We're three hours from the nearest Ikea and have visited it a few times. Their bookshelves (particularly the Billy line) are sought after by gamers and collectors. I purchased three sets of Billy bookshelves online during COVID. Ikea wanted $400/shelf to ship them from Texas to Oklahoma, so I decided to go pick them up myself and spend about $40 in gas (and $10 in meatballs). Right down the street from that Ikea was Fry's Electronics, so it was a fun outing.

[quote=pinback post_id=120635 time=1620086744 user_id=5]
But we went IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR [/quote]
So did Prince's first girlfriend as he described in his song [i]Raspberry Beret[/i]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7vRSu_wsNc
[quote=pinback post_id=120635 time=1620086744 user_id=5]
Are we the first people ever to do intentional food-only shopping at Ikea? Probably not... but [i]probably![/i][/quote]
I'm certain - utterly- that others have done this. But actually, you don't have to go in through the out door. At the entrance, walk in, turn left, and the exit, checkouts, and food section are right in front of you.

I shop at Colfax discount furniture warehouse. Where people sat on your stuff on display at a market but you can take the couch and loveseat for 850$ tops. That will be 100$ extra for delivery tho if you can’t do it yourself.

[quote=AArdvark post_id=120631 time=1620084845 user_id=20]
Ive never been to an IKEA, is it that bad?
[/quote]

It is not. It's a unique experience that I would enjoy once a year. However, now we live ten minutes from one, I've found that any more than once a year, it starts to get [i]less[/i] enjoyable.

I wrote a song about it. It is to the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel". Sing along at home, won't you?

[i]I ate some Swedish meatballs
They gave me diarrhea
But that was better than waiting in line
I hate IKEA.[/i]

The meatballs are very good. The frozen salmon is very good. Being so close to one, we have made food-only trips to Ikea, which is funny, because the food place it at the end, where you grab something for fun after buying ten tons of assembly-required furniture. But we went IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR and just bought some food and left.

Are we the first people ever to do intentional food-only shopping at Ikea? Probably not... but [i]probably![/i]

Ive never been to an Ikea, is it that bad?

Those clips are great. All of us who have worked in retail have thought those things.

My favorite two Ikea stories were this girl, who did a photoshoot in Ikea and told all her Instagram followers she was on vacation in Bali...
https://youtu.be/sz42PrqWq-g

...and these Irish hooligans who hid in an Ikea until after close and turned it into a Parkour course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb2qDHvOQl0

Parkooooooooooooooooooooour!

I never worked at Ikea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7KBcsdPhxA