltdowns and “Stop touching that!” moments? The child-care center is to the left. Feeling a little peckish? Head up the escalator to the cafeteria and fortify with some Swedish meatballs before heading into the showroom.

The sheer volume and breadth of products available is absolutely staggering. Their aim is to completely outfit your home in one stop with clean-lined, Scandinavian furnishings. From furniture to lighting to linens to decorative items to kitchen utensils, you can find quite literally everything, including the kitchen sink.

The store is set up in little vignettes. And I don't mean just suites of furniture clustered together. These are full-on rooms decorated to the nth degree, in different combinations so you can see the possibilities. Some even show you how to live in small spaces the IKEA way. They are complete homes. If only they had running water, I would have moved in.

I bored myself so much I almost had to take a nap in nearest simply designed and well-made platform bed.

There is signage throughout the store telling you that by clearing your own table, hauling your own boxes, putting the furniture together yourself, you are helping keep the prices down. I almost expected them to ask me to come to Sweden and work in the factory to further my commitment.

Still, I couldn't help thinking while looking at an alarm clock, “Just how many hundred's of thousands of these are there in the world?” While everything appears to be well made, the mass quantities of the same item around me diminished some of my joy. It somehow just didn't feel special.

Don't get me wrong. I will be buying furniture and other things for the boys' rooms at IKEA. The place is pretty awesome. However, my advice to the new IKEA shopper is this: You have to set aside any reservations you might have relating to being treated like a cow while shopping at IKEA. From the moment you pull into the gargantuan yellow parking garage, you are corralled, told where to go, how to get there and how to shop. You are part of the herd. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a branding department where we all stop to get IKEA stamped on our hindquarters.

Embrace the bovine. Move along calmly with the herd and take it all in. Don't get overwhelmed and panic. Don't stampede. Follow the haunches in front of you and you'll be fine. Moo.

Linda Stamper Boyne of Edwards can be contacted through editor@vaildaily.com

And the prices! It boggles the mind. It's hard to wrap your head around how the items can be priced so low. I heard the voice of my college economic professor is my head saying things about supply and demand, mass production, economies of scale.