# Ikea - Yea, Nay or Meh? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 22, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222 "2017-05-22T18:18:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222/102 "2017-12-13T16:14:45Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I agree you’ve identified the two extremes. And that the flux at the registers is lumpy, not smooth over the course of a day. > > But until a customer actually doesn’t buy something due to the lines, all fewer cashiers do is delay the receipt of the same total money by a few minutes. It’s false to say more cashiers result in more sales over the course of a day. Unless folks are walking out or are chased out empty-handed at the end of the day before the store closes. Or are not shopping there at all. > > The tough problem for management is as much as they can observe and react to people abandoning carts & fussing at the few staff on duty, they have a very hard time quantifying the number of people who choose to window-shop instead or to not go there at all. > > That last option is me. None of their measures can detect the fact I shop elsewhere because, and only because, of the excessive checkout lines. Ditto Costco, Sams Club, etc. They can’t manage what they can’t measure. > > So it falls to the people who are there and can do measureable things to send the message that overall, long lines are hurting their business. But they don’t hurt by making existing customers wait. They hurt by making would-be customers no-show. Those are the extra sales that extra cashiers would capture. And which would, IMO more than pay for their meager wages. > > YMMV. The thing is, when (and note that I said when, not if) customers do react by abandoning carts or complaining aloud, the reaction from management isn’t “Gee, we just lost a sale because we’re inadequately staffed. Maybe we should do something different.” It’s “Well, there’s another hissy fit story for [notalwaysright.com](http://notalwaysright.com). Oh well, we don’t need customers like that anyway.” And that’s what shows lack of competency. All you have to do is stick your head out of your office door once in a while to see when customers are having to wait too long. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222/103 "2017-12-13T18:36:16Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > YMMV. Indeed. I don’t have a background in this particular business, so all I can do is observe, and trust that sometimes “better for the company” isn’t the polar opposite of “better for the customer” I’m not going to abandon my cart in the store, barring some unprecedented line length–I drove a long way to get there and will make the purchase anyway, so I’m only inconveniencing myself if I drag out the interaction by leaving and coming back. The cart move sounds like something I would have done when I was younger, like asking to speak with the manager when something went wrong or writing a letter to the regional manager. That part of me has mellowed over the decades and these days I just let it slide. While we are on the topic of shopping carts and back to the OP, I hate those crappy all-directional non-steerable carts with a passion. I don’t understand why they think it’s a good idea for your heavy cart to continue rolling forward when you want to make a left turn. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222/104 "2017-12-13T18:39:04Z")
IKEA’s furniture is meh, but it’s very very good meh. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222/105 "2017-12-13T18:55:19Z")
I’m an IKEA virgin. Going to be deflowered next Monday. Looking forward to lunch there. I can’t bring even one more stick of furniture into my house, but I might pick up linens, kitchen stuff, tableware, etc. (I didn’t read the whole thread.) ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222/106 "2017-12-13T19:05:48Z")
I like it well enough. We have quite a bit of it in our house. Some pieces more than 10 years old are holding up just fine. Some pieces didn’t. Hands down, though, this is the [best dish towel](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10100909/) ever. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222/107 "2017-12-13T19:09:54Z")
I love IKEA. I like the simple lines of their pieces. I like assembling it and the DIY system in the stores. Never had a problem navigating the stores, either. Quite a bit of my furniture is from IKEA. It’s cheap laminate, but I prefer that. I don’t want to be tied to furniture for decades. I don’t want to inherit it, or pass it down to anyone. So far, I’ve had my IKEA stuff for 10 years, and aside from a heavy-use side table, it’s all still in great condition. I’m sure some items will break eventually, but at least it won’t feel like a waste when toss them. I’ll have gotten a lot of use out of them. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222/108 "2017-12-13T20:02:40Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > [Pet peeve mode] > No they are not incompetent; rather the opposite. They are maximizing profit, not customer service. > > Until people loudly abandon their carts right there and walk out without buying it isn’t costing management a penny for you to stand there for 15 or 30 minutes. Rather the contrary; it’s saving them 2 or 3 or 6 cashiers’ wages. > > If there is any incompetence, it’s on the part of the customers. If you (any you) are dissatisfied with the total combo of price and convenience, send that message to management. If you’re satisfied, keep silently doing what you’re doing and you’ll get more of the same. > > We (collectively) get what we (collectively) demand. > [/pet peeve mode] I go once a year, before Christmas, to get plastic cutting boards which are better than any I can find. But not any more, so they lost my tiny bit of business, and more if I chose to buy some more bookcases or something. And I enjoy putting the stuff together. That they immediately added 4 new checkers shows they weren’t blocking the lanes to save money - it is not like they hired the new people on the spot. My grocery store does put new people on, and directs the shoppers at the head of a long line to the new one. One of the reasons I keep going there. So I stand by incompetence. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222/109 "2017-12-14T16:56:10Z")
We’ve just ordered this weird-looking bed: [Products - IKEA](http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/beds/double-king-size-beds/gj%C3%B6ra-bed-frame-birch-lur%C3%B6y-spr-49129997/) It looks pretty nice in real life though. I like all their stuff apart from their artwork which, if I put up in my house, would make me want to start a fight club. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222/110 "2017-12-14T17:02:08Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > I like all their stuff apart from their artwork which, if I put up in my house, would make me want to start a fight club. I have a KNISTA in my bathroom. It really ties the room together, man. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222/111 "2017-12-14T17:56:27Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I’m an IKEA virgin. Going to be deflowered next Monday. Looking forward to lunch there. I can’t bring even one more stick of furniture into my house, but I might pick up linens, kitchen stuff, tableware, etc. (I didn’t read the whole thread.) You will be pleased. They have a ton of this kind of stuff, and most of it is decent quality stuff for cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222/112 "2017-12-14T20:07:59Z")
When one opened near me, I went, but couldn’t find anything I wanted or needed. So I entertained myself by going through the stuff in the housewares section and looking at the country of origin. I think I looked at fifty items before I found one not made in China. And then when I drove out of the enormous garage, I noticed a giant stack of shipping containers behind the store. Basically the entire enterprise owes its existence to Malcom McLean (who is basically responsible for the whole containerization industry). ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222/113 "2017-12-14T20:28:37Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > I hated it that every example of the item we were looking for (a wardrobe) was very flimsy Nonsen ---
**Author:** ![toast\_pakora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@toast\_pakora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toast_pakora)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2017, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222/114 "2017-12-23T10:45:08Z")
\*Actually, the few stores is totally part of the program. \*I’ve never been, the nearest one is a good four hour drive away and this is in the well-populated north-east. I have ordered housewares online, I appreciate their excellent design. I’ve bought duvet covers in soft cotton, office organisers–can not resist all the storage options, a solid wood rolling taboret (only one drawer sticks and I replaced the castors with better ones from the hardware store)… the best deal was when I lived on the top floor of a mansard-roofed townhouse. Every wall, even some \*interior \*ones, slanted inwards above three feet. Hanging pictures on the wall was out of the question but thanks to IKEA, I managed a bookcase. It had spring-loaded metal uprights that attached to the _ceiling_, adjustable wood plank shelving so it was able to straddle the radiator. Perfect. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-yea-nay-or-meh/787222.md?page=5)