IKEA’s Crimes Against Cartography(londonreconnections.com)
londonreconnections.com
IKEA’s Crimes Against Cartography
https://www.londonreconnections.com/2022/ikeas-crimes-against-cartography/
185 comments
I also love IKEA, as it’s a great place to take my young wheelchair using daughter to get practice. IKEA is one of the most wheelchair accessible places we’ve been to. We often see other people in wheelchairs as well, I think precisely because they take accessibility seriously. She’ll exclaim “like me! Like me!” And propel herself over and compliment anyone in a wheelchair on their dress or ask them about their prosthetic leg, which so far people tend to be very kind and gracious to a little girl coming up and asking them personal questions.
It’s also great because she can basically “do all the activities” at IKEA, she can see all the furniture, go into all the display rooms, and even the dining area is wide open and accessible.
She just turned four and her favorite part is the “turbo boosts” where I give her a good push and she careens down the aisles at IKEA, using her brakes to stop herself. Braking is a super important skill for a little girl in a wheelie!
It’s also great because she can basically “do all the activities” at IKEA, she can see all the furniture, go into all the display rooms, and even the dining area is wide open and accessible.
She just turned four and her favorite part is the “turbo boosts” where I give her a good push and she careens down the aisles at IKEA, using her brakes to stop herself. Braking is a super important skill for a little girl in a wheelie!
This is one of the most wholesome and touching messages I've read here in a long time, to the point that I created an account just for this useless reply. You sound like a wonderful parent, and I've just gained a newfound appreciation for IKEA after reading this. I wish you and your daughter the best.
This is so wholesome and I love it!!
As someone who lives close to an Ikea store and can got here spontaneously it's kind of fun to observe people there. A lot of people have to travel quite a bit to visit the store as you say, so when they go make sure to try to get everything they need. Couple this with a couple of hungry kids and you have recipe for disaster. In my experience things usually start to fall apart around the bedlinen section. By the bathroom section couples are often full passive aggressive towards each other. Thankfully the flower section soon follows and appear to pick people up so they can make it through the registers.
Your description remineded me of this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33201033
I wonder what the split is; how many of the population find it exhausting vs enriching.
The “war psychology” resonates with me, but I can’t stand spending time in an IKEA store; the experience is draining and frustrating, while everything they sell is disposable, cheap, off-gassing melamine and fiberboard.
It breaks quickly, and you find yourself back at IKEA buying another cheap furniture piece.
When I was young and poor, I hated IKEA even more after wasting time and hard-earned money there.
Instead, I started buying used, high-quality furniture, made of natural materials, from second-hand furniture stores.
Just as affordable, more durable, more enjoyable to own, and I was able to sell/give it on when I was less poor.
The “war psychology” resonates with me, but I can’t stand spending time in an IKEA store; the experience is draining and frustrating, while everything they sell is disposable, cheap, off-gassing melamine and fiberboard.
It breaks quickly, and you find yourself back at IKEA buying another cheap furniture piece.
When I was young and poor, I hated IKEA even more after wasting time and hard-earned money there.
Instead, I started buying used, high-quality furniture, made of natural materials, from second-hand furniture stores.
Just as affordable, more durable, more enjoyable to own, and I was able to sell/give it on when I was less poor.
> The “war psychology” resonates with me, but I can’t stand spending time in an IKEA store; the experience is draining and frustrating, while everything they sell is disposable, cheap, off-gassing melamine and fiberboard.
Ikea sells plenty of real solid wood products, but even their mid-tier chip board book shelves last.
Ikea's light fixtures are also a good deal. Bonus that they don't use soldered in LED lights, which I've seen many cheap and even mid priced light fixtures starting to do.
Ikea's signature POÄNG chair, those things last forever.
Ikea is also often the only place that sells furniture with a clean look. At least in the Pacific NW of the US, my choices for furniture shopping are:
1. Ikea, cheap, quality ranging from meh to decent.
2. Macy's Home store and other of the ilk, horribly ugly furniture with quality ranging from decent to not too bad.
3. HOLY SHIT expensive furniture stores selling good looking stuff like CB2.
4. LOLWTFBBQ expensive furniture stores like restoration hardware, selling ugly ass shit that is of quality ranging from "not too bad" to "pretty good."
Last time I visited Vancouver BC I was very jealous of their furniture stores. :(
Ikea sells plenty of real solid wood products, but even their mid-tier chip board book shelves last.
Ikea's light fixtures are also a good deal. Bonus that they don't use soldered in LED lights, which I've seen many cheap and even mid priced light fixtures starting to do.
Ikea's signature POÄNG chair, those things last forever.
Ikea is also often the only place that sells furniture with a clean look. At least in the Pacific NW of the US, my choices for furniture shopping are:
1. Ikea, cheap, quality ranging from meh to decent.
2. Macy's Home store and other of the ilk, horribly ugly furniture with quality ranging from decent to not too bad.
3. HOLY SHIT expensive furniture stores selling good looking stuff like CB2.
4. LOLWTFBBQ expensive furniture stores like restoration hardware, selling ugly ass shit that is of quality ranging from "not too bad" to "pretty good."
Last time I visited Vancouver BC I was very jealous of their furniture stores. :(
> 4. LOLWTFBBQ expensive furniture stores like restoration hardware, selling ugly ass shit that is of quality ranging from "not too bad" to "pretty good."
My theory is there is some kind of fashion season progression for furniture, perhaps based on stuff they use on reality shows or trendy waiting rooms or something. That is the "cutting edge" designs (made nowhere particularly noteworthy and using nothing special in terms of materials) at repugnant prices.
My theory is there is some kind of fashion season progression for furniture, perhaps based on stuff they use on reality shows or trendy waiting rooms or something. That is the "cutting edge" designs (made nowhere particularly noteworthy and using nothing special in terms of materials) at repugnant prices.
Came here to say the same thing, POÄNG and a few other products from IKEA are great.
It's actually a shame they don't focus more on perfecting their offerings.
Some items get redesigned too often. Especially the melamine off-gassing stuff referred to by the parent post.
It's actually a shame they don't focus more on perfecting their offerings.
Some items get redesigned too often. Especially the melamine off-gassing stuff referred to by the parent post.
> Especially the melamine off-gassing stuff referred to by the parent post.
Agreed, last drawer I bought from them I shoved activated charcoal bags in for over a week and left the drawers open, eventually they stopped smelling.
Also the quality of their press board / chip board has dropped dramatically over the years. 20 years ago items in the Malm line were a lot heavier and could survive multiple moves. Last time I picked up a piece of a Malm bed, it felt nearly hollow.
Agreed, last drawer I bought from them I shoved activated charcoal bags in for over a week and left the drawers open, eventually they stopped smelling.
Also the quality of their press board / chip board has dropped dramatically over the years. 20 years ago items in the Malm line were a lot heavier and could survive multiple moves. Last time I picked up a piece of a Malm bed, it felt nearly hollow.
IMO there's little that approaches Ikea quality+value for lighting. I went all in on Hue way back when and none of it's lasted (some bulbs died within a couple years), and the current app is garbage. A couple years ago I bought a Kichler fixture for roughly double what the nearest Ikea equivalent cost and… yikes. The build quality was not great and the replacement wasn't a whole lot better. Installation was far more fiddly than anything I've bought from Ikea.
