Sam_2.0
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Post by Sam_2.0 on Nov 7, 2014 17:56:19 GMT -5
Just went to our new IKEA today. I don't really get the appeal. Made in China stuff from there is different from the made in China goods at Walmart or Target how? Seriously i looked at labels and probably 80% of what i saw was all from China. Nothing US made. Picked up a couple of things that I would have gotten elsewhere anyway, but I don't see myself making another trip out there just for the experience.
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Nov 7, 2014 17:57:51 GMT -5
how dare you
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Nov 7, 2014 18:00:40 GMT -5
It would be extremely unlikely for anything at IKEA to be made in the U.S. It is a Swedish/European consortium.
I usually just go there for the Swedish meatballs.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Nov 7, 2014 18:08:50 GMT -5
IKEA stuff is usually more modular and often times has smaller in size dimensions. I haven't purchased much furniture from there (it's kinda disposable) BUT when I was tempted since they had a big selection of smaller living room type chairs, end tables, couches, and TV stands... I don't have a 1000 square foot 'great room' to fill so the more robust (ie bigger and space taking up) furniture wouldnt' fit in my living room I suspect that IKEA appeals to someone who's outfitting their first apartment and who does NOT want hand me down furniture - and who may not have square acreage of a mcMansion to fill. (on the room size thing - my neice-in-law had a "come to Jesus" moment when the colossal bedroom set she had purchased fit nicely in her upscale soon to be lost to foreclosure condo but didn't fit in any of the new places she could afford to move into (ie older apartment/housing stock). I think she was still paying for the bedroom set when she had to leave the condo. It then sat in a storage unit for two years - until she could finally 'let it go'. She's all for "less is more" these days as she (and my nephew) dig themselves out of a mountain and a half of debt.
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Abby Normal
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IKEA?
Nov 7, 2014 18:10:06 GMT -5
Post by Abby Normal on Nov 7, 2014 18:10:06 GMT -5
I've never figured out the appeal either. Cheap- prefab. I guess if you're just starting out I could see the appeal. Or if you're like a friend of mine that like to redecorate often.
They only thing I've ever purchased there was a shelf that I use as spice rack. I'm really glad I found that.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Nov 7, 2014 18:11:33 GMT -5
Speaking of small living quarters. I am highly intrigued by IKEA's kitchens - especially since the Little House (805sq feet of living space!) needs a kitchen. Most of the 'home stores' seem to be qeared to 800 square foot kitchens and not slightly bigger than a galley kitchen - kitchen.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2014 18:16:12 GMT -5
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Peace77
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Post by Peace77 on Nov 7, 2014 18:25:17 GMT -5
IKEA has some great kitchen stuff and delicious cinnamon rolls.
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saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Nov 7, 2014 18:26:14 GMT -5
IKEA has some great kitchen stuff and delicious cinnamon rolls. and wonderful softserve yogurt for 1$.
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TheHaitian
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IKEA?
Nov 7, 2014 19:02:05 GMT -5
Post by TheHaitian on Nov 7, 2014 19:02:05 GMT -5
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Formerly SK
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Post by Formerly SK on Nov 7, 2014 19:04:32 GMT -5
I love Ikea. No their stuff isn't quality, but for those of us who don't want to spend 3K on a bedroom set it works perfectly fine. I like the modular aspect so I can expand/shrink the furniture to fit my space. Ikea also have a TON of inexpensive little things (dishes, storage bins, curtains, cookware, etc). I think of it as akin to Target, just with a MUCH larger selection.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Nov 7, 2014 19:05:37 GMT -5
Also the appeal is to those that live in cities with smaller apartments, 500 sqft space...
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Cookies Galore
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IKEA?
Nov 7, 2014 19:13:25 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Cookies Galore on Nov 7, 2014 19:13:25 GMT -5
We have the Expedit four- and eight-cube shelves as our liquor cabinet and bookcase. I love them. We live in a one-bedroom apartment and they keep a lot of stuff (we have a lot of booze and books!) in a smaller space. I have also picked up some decent kitchen doo-dads that have held up well (cookie sheets, spatulas, etc.). As much as it is "disposable" furniture, some of it does last a long time. I had a full-sized bed frame for eight years and four moves. Paid $99 for it? Never had any issues with it. It took about 10 minutes for a dumpster diver to grab it after we upgraded to a queen bed.
