Between the receipt and Dead Badger’s account of a trip to IKEA, I am practically snorting over here.
I just went to IKEA last weekend, and man does that place take it out of me. Plus, you get home and HAVE TO ASSEMBLE THE FUCKING THING BY READING PICTOGRAPHS.
And yet, practically every goddamn piece of furniture in my home came from IKEA. When will I learn?
FLARN
As a datapoint, we bought a changing table there for our daughter. We’re still using some of the components. She’s 26 now. Most of my bookcases are Ikea, and they’re the best for the money I’ve seen (I use lots of bookcases.) I’ve had pretty positive experiences with them. I enjoy assembling the stuff, but I do 3-d jigsaw puzzles.
I think I may stay away from the chairs, though.
I just read this and guffawed. My manager in the next aisle called out “Let me guess - you’re on that Dope thing, right?” A couple of heads turned.
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/songdetails/Ikea#
Please to be clicking on the video tab. Enjoy.
Oh Helheim! Loki the Asgard broke, and threemae has a Thor Hind. 
Helheim is the place where the Norse that sat on their asses instead of fighting went when dead. 
Yah Hind is Greek myth. Live with it.
I’m not a big fan of Ikea, but if I ever turn on the TV and see they’ve gotten the Swedish Chef from the Muppetts to be their spokesman, I will become a devoted and outspoken fan.
No problems with my IKEA book cases either.
If I bought fewer books, I could afford fancier cases. But then I wouldn’t need as many of them…
As mhendo pointed out, there are obviously cultural differences at play here, and policies like Ikeas are widespread here. For companies like my employer, a policy like this isn’t soley to prevent merchandise being returned that was purchased elsewhere, it’s to prevent shoplifters getting refunds and exchanges on products they stole from us in the first place. Ikea products clearly came from Ikea, but that doesn’t mean that they were purchased. Ikea do not want to reward theft with more free product. It’s not “you can’t prove you bought the unique-to-Ikea product at Ikea”, it’s “you can’t prove you bought the unique-to-Ikea product”.
We (the company that I worked for) periodically get hit by organised gangs of shoplifters despite our “onerous” return policy, but I believe management when they say that we would provide a much more attractive target to them if they knew they could get cash refunds or store credit from us without a receipt, which in turn would drive up the amount of store security needed to protect our merchandise. Reading any thread on here about the outrage people experience when asked to show their bag/receipt when they leave a store and you’ll understand that these methods of attempted shrinkage control are considered intrusive and undesirable. It’s a fine line that retailers walk, to keep thefts to an acceptable minimum while not pissing off genuine customers with too much surveillance, harsh return policies or restrictive security devices. That’s why I say to blame the dishonest people who ruin it for everyone.
How exactly does one shoplift an office chair? The last one I bought came in a box over 2 feet (0.61 meters) on a side. It would have been tough hiding that under my trenchcoat.
You didn’t read my earlier post? As far as I know, Ikea doesn’t manufacture their stuff onsite or instore - there are a myriad of opportunities for products to disappear before they ever hit the shelves during shipping, transportation and storage.
It’s also quite difficult to effectively word and enforce a policy that requires receipts only for items small enough to be shoplifted. Far simpler to require receipts for all returns that to require your staff to measure all boxes and assess the likelyhood of it fitting under a trenchcoat.
Canadian Ikea stores require receipts as well.
You went and bought one of the lesser-known Ikea products, didn’t you?
Some here don’t. Usually when they do, there’s either a good business reason or a sneaky money-making reason.
Oh man, I remember that thread!
Took me a minute, but awesome!
Is IKEA the manufactuer? If so, sue for personal injury if you pull something or throw out your back when its chair falls apart. You don’t need a receipt for that.
Put one on top of another, and dress it in a duster and hat. Help him out the door.
You should get advice on your office furniture from this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkItKzqHBII.
But that’s not shoplifting, it’s a problem with thieving employees, shippers and factory workers.
Who designs their stuff? I’ve had two Ikea chairs that have suffered from structural failure.
An anorexic collective in Delft.