I've been looking at Ikea for kitchen cabinets and while there are some shops that'll do comparable quality Ikea has most of them beat on price, drawer hardware, and ease of discovery. I was thumbing through one catalog that had a whole formula to figure out how much your cabinet would cost. With Ikea the prices are right there and they're generally lower than comparable quality RTA stuff from other brands. Plus the warranty is better and installation is less fiddly.
There's just not a lot out there that's just a little bit better than Ikea. There's Ikea and then there's high end stuff.
I've been looking at Ikea for kitchen cabinets and while there are some shops that'll do comparable quality Ikea has most of them beat on price, drawer hardware, and ease of discovery. I was thumbing through one catalog that had a whole formula to figure out how much your cabinet would cost. With Ikea the prices are right there and they're generally lower than comparable quality RTA stuff from other brands. Plus the warranty is better and installation is less fiddly.
There's just not a lot out there that's just a little bit better than Ikea. There's Ikea and then there's high end stuff.
I had a consulting job where I moved every few years and even their cheapest stuff survived multiple interstate moves, some with disassembly/assembly. I'd contrast it with the lower volume stores with higher margins and constantly changing designs: Ikea stuff has to work because the margins are lower and the volume is higher : a mistake/recall would cost them more.
The good part about moving your ikea furniture between continents, as I have done, is that when the wheel on your desk chair breaks you can go to your nearest ikea and ask for another!
Well, sometimes at least: We moved from Asia (Singapore) to Europe, and while waiting for our movers to arrive, we checked the childrens bedroom in the new house against the dimensions of their beds _looked up on the European IKEA site_: The bed would not fit.
When the movers came with our container, I checked the dimensions on the actual IKEA bed we had bought in Singapore: It was smaller than the European version, and fit perfectly into the bedroom.
When the movers came with our container, I checked the dimensions on the actual IKEA bed we had bought in Singapore: It was smaller than the European version, and fit perfectly into the bedroom.
Interesting!
That particular chair I had was the same everywhere. I moved mine from Australia to the UK and got the new wheel there. Pretty sure it’s the same globally as I went to Shenzhen to visit a supplier a few years later and noticed the boardroom had very familiar seating!
(It was a ‘Markus’)
That particular chair I had was the same everywhere. I moved mine from Australia to the UK and got the new wheel there. Pretty sure it’s the same globally as I went to Shenzhen to visit a supplier a few years later and noticed the boardroom had very familiar seating!
(It was a ‘Markus’)
As a counter anecdote, nothing I have bought in IKEA has broken. They are not family heirloom pieces but I'm confident I'll be able to sell/give away all of them in some online marketplace when the time comes.
As a counter counter anecdote, I bought a wooden stool in IKEA, and it was a piece of junk that couldn't withstand any shear force.
I liked your comment, but it disappointed a bit as I was waiting to hear about the quality of IKEA countertops.
When my wife and I were in our 20s we bought an IKEA countertop and quite liked it. It lasted the few years we lived in that house and is better than the countertop we have in our much more expensive house that we haven’t yet remodeled. It wasn’t magic countertop but it was perfectly serviceable and relatively easy to install.
Thanks, that's the counter anecdote I came to HN for.
All of my Ikea products have lasted forever, and my bed is actually better after the last move because the mover replaced some of the parts for me.
It definitely depends on the product. I had an early version of the MALMO bed that was absolute trash. It broke within a year of normal use.
Things like tables I've generally felt to be of decent quality. Their kitchen fittings tend to be good enough quality to make it through their 10 year warranty.
Actually, speaking of warranties, I was just in an Ikea store in The Netherlands after moving here from the USA, and there was a large sign on the wall in the couch section proclaiming the 10 year warranty on all of their couches. So it seems they are trying to make some key products last.
I also bought some cheap plastic shelves with wheels for my new tiny Dutch bathroom. I don't expect the wheels to still roll in a year. I bought what I think it supposed to be a wire mesh "filing cabinet" (it's tiny!) to use as shoe storage in the entry way and I expect it to start rusting next year. But it was €20 and I just made an international move and money is tight atm.
You get what you pay for I think. $40 bookshelves? Not making it through a move. This model[0] however, will likely hold up fine. It looked sturdy when I saw it in the store last week.
0: https://www.ikea.com/nl/en/p/hemnes-bookcase-red-stained-lig...
Things like tables I've generally felt to be of decent quality. Their kitchen fittings tend to be good enough quality to make it through their 10 year warranty.
Actually, speaking of warranties, I was just in an Ikea store in The Netherlands after moving here from the USA, and there was a large sign on the wall in the couch section proclaiming the 10 year warranty on all of their couches. So it seems they are trying to make some key products last.
I also bought some cheap plastic shelves with wheels for my new tiny Dutch bathroom. I don't expect the wheels to still roll in a year. I bought what I think it supposed to be a wire mesh "filing cabinet" (it's tiny!) to use as shoe storage in the entry way and I expect it to start rusting next year. But it was €20 and I just made an international move and money is tight atm.
You get what you pay for I think. $40 bookshelves? Not making it through a move. This model[0] however, will likely hold up fine. It looked sturdy when I saw it in the store last week.
0: https://www.ikea.com/nl/en/p/hemnes-bookcase-red-stained-lig...
They don't hold up fine. I bought some Hemnes when I moved a few years ago. One frame broke when I loaded it up with hardbacks. The sides are incredibly thin - purely decorative with no structural support. The shelf pins are just about strong enough to hold a collection as long as you don't keep pulling books off the shelf to read them.
They're not a cheap option, considering. I was looking at them a few weeks ago thinking I should either have spent more on something more robust or looked at options elsewhere.
As for IKEA's store plan, I've long suspected the really cheap products are loss leaders to get people into the stores. The majority of products - like Hemnes - are far more expensive but still budget-or-just-over quality.
And there are always a few items, like premium persian rugs, which are far more expensive than equivalents elsewhere. I expect IKEA makes most of its money from higher margins on the just-over products.
They're not a cheap option, considering. I was looking at them a few weeks ago thinking I should either have spent more on something more robust or looked at options elsewhere.
As for IKEA's store plan, I've long suspected the really cheap products are loss leaders to get people into the stores. The majority of products - like Hemnes - are far more expensive but still budget-or-just-over quality.
And there are always a few items, like premium persian rugs, which are far more expensive than equivalents elsewhere. I expect IKEA makes most of its money from higher margins on the just-over products.
Fair enough. I haven't purchased one, but the thicker legs and trim pieces at least make it _appear_ sturdier.
The wife wanted a bookshelf so we bought a Billy for €40. I was watching a couple YouTube videos about making them a bit sturdier with glue and extra nails, so I'll probably take a stab at that this weekend when I assemble it.
Re: loss leaders, of course! They serve a €1 breakfast (with "free" coffee if you're a member, which is also free) at the store nearest me. It's an egg, cheese, and a small bread roll. Not much, but I'm paying at least €1 for bread at the local café to go with my €3 latte. The cube shelves are ridiculously cheap and really quite sturdy for most models but you pay out the nose for the cloth cubes to slot into the shelf. Want a door and a drawer to fit in one cube? That'll be half the price of the full shelf.
I think the other half of the problem here is an ignorance of the business model and marketing by consumers. If you expect a €20 shelf to last forever, you're in for a bad time. If you're a college student or a young family starting out in life and need some stuff to get through the next few years, Ikea is probably a decent option.