I live 5 minutes from Ikea so I sometimes wander the store just to get decorating ideas.
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kittensaver
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IKEA?
Nov 7, 2014 19:14:39 GMT -5
Post by kittensaver on Nov 7, 2014 19:14:39 GMT -5
Good (sometimes great) styling; cheap/not very durable materials.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Nov 7, 2014 19:21:50 GMT -5
I've never been to ikea, but it sounds like it's the food that is the real draw, isn't it? I didn't even know they had food.
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sesfw
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IKEA?
Nov 7, 2014 19:49:44 GMT -5
Post by sesfw on Nov 7, 2014 19:49:44 GMT -5
Our closest Ikea is about 50 miles away and I've never been there. G-dtr bought things from there and was real proud of the 'name' brand. To me it looked like blond pressed wood items that would tear up quickly if mis-treated.
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quince
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Post by quince on Nov 7, 2014 19:58:07 GMT -5
I enjoy Ikea products. I think their store layout is evil genius, and I don't like shopping there, but after the first time I went, I told my husband that they can have all my money.
The products to me are different from target/walmart in design. Same materials, often, although they do have some solid wood components, but bookcases I've gotten from there have been 1) cheaper than target, and 2) pieces fit together better.
Same with lamps: Cheaper, the pieces fit together better than target (less wobble, threaded rods fit in a straight line instead of skew.
The back piece of our inexpensive bookcase from Target is cardboard. The back piece of the Ikea bookcase is pressboard, or at least a higher quality cardboard. More solid, lays flatter. Also cost 30% less.
It's not heirloom furniture, but it works, and the value to me is in the design and the details. Ikea has gotten optimizing their products down to a science. Inexpensive materials, with the right amount of heft and quality where it makes a difference in the utility of the piece.
They are specialized in furniture, unlike Target/Walmart, so they can offer slightly better furniture for less due to volume, I think. Limited selection, rare updates stylistically, good prices, functional pieces. I love hardwood, but I prefer having lightweight easy care furniture that won't break my heart if damaged, and I don't care about style, so the place is perfect for me.
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simser
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Post by simser on Nov 7, 2014 20:25:32 GMT -5
I think it's a question of style. My whole house has all ikea furniture (but not the dishes and stuff). I often find *exactly* what I need there, even after I've gone to 8 other stores. A lot of my stuff has lasted for years and a couple moves. But my parents hate the style. I like it because it fits me. And it's cheap (since I just started out!)
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Icelandic Woman
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IKEA?
Nov 7, 2014 21:41:43 GMT -5
Post by Icelandic Woman on Nov 7, 2014 21:41:43 GMT -5
IKEA has some great kitchen stuff and delicious cinnamon rolls. And the wonderful fried onions that I miss so much from Iceland. They are so good on hot dogs. And the best Swedish Ginger cookies! I have several pieces from there. I found after you pass the frustration of putting it all together it does last a long time. I have a bookshelf I bought in like 1996 that is still great!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2014 4:22:17 GMT -5
I don't have any major items of furniture from Ikea because we prefer more unique pieces. Also, I bought a futon bed for DS1 from there but we had to replace the mattress a couple of years later, so I wasn't thrilled about that. But I have a LOT of smaller items from Ikea: the Billy bookshelves, kitchen stuff, bathmats, candles, bedding (quilts), sheets, lamps, storage boxes, curtains, picture frames, wastepaper baskets, etc. They also sell inexpensive batteries, printer paper and wrapping paper. Most of their bedding is 100% cotton. If we ever have to money to redo our kitchen one day, I'd be very happy with an Ikea kitchen. The closest one is about 20-25 min away. About every 3 months or so, I need my Ikea "fix" . ETA: Our wooden garden furniture is from Ikea too. ETA2: As our kids were growing up, we would "redo" their room whenever they moved up to another school (in exchange for a complete declutter). I didn't replace their furniture, but we would repaint their rooms, and take them to Ikea for new rugs, new sheets, new curtains, new artwork, etc. It was an affordable and fun way to "redo" the kids' rooms every few years as they grew up.