The wife wanted a bookshelf so we bought a Billy for €40. I was watching a couple YouTube videos about making them a bit sturdier with glue and extra nails, so I'll probably take a stab at that this weekend when I assemble it.
Re: loss leaders, of course! They serve a €1 breakfast (with "free" coffee if you're a member, which is also free) at the store nearest me. It's an egg, cheese, and a small bread roll. Not much, but I'm paying at least €1 for bread at the local café to go with my €3 latte. The cube shelves are ridiculously cheap and really quite sturdy for most models but you pay out the nose for the cloth cubes to slot into the shelf. Want a door and a drawer to fit in one cube? That'll be half the price of the full shelf.
I think the other half of the problem here is an ignorance of the business model and marketing by consumers. If you expect a €20 shelf to last forever, you're in for a bad time. If you're a college student or a young family starting out in life and need some stuff to get through the next few years, Ikea is probably a decent option.
I went looking for the rated capacity of the shelves and found this:
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/newsroom/corporate-news/safety-an...
Ikea is providing longer, presumably stronger, pins free of charge.
In any case the 48 cm wide unit is listed as having a 15 kg limit per shelf, the 89 cm wide units are rated at 30 kg. Fifteen kilos of hardback books is potentially a lot less than one might expect.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/newsroom/corporate-news/safety-an...
Ikea is providing longer, presumably stronger, pins free of charge.
In any case the 48 cm wide unit is listed as having a 15 kg limit per shelf, the 89 cm wide units are rated at 30 kg. Fifteen kilos of hardback books is potentially a lot less than one might expect.
> You get what you pay for I think. $40 bookshelves? Not making it through a move
I'm sitting next to a Billy that's nearly 2 decades and 4 moves old.
I'm sitting next to a Billy that's nearly 2 decades and 4 moves old.
This raises an obvious question: if you hate the experience and you hate the products, then why are you at the store?
I’ve helped some friends shop there, since I drive a pickup.
Just wait for them at the caffeteria?
When the local IKEA was opened, they made you go all the way through expo labyrinth just to get to cafeteria and there was even a security guard making sure nobody takes the obviously planned in shortcut from the beginning of expo hall to cafeteria.
They did open up the shortcut after a few months though.
They did open up the shortcut after a few months though.
Did you try to go directly to the cafeteria and were refused? I'd bet the security guard was there to prevent people walking backwards through the store and stealing, though I assume they purposefully placed him in an area to make people think they couldn't walk directly to the cafeteria.
Yes, he explained that the passage there is only open during emergencies or something like that.
I wonder what it feels like to be the human equivalent of a door.
The answer to this is always "well, this is an emergency for me, feel free to call the police if you mind me going to the cafeteria".
Good question. Sometimes you need something from IKEA. But same as above, I hate the Ikea experience, which is designed to exhaust the customer.
I once broke my iPad at Ikea out of tiredness (put it on an instable shelf while arguing with my partner).
It’s designed to make you tired, to make you argue with your partner, to make your kids run around and want things, and to make you slow down when you need to finish quickly. Ikea is designed to give you, in fine, a bad experience.
I once broke my iPad at Ikea out of tiredness (put it on an instable shelf while arguing with my partner).
It’s designed to make you tired, to make you argue with your partner, to make your kids run around and want things, and to make you slow down when you need to finish quickly. Ikea is designed to give you, in fine, a bad experience.
I've always thought of Ikea's business as first and foremost about international sourcing of cheap manufacturing and distribution. Walmart for furniture.
In my experience used furniture prices are all about the local supply and demand. In some places, the prices are horrific for anything,p eople are selling cheap Ikea stuff on craigslist above retail. In other places, people are practically giving it away.
In my experience used furniture prices are all about the local supply and demand. In some places, the prices are horrific for anything,p eople are selling cheap Ikea stuff on craigslist above retail. In other places, people are practically giving it away.
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>It breaks quickly
You can sometimes easily reinforce the weak parts, like screwing brittle backs of shelves on the main structure, with large repair washers else it doesn't hold.
You can sometimes easily reinforce the weak parts, like screwing brittle backs of shelves on the main structure, with large repair washers else it doesn't hold.
10 years ago I would've agreed with you but now it feels different, also bland and cheap. Like what set it apart from their competitors has eroded.
I have an old ikea shelf storage that I had to disassemble/assemble at least 3 times to move. I lost few small parts. I was able to order a replacement from their site free of charge by part number. There aren’t that many furniture companies, from which you can reorder parts that easily even for newer items.
> was able to order a replacement from their site free of charge by part number
I had the same experience with a belt clip for a knife by CRKT. 25+ year old knife discontinued who knows how long ago, and they sent me replacement parts free of charge.
Good customer support wins customers, which I suspect is why many like IKEA.
I had the same experience with a belt clip for a knife by CRKT. 25+ year old knife discontinued who knows how long ago, and they sent me replacement parts free of charge.
Good customer support wins customers, which I suspect is why many like IKEA.
I also like that they sell stuff for so long that you can buy replacements when things break. My mugs are IKEA some of them may be 20 years old. Same for plates. Even cutlery, I managed to get a matching set 10 years after the original.
I don't love IKEA, but I feel the opposite. Whereas before I thought of them as "the disposable-furniture store," now I'm less dismissive of some of their options as they have gone ever so slightly "middlescale" and offer some middling furniture.
And by my word I though ikea was bottom of the line but it turns out wayfair and Amazon can sell you much worse.
This last summer I was trying to buy an outdoor dining set.
Ikea's was all sold out. Really well designed piece, folds up nicely.
All other folding outdoor dining sets are sold online only and have terrible reviews. Horrible horrible reviews.
It turns out the price point for dining sets is as follows:
1. Whatever random product Target is selling this year for $100
2. Random product at Home Depot, which probably isn't in stock, for $250-$500, quality unknown.
3. Reasonable quality well designed piece at Ikea for $500
4. Costco's $2000 set.
Ikea continues to success for very good reasons.
Ikea's was all sold out. Really well designed piece, folds up nicely.
All other folding outdoor dining sets are sold online only and have terrible reviews. Horrible horrible reviews.
It turns out the price point for dining sets is as follows:
1. Whatever random product Target is selling this year for $100
2. Random product at Home Depot, which probably isn't in stock, for $250-$500, quality unknown.
3. Reasonable quality well designed piece at Ikea for $500
4. Costco's $2000 set.
Ikea continues to success for very good reasons.
Or Walmart etc.
Maybe 10 years ago, I bought an Ikea dresser for my bedroom and spent too much of a Saturday assembling it. At the time, I had some buyer's regret for not just having splurged on some expensive hardwood piece. But know what? It looks nice enough and does its job just fine.
And I have a couple modernish Ikea chairs in another room which look quite nice and are very comfortable.
I'm sure Ikea has bad stuff and better stuff and I only go every 2-3 years but don't really have complaints.
Maybe 10 years ago, I bought an Ikea dresser for my bedroom and spent too much of a Saturday assembling it. At the time, I had some buyer's regret for not just having splurged on some expensive hardwood piece. But know what? It looks nice enough and does its job just fine.
And I have a couple modernish Ikea chairs in another room which look quite nice and are very comfortable.
I'm sure Ikea has bad stuff and better stuff and I only go every 2-3 years but don't really have complaints.
You go to get furniture and end up with meatballs and a giant shark plushie
They are free to go to Bed Bath & Beyond.
For the moment. They are on the brink of bankruptcy. They may yet avoid it but it's gonna be close.
For the moment. They are on the brink of bankruptcy. They may yet avoid it but it's gonna be close.
Also, the author is British (the londonreconnections.com URL might be a clue) so BB&B is not an option. I know Reddit assumes everyone is American but HN should be better than that.
It is just an example and BB&B itself does not matter. You don't need to be an American or a British to understand BB&B is an alternative shop (and OP is not really suggesting that specific shop)
I love IKEA. They offer an affordable place to hang out at with good design.
Is it the best design? Of course not, but it’s one that you and most people can also afford at all stages of life including our high school and college years. in many cases it neither looks nor feels cheap. At the very least, it looks decent and is functional for a fair amount of time
Is it the best design? Of course not, but it’s one that you and most people can also afford at all stages of life including our high school and college years. in many cases it neither looks nor feels cheap. At the very least, it looks decent and is functional for a fair amount of time
A few years ago I started meticulously planning each Ikea trip, with a checklist of things in the right order so we'd be able to breeze through there, I know most of the shortcuts and we buy other random junk only if it's something we really honestly forgot to put on the list. It's given me headspace to do some people watching and there really is what I call the trek of despair as couples and families are travelling the long, long trail set out for them by the Ikea psychologists. Some people aren't very sensitive to the general mood in their environment and I guess you wouldn't necessarily be stressed out if you are like that, and also not too budget-constrained and/or easily tempted, but for most people, the trail of many decisions is a tough one. You can't easily come back for something because it takes half a day to do this, so each decision not to get something matters, and every meter of the way there are a couple of microdecisions to make, and the sheer number of decisions is a pretty strong stressor. It's also physically exhausting, our Ikea is quite large, I get tons of steps on my Apple Watch each time I go there, all at a pretty slow pace because others are stalling for arguments (giving you more time to start your own ones), it's really quite insidious and I'm certain none of this is an accident. It feels a lot more engineered than a typical supermarket and I know some of the psych work that goes into laying out a supermarket and those people don't leave much to chance, so I think it's reasonable to expect Ikea as a company that started exerting super tight control on their brand experience before almost anyone else in that segment and who builds their own stores will do that to an even higher degree. I guess if this leaves you wholly unaffected and unbothered (big if, a lot of this is very subconscious) then you're a big outlier. Most people certainly soak up the vibe and get stressed out to varying degrees. It's actually quite striking if you have to go there on Christmas Eve (I once had) and find the whole store pretty much empty, it completely transforms the feel of the space into something pretty fun and positive. It's a weird, weird place.
I like IKEA, but I still agree with the metaphor.
The layout is fine for a mooch, if you go for 1 specific thing, it's terrible.
The layout is fine for a mooch, if you go for 1 specific thing, it's terrible.
In defense of the author, I think it’s a joke. You’ve opened my mind to the idea that it’s not a joke. Either way, they made me laugh. It’s a funny way to look at IKEA. Regardless, as you pointed out, it’s a unique experience.
You can like it and still be conscious of the lengths they go to in order to keep you engaged longer and spending more.
Personally, I like it every now and then, but it is exhausting, or expensive, or both.
Personally, I like it every now and then, but it is exhausting, or expensive, or both.
I love IKEA. I even visited an IKEA whilst in Norway just to see how it stacked up to the UK.
> “To further disorient shoppers … there are no windows through which to sense direction or time.”
This is not universally true! My local IKEA in Greenwich, London (built relatively recently) does actually have large panoramic windows on parts of the upper, showroom level. I think it adds a more modern and cheerful vibe to the place compared to other IKEAs.
I’ve also noticed they’ve gotten a bit better in recent years at signposting the “secret” shortcuts between sections, which makes things easier when you really do want to grab some specific items and get out quickly!
This is not universally true! My local IKEA in Greenwich, London (built relatively recently) does actually have large panoramic windows on parts of the upper, showroom level. I think it adds a more modern and cheerful vibe to the place compared to other IKEAs.
I’ve also noticed they’ve gotten a bit better in recent years at signposting the “secret” shortcuts between sections, which makes things easier when you really do want to grab some specific items and get out quickly!
Same in Allaman, Switzerland. I wonder if it's sometimes required by law. Anyway, seeing the wheat fields and the villages from inside the store has always been part of the experience for me.
IKEA is a bit like Disneyland. You know where it is, you know it's just a place, but it feels weirdly magical and nostalgic. Even the smell is always exactly the same.
IKEA is a bit like Disneyland. You know where it is, you know it's just a place, but it feels weirdly magical and nostalgic. Even the smell is always exactly the same.
Well I guess if there is some nice scenery worth looking onto, they put windows there. But if given Ikea shop is in some industrial district full of other warehouses, they won't degrade viewing experience by ugly views from windows onto grey metallic walls of nearby buildings.
I wouldn't expect this to be in law, other big shops sometimes don't have a lot of windows neither.
I wouldn't expect this to be in law, other big shops sometimes don't have a lot of windows neither.
There are also windows in Red Hook, New York City IKEA. It's nice at sunset.
Southampton there is a big panoramic view from the restaurant, but the rest of the store is in the middle of a very boring shopping district, so you would otherwise be looking at cars and other buildings.
Yep, most (all?) of them have windows in the restaurant part, in my experience.
Can't say. But there really isn't anything to see outside this store, so any other Windows would be a bit pointless. From what I remember the one I went to just outside of Bergen also only really had windows in the restaurant, but the scenery was a lot more stunning.
The complaint about windows is also such a weird one. I struggle to remember a single big shop with windows (except windows on the entrance side).
Big shops are decorated warehouses.
Big shops are decorated warehouses.
Same with the store in Minnesota. Has big windows.
Meanwhile I just walk back through the checklanes straight to the warehouse to get whatever cheap furniture I need. Nobody's ever bothered to yell at me for doing this.
There's also usually a shortcut from the front door to the warehouse (possibly by way of the "marketplace"). It should not take more than 60 seconds to get there (+30 seconds looking at a map).
The article goes into detail about how they are changing some of the maps into abstract diagrams, similar to a transit map (which is, I suppose, why the article is on a blog primarily about transport nerdism)
Yeah, they have digital kiosks in the warehouse that people can use to search up where to find the items :)
But how do you know location of the items your are looking for?
The website has that info (aisle & bin), iirc.
Note: Some items require multiple boxes, from different bins. And sometimes only 2 out of 3 are in stock, even though though the website says there are 3-5 of each in stock.
Note: Some items require multiple boxes, from different bins. And sometimes only 2 out of 3 are in stock, even though though the website says there are 3-5 of each in stock.
They have kiosks to search for items too.
The article uses TfL signage from Kings Cross as an example of clear and crisp direction. This is a bit funny, because Kings Cross signate (specifically) sometimes directs you to take a longer path (hoping to avoid overcrowding in peak times). In some cases, you're better off going in the very opposite direction.
That's often fine though. If you are at an unfamiliar station with lots of exits and paths, the least congested, go-with-the-flow path is usually the least bother. Once you get to know a place you can vary based on personal experience and willingness to brave sections where you'll be going against the flow of pedestrians.