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toomuchreality
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IKEA?
Nov 8, 2014 5:08:30 GMT -5
Post by toomuchreality on Nov 8, 2014 5:08:30 GMT -5
I've never been to Ikea. People that have been to the one nearest me, have said it is set up like a maze, so you can't get out, until you've gone through the whole store. (I've heard that from several people. ) Do other Ikea stores have this kind of layout? It sounds claustrophobic to me. <shudder>
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Deleted
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IKEA?
Nov 8, 2014 5:17:26 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2014 5:17:26 GMT -5
Yes they all do I think, but there are also a couple of "shortcuts" so you can get out quicker.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2014 8:43:02 GMT -5
I've never been to Ikea. People that have been to the one nearest me, have said it is set up like a maze, so you can't get out, until you've gone through the whole store. (I've heard that from several people. ) Do other Ikea stores have this kind of layout? It sounds claustrophobic to me. <shudder> yes they all have that layout - it's intended to take you past everything. you can get out of it, bypass sections, or, if you know what you're buying and you looked up online what aisle/bin it's in, you can just go straight to the warehouse. I bought DS2 a desk chair there last week. he picked it out online, I went to IKEA, went in the warehouse, grabbed the right box and was out of there. total trip probably 15 minutes.
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Deleted
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IKEA?
Nov 8, 2014 9:00:55 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2014 9:00:55 GMT -5
Love the cartoon! Sam, I think you and I are in the same area since one just opened near us. DH and I are in downsizing/de-cluttering phase so unlikely to visit. The fact that most of it is made in China is a turnoff. If, for some reason. we end up needing new pieces after we downsize I'm more likely to try Craigslist for older, better-made pieces. I'd also be turned off by the "maze" setup. I'm not a shopaholic. I want to get to the goods I want, make a choice and get out, which is probably why I visit a mall about once every 3 years. And I can't be bothered with finding secret paths out of the maze.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Nov 8, 2014 9:09:15 GMT -5
I wanted and got cheap but not terrible looking bookcases for the attic. DF cussed a blue streak putting them together but they look great and weren't a thousand Bucks apiece. I got 5 of them and it takes up almost the whole wall. Plus, some storage bins that don't look hideous and weren't a hundred bucks apiece.
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Happy prose
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Post by Happy prose on Nov 8, 2014 9:26:25 GMT -5
My DD just got an apartment, and got a lot of stuff from Ikea. I think it looks great. I go for the frozen yogurt-$1, hotdogs-$.50, and pizza.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2014 9:32:20 GMT -5
I enjoy wandering through the store and picking up all the little things that they have.
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MarleyKeezy78
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IKEA?
Nov 8, 2014 10:10:50 GMT -5
Post by MarleyKeezy78 on Nov 8, 2014 10:10:50 GMT -5
We have an Ikea about four miles from us, we used to go there all the time and our old apartment was all Ikea, even the baby furniture. When we bought our house most of it got sold or given away because it was to modern for the house although a few pieces still reside in the basement and I have a huge expedit shelf that I use as our pantry. Now if we go for something I know my way around and get in and get out! Otherwise it's a total time suck
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Nov 8, 2014 13:01:33 GMT -5
I've never been to ikea, but it sounds like it's the food that is the real draw, isn't it? I didn't even know they had food. The food is for the people who get lost in the maze. Finding skeletal remains of shoppers who have starved to death isn't good for business.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Nov 8, 2014 20:46:26 GMT -5
I love IKEA. I bought all my furniture there when I first moved on my own. Spent $1,200. I still have all the pieces. I've found some good deals there. I am really not much into furniture, or onto "things" in general. I just want comfortable and cheap furniture. My cat has made some interesting scratching marks in the coffee table and on two chairs. It doesn't upset me since the furniture could be replaced tomorrow. I guess I fit their customer profile.
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