Ikea lost sales with me because of the "double find" requirement that you find what you are looking for when browsing in the display area, make a note of what it is, and then you have to find it again in the warehouse. I just gave up trying to find some items.
In addition they don't put all the same things in one place in either place. They get sprawled. The idea is probably to make you buy something you didn't think of when you came in. But armed with a list, it had the opposite effect on me, especially when kmart exists :-)
In addition they don't put all the same things in one place in either place. They get sprawled. The idea is probably to make you buy something you didn't think of when you came in. But armed with a list, it had the opposite effect on me, especially when kmart exists :-)
It's a de-coupling device also. Like the same set of legs might go on 5 different pieces of furnature. You might have to stock legs in 5 locations. But having all the racks at the end means only 1 location to stock legs. Multiplied by every product in there it's a lot less logistics. Plus re-stocking is very easy.
My local IKEA (and others in Germany I've been to) has an inventory number on a tag of every item. Next to it is the shelf number and section within that shelf where I can find that particular item in the warehouse. IKEA also provides pencils and small pieces of paper with lists already printed on them to jot down any shelf + section + inventory numbers of stuff you want to grab.
Is it not like this in your local IKEAs?
Is it not like this in your local IKEAs?
For big things yes. For loose items, like bedding, nope.
Out here there are kiosks in the warehouse portion that will give you the location of all the big parts. Smaller stuff will typically be listed under e.g. "electronics", so in general I'd say if you know what you want you can skip looking twice. Additionally you can actually ask the staff. When I asked for the location of all the parts for a Malm bed the guy printed out a whole list of the required boxes and their respective locations.
Unfortunately there's no direct route between the entrance and the warehouse.
Unfortunately there's no direct route between the entrance and the warehouse.
What do you mean KMart exists?
Australian KMart, most likely.
KMart is a good competitor to Ikea. At least in Australia.
This is confusing because Australian KMart and Target have nothing to do with American KMart and Target. Australian KMart is American Target, while American KMart traditionally looks like a bomb went off inside the store and nobody has bothered to clean it up yet.
Australian kmart is more walmart
And in the center there is the gun section.
What’s the alternative though? Many of the items are unwieldy. For the items that can be carried with you around the store, you pick them up off the shelf and take them to the checkout.
They are, afterall, a business trying to sell their products. For a furniture store (my experience is from stores in India), I find the experience compelling.
Part of the reason their stores are like that, is they prioritize the look and feel of the "space", rather than the look and feel of the "product", which, to me is great marketing for a furniture company.
When I go to an IKEA and walk around their showcase rooms, I imagine different furniture items in my own home, visualize their location and use and then make a decision.
Its actually a great experience. Also, in India, most of my friends and colleagues go to an Ikea with an expectation that they will be spending their whole day there, probably lunch there and go to a movie at the end, perhaps.
So the whole shopping experience is very very relaxed and if you have kids, a whole riot.
Its awesome.
Part of the reason their stores are like that, is they prioritize the look and feel of the "space", rather than the look and feel of the "product", which, to me is great marketing for a furniture company.
When I go to an IKEA and walk around their showcase rooms, I imagine different furniture items in my own home, visualize their location and use and then make a decision.
Its actually a great experience. Also, in India, most of my friends and colleagues go to an Ikea with an expectation that they will be spending their whole day there, probably lunch there and go to a movie at the end, perhaps.
So the whole shopping experience is very very relaxed and if you have kids, a whole riot.
Its awesome.
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You enjoy brick-and-mortar shopping, and that’s fine. Not everyone does. I want to spend as little time as possible with my limited time in this world buying house goods. And I, too, have kids. We just don’t spend time together shopping at IKEA.
So don't. In the US at least you can do curbside pickup for most things the store stocks.
Unnecessary (probably unintentional as well) snark detected :)
Relevent SCP: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-3008
Relevant game based on that entry: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1593010/The_Store_is_Clos...
Also Horrorstör: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13129925-horrorst-r
My personal best time is 4 minutes, 30 seconds (give or take).
I find what I want online (I'm not counting this towards the total time). I go to the store and walk in the exit, through the checkouts to the storage hangar, use the computer to look up which aisle my Knoppflogg (or whatever) is stored, pick it out and go.
I find what I want online (I'm not counting this towards the total time). I go to the store and walk in the exit, through the checkouts to the storage hangar, use the computer to look up which aisle my Knoppflogg (or whatever) is stored, pick it out and go.
My record for one of the largest IKEA stores in the world, walking briskly only in the intended direction, is 7 some minutes. If you know what you're looking for and you're used to spotting the shortcuts you don't have to spend long.
Or rather, if you find yourself spending a long time in IKEA, confused by the layout, it's because that's how you've chosen to navigate the store. With preparation you don't have to.
Or rather, if you find yourself spending a long time in IKEA, confused by the layout, it's because that's how you've chosen to navigate the store. With preparation you don't have to.
For a new personal best you can even skip going to the in-store computer. The IKEA website can tell you where your item is, if you select the store you’re going to.
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Does this "wearing down the shopper" really work on a significant portion of people? I've basically always gone through the labyrinth for fun, and then just pick up the one or two items I'd noted down from the website from the warehouse area...
It's also funny that they use TfL signage as the "gold standard", because tube stations do actually take you on longer than necessary paths (for better circulation at busy times I think, to try and avoid streams of people going opposite directions to clash, so it takes people going one way through a longer circuit to avoid it). If you know where to go you can actually take shortcuts at many stations and get out quicker.
It's also funny that they use TfL signage as the "gold standard", because tube stations do actually take you on longer than necessary paths (for better circulation at busy times I think, to try and avoid streams of people going opposite directions to clash, so it takes people going one way through a longer circuit to avoid it). If you know where to go you can actually take shortcuts at many stations and get out quicker.
I know Ikea’s game, I don’t go there for a quick visit. I go there expecting to take a while, wander, shop.
It’s ikea, not a gas station.
It’s ikea, not a gas station.
Most of our trips to Ikea involve picking up flatpak products we've already looked at online. The nice thing about Ikea is that once you've already bought stuff from there, you kind of know what to expect when it comes to quality and construction. They offer the full dimensions of their stuff online so you can get a feel for the size of something large. There's little need to go check out a table in the showroom before you pickup the box from the warehouse. We simply cut through the checkout lines, grab a cart at the back of the warehouse, grab our stuff, and are gone without having to navigate the maze.
You get suckered into walking the store when you just want to grab a couple small things like from the kitchen section and now feel compelled to just walk the rest of the way out.
One thing I do really like about them is their spare parts desk. You can get just about any piece of hardware for free. I had a bracket for my bedframe break that was several years old. They still sell the bedframe but I was unsure if they would help. They gave me a new bracket that was actually better designed to prevent how it broke for me. Same thing happened with a desk leg mounting plate. They had did not thread the hole for the leg to screw on so it was entirely unusable. They simply just gave me a new plate. No questions asked, no warranty periods, just make the customer happy so they come back and buy more stuff. A lot of our stuff comes from Ikea so I'm happy with my purchases. As long as you aren't too rough on it or try to disassemble it, it will last.
You get suckered into walking the store when you just want to grab a couple small things like from the kitchen section and now feel compelled to just walk the rest of the way out.
One thing I do really like about them is their spare parts desk. You can get just about any piece of hardware for free. I had a bracket for my bedframe break that was several years old. They still sell the bedframe but I was unsure if they would help. They gave me a new bracket that was actually better designed to prevent how it broke for me. Same thing happened with a desk leg mounting plate. They had did not thread the hole for the leg to screw on so it was entirely unusable. They simply just gave me a new plate. No questions asked, no warranty periods, just make the customer happy so they come back and buy more stuff. A lot of our stuff comes from Ikea so I'm happy with my purchases. As long as you aren't too rough on it or try to disassemble it, it will last.
> Most of our trips to Ikea involve picking up flatpak products we've already looked at online.
Then I take a note of the shelf numbers and walk right through the exit (!) to the shelves (at the end of the supposed shopping stroll). Takes me about 15 minutes usually.
Then I take a note of the shelf numbers and walk right through the exit (!) to the shelves (at the end of the supposed shopping stroll). Takes me about 15 minutes usually.
Do you guys not have click & collect services? I can order online, then just walk in through a designated door, give my order number, and someone comes out to me with a trolley loaded with all of my stuff. Last time I went to Ikea was two days ago - I was there for all of two minutes
They will also send spare parts in the post if you ask online. It’s quite nice to receive a mailer from Northern Europe with replacements for your lost gazebo bolts free of charge, although my kid would say the Danish equivalent for broken Lego bricks is more exciting!
>You get suckered into walking the store
I don't really feel that way. At least the Ikea I visit it's pretty obvious where to go if you just want to get X.
I don't really feel that way. At least the Ikea I visit it's pretty obvious where to go if you just want to get X.
I find that IKEA is very good at camouflaging the various shortcuts.
Here is a good trick: the fire department requires that stores post the floor plan near the entrance. I studied the floor plan in my local IKEA and I was able to find multiple new pathways that I never noticed before, saving me a lot of time.
Here is a good trick: the fire department requires that stores post the floor plan near the entrance. I studied the floor plan in my local IKEA and I was able to find multiple new pathways that I never noticed before, saving me a lot of time.
Ours has them clearly displayed on the large maps in each room. It makes it pretty easy to skip sections if you are so inclined.
When they rebuild my local IKEA a few years ago, they replaced the large maps with the line map as described in the article. So it's interesting to know they kept the large maps in some IKEAs.
One of the things I hate about IKEA is all the virtue-signalling they're always doing recently - including a lot of bullshit about not encouraging over-consumption and all the usual 'planet-care' stuff - and yet excellent articles like this lay bare the lie.
I've worked on some IKEA advertising campaigns myself in the past, and have had colleagues and friends who work there, so I've heard enough 'back-story' to have other reasons to not like the company [0] but when caught in the seemingly endless labyrinth, I've behaved in exactly the way described in the article. Particularly annoying is how much extra stuff I buy just to avoid needing to come back some indeterminate time in the future.
[0] one example was their ruthless negotiating when encouraging developing countries to open production-factories in poor areas, so that local or national government would contribute large sums to the setup costs in return for an IKEA contract, which they would then just use until the contract expired and move on to the next desperate place.
I've worked on some IKEA advertising campaigns myself in the past, and have had colleagues and friends who work there, so I've heard enough 'back-story' to have other reasons to not like the company [0] but when caught in the seemingly endless labyrinth, I've behaved in exactly the way described in the article. Particularly annoying is how much extra stuff I buy just to avoid needing to come back some indeterminate time in the future.
[0] one example was their ruthless negotiating when encouraging developing countries to open production-factories in poor areas, so that local or national government would contribute large sums to the setup costs in return for an IKEA contract, which they would then just use until the contract expired and move on to the next desperate place.
Over the past 3 months I've had to make several trips to Ikea to usually buy one or 2 items (a shelf I forgot for our entertainment center, a bracket for the hanging shelf in my office, etc). I've gotten pretty good at walking in, taking the correct shortcut, and getting out of there in 10-15 minutes.
The secret is to park by the exit, and go backwards. The small, useful stuff is closer to the exit, and the flatpaks are there.
Exactly. In mine, I do have to cut through the checkout to get there. Also make sure you look up what you need on your phone ahead of time, so you know exactly where you're going.
At my local IKEA, they've made it so hostile that you there is no path to go back out the front door. Right when you enter, there is a one way escalator going up. They do provide an elevator for accessibility, but there is no call button on the second floor to go back down.
> despite the judicious use of the shortcuts, the store’s footprint still had to be traversed almost twice, once on each storey.
Anecdotally, you can skip a storey too.
Not just by going through the closest shortcut but by not entering it at all. At least that’s what I did during my last visit.
Anecdotally, you can skip a storey too.
Not just by going through the closest shortcut but by not entering it at all. At least that’s what I did during my last visit.
setting showrooms aside as they feel useless,
you start off in the impulse buy areas, and leave through the bleak self-service areas. This doesn't jibe with the "ikea intentionally makes you tired to make you impulse buy" narrative
you start off in the impulse buy areas, and leave through the bleak self-service areas. This doesn't jibe with the "ikea intentionally makes you tired to make you impulse buy" narrative
In the IKEAs I frequent, there is a separate section of bargain-buy product bins between the self-service racks and the check-out registers, perfectly positioned to trigger impulse buys as you wait in line.
The author explains how this strategy still ends up working:
> Furthermore, because the layout is so confusing and oriented for one way flow, shoppers know they won’t easily be able to go back and get an item later. So they pop it into their large trolley and continue shopping.
> Furthermore, because the layout is so confusing and oriented for one way flow, shoppers know they won’t easily be able to go back and get an item later. So they pop it into their large trolley and continue shopping.
One Weird Trick that IKEA does is also paying almost no corporate taxes, as all IKEA is owned by several non-profits across Europe.
I think Lidl does the same trick too.
I think Lidl does the same trick too.
Oddly, the online experience is just the opposite. Looking at sofas, the IKEA website is the easiest to deal with. It has filtering that covers all the criteria I was needed to check. So the process was, filter out all the items I definitely don't want, sort by price, skip ones that don't quite fit (their size filtering is inexact, which is a limitation) then go and view the one of two or three of interest.
By contrast, the process many other sites want you to follow is:
Select one of a meaningless list of made up names, presumably do they can apply price discrimination to you .
Select by colour. The least rational choice is the only one you are allowed to make using an efficient mechanism
Check the details of a long list of sofas until you find one that will actually fit your room
Fail, and go back and choose another random name.
(Ended up getting one from nabru rather than IKEA, whose website is not too bad either. They don't make it that clear but they actually only have 2 lines and everything else is an option, so you can get the exact sofa to fit your space if you ignore the silly branding section and use the design tool)
By contrast, the process many other sites want you to follow is:
Select one of a meaningless list of made up names, presumably do they can apply price discrimination to you .
Select by colour. The least rational choice is the only one you are allowed to make using an efficient mechanism
Check the details of a long list of sofas until you find one that will actually fit your room
Fail, and go back and choose another random name.
(Ended up getting one from nabru rather than IKEA, whose website is not too bad either. They don't make it that clear but they actually only have 2 lines and everything else is an option, so you can get the exact sofa to fit your space if you ignore the silly branding section and use the design tool)
The restaurant is a trick too.
You can immediately enter ikea and go to the restaurant to eat reasonably priced food.
However, you can't go there to eat and then just leave.
The route from the entrance to the restaurant is a trap. The escalator is one-way, and the elevator has no button to get back down.
The only way out of the restaurant is down the stairs to the long shopping maze.
You can immediately enter ikea and go to the restaurant to eat reasonably priced food.
However, you can't go there to eat and then just leave.
The route from the entrance to the restaurant is a trap. The escalator is one-way, and the elevator has no button to get back down.
The only way out of the restaurant is down the stairs to the long shopping maze.
Weird. The one near me has some stairs as well as the escalators (and I think a lift nearby too), so you can just go straight up to the restaurant and then straight out if you want... The stairs also go down to the market hall area so you don't have to go through the labyrinth upstairs if you don't want to.
> and the elevator has no button to get back down.
At my ikea that's true, but if you get on at the 2nd floor someone will inevitably be on the bottom floor to summon the elevator.
At my ikea that's true, but if you get on at the 2nd floor someone will inevitably be on the bottom floor to summon the elevator.
I've been to quite a few IKEAs in both Italy and Germany, never experienced anything remote like this - there are always shortcuts, and they are often quite clearly labeled.
Is this a US thing?
Is this a US thing?
Find the elevator. They’ll have one for ADA and they go up and down.
the food is subsidized by the odds that you'll buy something on your way out?
I'll take this opportunity to plug a good comedy-horror book: Horrorstör, by Grady Hendrix[1]. It's set in an ikea-like store, and much of the intro is a comedic jab at the ikea store layout tricks.
[1] http://www.gradyhendrix.com/
[1] http://www.gradyhendrix.com/
> IKEA is the McDonald’s of housewares
That's pretty far out. McDonald's is not fit for any home, heck even any human. IKEA sells good stuff . They are functional and look OK. It's disgraceful to compare it to McDonald's food.
That's pretty far out. McDonald's is not fit for any home, heck even any human. IKEA sells good stuff . They are functional and look OK. It's disgraceful to compare it to McDonald's food.
IKEA product quality is abysmal. Like the food quality of McDonald’s.
I am surprised by this statement. I have used IKEA stuff for over 20 years, hardly anything is abysmal. Which region/country are you talking about? When you buy a mattress/bed, do you buy the lowest end? IKEA has good quality stuff if you are willing to pay a bit more (but not outrageous prices).
If you want solid wood desks and furniture, then ikea is terrible quality. If you want a desk that a 10 year old can pick up and move on his own, ikea is great quality.
Ikea has solid wood furniture. Their sofas, at least the one I bought, the frame was solid wood. The table and benches I bought from them was solid wood. Some dinning room table and chairs I bought from them were solid wood. The kitchen island cart I bought from them was solid wood.
The famous KALLAX shelves and MALM drawers are not solid wood but just because some of the their furniture is not doesn't mean all of it isn't
The famous KALLAX shelves and MALM drawers are not solid wood but just because some of the their furniture is not doesn't mean all of it isn't
Their wood products are made from some composite wood chips, MDF, with glue, or something (I’m sure someone will reply with the correct product names). Not only does it exude VOCs for months or years to come (again like McDonald’s, affecting your health unless you use indoor air filters), but the wood products often crack off at the edges.
Their plastic products are made some quality of plastic that is too thin. They don’t break in my experience, but I question Why they are so thin to begin with.
Their plastic products are made some quality of plastic that is too thin. They don’t break in my experience, but I question Why they are so thin to begin with.
Ikea sells budget furniture as you describe, but they also sell furniture made from real wood. It costs more, of course.
The thinner it is, presumably the easier it is to pack and load.
Flat-pack is all about efficiently making it easy to carry in the car, and also trying to shove as many pallets into a truck or warehouse as possible. In a similar vein, much of what used to be glass or metal is now plastic, because it's lighter and thinner and you can use the space saved to pack more into a pallet.
Flat-pack is all about efficiently making it easy to carry in the car, and also trying to shove as many pallets into a truck or warehouse as possible. In a similar vein, much of what used to be glass or metal is now plastic, because it's lighter and thinner and you can use the space saved to pack more into a pallet.
Have you met Marcus? (chair). Only one at this price point, which actually lasts (I used to be responsible for office furnitures for tens of people).
There are Lack tables for couple of dollars and there's a lot of good quality items. Pick what you need (if it has to last, it won't be the cheapest one on the display).
There are Lack tables for couple of dollars and there's a lot of good quality items. Pick what you need (if it has to last, it won't be the cheapest one on the display).
The later GTA games include an extended universe of corporate satire, and one of the subjects is IKEA. The fictitious KRAPEA has one of the most hilarious in-game websites in GTA:IV [1]. The store layout is described as a "maze of post-modern doom".
I don't disagree.
[1] https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/gtawiki/images/1/1b/Krapea...
I don't disagree.
[1] https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/gtawiki/images/1/1b/Krapea...
It’s fine. You can take shortcuts in Ikea if you need to. Apple Watch compass helps :). My favourite is entering via the exit and just picking up what you wanted anyway.
Arrive when it opens, leave 10 minutes later.
Arrive when it opens, leave 10 minutes later.
Having just furnished a house we bought last fall, Ive been to a few furniture stores ltely. I’ll tell you, _a_ plan, even a psychologically nefaruous plan, beats _no_ plan any day of the week.
IKEA uses dark patterns of warehouse design. In the book "The truth about IKEA", a former IKEA executive describes how they purposely creates mazes in their warehouses.
[deleted]
They are sneaky with those hidden paths.
I often go to IKEA to hang out in the upstairs cafe and work on my laptop. Getting back out is really easy. There is a very obvious (but unalarmed!) fire staircase near the cafe.
At the bottom of the stairs, there are obviously-marked and alarmed doors to the outside. But there is a set of unmarked non-alarmed doors that open to the ground floor near the main entrance.
I asked an employee and they said it was no issue as long as I didn’t use the outside doors.
I often go to IKEA to hang out in the upstairs cafe and work on my laptop. Getting back out is really easy. There is a very obvious (but unalarmed!) fire staircase near the cafe.
At the bottom of the stairs, there are obviously-marked and alarmed doors to the outside. But there is a set of unmarked non-alarmed doors that open to the ground floor near the main entrance.
I asked an employee and they said it was no issue as long as I didn’t use the outside doors.
In our store the main entrance lets you go into the showrooms, jump to the middle where the smaller items like kitchen goods are, or go to the cafe. In each “room” there are large maps showing the overall network, where you are and the shortcuts between rooms. It’s pretty easy to navigate. Of course you can also enter at the registers, walk through the warehouse and get to the end of the shops that way too.
It's surprising to me that IKEA only has 464 stores (https://www.statista.com/statistics/241821/number-of-stores-...).
For a company that have a revenue of 42 billion, I was expecting that there would be more stores. I guess the world isn't that big.
For a company that have a revenue of 42 billion, I was expecting that there would be more stores. I guess the world isn't that big.
100 million per store seems pretty good
When I go to an IKEA, I skip the labyrinth and stroll through the warehouse. It’s a different experience, as things are sorted out in seemingly random ways, but I am more in control and it’s less crowded.
If my wife wants to enter the rats maze I treat it as a video game where the objective is finding and using all the camouflaged shortcuts and fire exits. The kitchen section is lava.
If my wife wants to enter the rats maze I treat it as a video game where the objective is finding and using all the camouflaged shortcuts and fire exits. The kitchen section is lava.
The part about the grocery stores reminded me of why I love shopping at Aldi. Not only are the products great and affordable, the layout almost never changes in one store. Get in, get the goods, get out. They optimize for overall throughput, not cart volume per customer.
Our local IKEA has made the shortcuts even less obvious. You can skip a whole floor by taking two shortcuts. However, after taking the first shortcut, you actually have to (counterintuitively) walk back one department to get to the second shortcut that brings you to the end.
Mind games.
Mind games.
>but they may also be required to ensure speedy evacuation in case of fire or emergency
I'd like to see one of those airplane evacuation tests conducted at IKEA to see how well these arrows work, or whether the IKEA promenande is a fire hazard.
I'd like to see one of those airplane evacuation tests conducted at IKEA to see how well these arrows work, or whether the IKEA promenande is a fire hazard.
Given how narrow the shortcuts are between the walls I have visions of those airplane tests where everyone gets plugged up in the galley and nobody can get out.
The store I go to has very obvious fire exits on all the outside walls. The ones on the upper level have windows so you can see they go outside.
You’re always a section or two away from a set of doors. And they have the required red exit signs everywhere.
I was actually there when the alarm went off. The nearest evacuation route actually went into the back offices. Didn’t have any trouble finding my way out.
You’re always a section or two away from a set of doors. And they have the required red exit signs everywhere.
I was actually there when the alarm went off. The nearest evacuation route actually went into the back offices. Didn’t have any trouble finding my way out.
Part of the psychology of IKEA is that as you get experience and know the tricks and the shortcuts, you feel you are a better IKEA shopper than the normal people, and that just makes you visit more and buy more.
How I shop at Ikea:
1) immediately go to the exit and get a soft serve, in it's the only thing that makes the place tolerable
2) near the registers are the computers to locate the flat pack stuff, use those to shop
3) get the item and check out
4) never go to the top floor showroom
1) immediately go to the exit and get a soft serve, in it's the only thing that makes the place tolerable
2) near the registers are the computers to locate the flat pack stuff, use those to shop
3) get the item and check out
4) never go to the top floor showroom
I’m curious what examples people might have of what the most customer friendly store layout is.
What store do you think, “this is a completely no-nonsense customer friendly layout?”
What store do you think, “this is a completely no-nonsense customer friendly layout?”
Apple Stores. You can see absolutely everything from the moment you walk in.
(With the possible exception of multi-story stores, but maybe there isn't much you can do about that.)
A good contrast is Best Buy stores. I hate them so much. It's impossible to find anything.
(With the possible exception of multi-story stores, but maybe there isn't much you can do about that.)
A good contrast is Best Buy stores. I hate them so much. It's impossible to find anything.
Are you really comparing Apple store and Best Buy?
100 vs 10000 product stores?
Louis Vuitton Boutique vs H&M store
100 vs 10000 product stores?
Louis Vuitton Boutique vs H&M store
I guess if you're literally just talking about layout but checking out there is so annoying. Easily my least favorite store because I have to go find a free employee to check out.
They just miss the mark on purchasing. So much waiting next to the phones.
Shop once to get a feeling for what you want to purchase.
Order online for pickup at the store.
Drive up to a parking spot right in front.
Click the link in the order confirmation email.
Note your parking spot number.
Wait 5 minutes.
Done.
Order online for pickup at the store.
Drive up to a parking spot right in front.
Click the link in the order confirmation email.
Note your parking spot number.
Wait 5 minutes.
Done.
I found all the shortcuts in our IKEA but I don’t use them all the time. Sometimes I enjoy their war psychology tactics
You could say the same about navigating a Home Depot or Lowes.
Pro-tip for shopping at Home Depot: order whatever you need with in store pickup. You’ll generally get it same day and leave it to them to navigate the labyrinth to find that size Q widget. Most importantly, when the online stock status does not match the actual shelves, they pay the wasted time and report that back to you.
In my experience with Home Depot order pickup:
a) when they don't actually have stock of something they just silently refund it and don't give it to you. When you're buying a bunch of small things like fixtures it can be easy not to notice that an important one is missing, which is even more infuriating when there's a clear and acceptable substitute to the missing SKU
b) You lose the opportunity to screen for clearly returned or damaged goods, which at least my local branch is rife with.
My alternative tip is to use the website (filtered to your store), where they tell you exactly what aisle and bay the product you're looking for is in.
a) when they don't actually have stock of something they just silently refund it and don't give it to you. When you're buying a bunch of small things like fixtures it can be easy not to notice that an important one is missing, which is even more infuriating when there's a clear and acceptable substitute to the missing SKU
b) You lose the opportunity to screen for clearly returned or damaged goods, which at least my local branch is rife with.
My alternative tip is to use the website (filtered to your store), where they tell you exactly what aisle and bay the product you're looking for is in.
YMMV. I’ve had nothing but trouble with both pickup and delivery from both Home Depot and Lowes, the last time I ordered from Lowe’s they told me “oh, you can’t believe the website when they say that we have it and it will be there tomorrow, you have to call in to make sure.” Home Depot took four hours to pick my order after I showed up because I got an email saying it was ready, I ended up having to follow them around to make sure they did it.
Good tip, unless you're buying lumber. You'll invariably end up with some amount of warped trash lumber if you let them pick it out for you.
Exactly, HD lumber is junk to begin with, often you need to go through half of the pile to find couple decent pieces. If you order online you’ll get junk filtered out by other customers.
Is this a thing? Home Depot and Lowes both list the aisle and bin number on the website, in my experience. I've often found myself wishing other stores were as easy to navigate.
The problem arises when the item isn’t actually on the listed shelf or it’s all the way at the top requiring an employee to bring it down. Or worse when the stock status does not jive with reality.
Maybe I’m an anomaly, but as somebody whose been doing a ton of pandemic DIY home projects, I’ve been at Home Depot and Lowes hundreds of times over the past 2 years, and I can’t think of a time where they said something was in stock and it wasn’t, or wasn’t where they said it would be. I’m 100% confident the site has never given me an aisle location for an item stored on the top shelf where they do bulk storage and need employee help.
I think sometime in 2020 this became just a "tip for anywhere that has a physical store."
Pro-Tip #2, their website will tell you aisle #1, location # for every item and usually if it's in stock
Not really, there is a big difference between having a hard time finding one of 100k items in a big store, versus traversing a deliberate maze.
It is like the author never went to any other stores...
wonder why the author spells shown as shewn.
It’s a legit, if slightly archaic, British spelling variant: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shew
Yes, to the point that it’s almost only used tongue in cheek, like a black umbrella paired with a bowler hat but more subtle.
ncmncm(1)
I despise shopping at Ikea. I call it the world's largest escape room.
I know you’re downvoted and in the minority. But I’ve come to support you. I agree. And I’ll pay extra at another store to avoid IKEA.
Evidently the author does not like IKEA…which is perfectly fine. They are free to go to Bed Bath & Beyond.
But to offer a counter perspective…I like IKEA. Sometimes we travel 90 minutes just to go hang out there and shop. It’s kinda fun and interesting and weird in a way that makes it different from ordinary shopping.
I’m not saying that they’re the world’s most virtuous company or should be exempt from criticism, just that it’s odd to accuse them of using war psychology to beat their customers into submission when a _lot_ of people really enjoy the experience.