Black Friday brings back memories of schlepping to malls and IKEA, which caused me to wonder about the latter.
I’ve only been to one IKEA, and only twice. Unmitigated disasters, both (long story).
What stands out was the river of humanity shuffling along the bends and eddys of the gargantuan maze (How can space be simultaneously cavernous and claustrophobic?). The terminus, with its Soylent Green meatballs and boredom-soused impulse grabs, was enough to tempt me to self-asphyiate with my blue tarp-bag.
Yup. And they remain popular world round for cheap furniture (typing this on the queen-size IKEA bed we built many moons ago). Key is not to go on a weekend, lest you thirst for an argument with your PIC.
I can’t speak for their beloved meatballs, which seem to have quite the following, but the Skor is def worth it.
Yep. There’s a new compact one in downtown Toronto, so people don’t have to trek the 6 miles out of town to be get stuck in a giant parking lot then get stuck in line for the cashier. The suburban Ikeas are still hell on weekends.
I took the Ikea bus from Port Authority in Manhattan to NJ to set up my first apartment. I still have some of the housewares and one pine table. I haven’t been inside an Ikea in Toronto for around 5 years. I enjoyed Ikea in my 20s and early 30s. I didn’t enjoy the shopping experience in my 40s.
Unfortunately, yes. Call me naive but I still live in the vain hope that we can stick to the list and just get in and out. Rather than traipse round the whole thing.
Mrs PB is now of the view that I need feeding the meatballs, pre shopping, rather than as a post shop treat. This helps minimize the chance of Ikea rage eruptting.
The Houston area is getting a second IKEA in a few months. It’ll be a newer “Plan and Order” style - about 5,000 square feet (versus our bigger one that’s 300,000 square feet).
They’ve been trialing different smaller-store formats worldwide for a while.
If we want to kick IKEA around, though, I’ll say I’m not fond of their non-profit status that allows them to contribute less in taxes, although that doesn’t affect my country.
As I look around my house, most of my furniture is IKEA. In addition to it being cheap, I moved around A LOT (until I retired a few years ago). My hobby was fixing up & flipping houses and I could easily move (by myself) because of my IKEA furniture. I would take notes as I disassembled this “furniture” and it was easily loaded for my next destination.
As for their cookware, yes I have that iconic $10 pot and lid set. It works on induction and if I ruin it, I’ll go get another set.
Sunshine had an acquaintance that left her boyfriend (quickly) and escaped with just her clothing. She didn’t have anything to cook on, so I picked up that $10 set of pots (w/ lids), a $5 skillet and some utensils. She loved them and had a way to prepare hot meals for herself.
My wife is upset because our IKEA has moved their table napkins (a amazingly good buy) from just near the checkouts to somewhere on the second floor. She used to just go in the exit, buy them, and leave. Now it’s a project in the IKEA jungle. I refuse to go there…… period.
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Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
12
My nearest one is about a 25 minute drive away in the town where I used to work. We go probably a couple of times a year. Usually to buy crockery, cutlery or kitchen equipment. In fact, we’re overdue a visit as we seem to managed to break a number of plates recently. And we need a new frying pan. Over the years, we’ve also bought a fair bit of flatpack furniture. Everything is reasonably priced which, of course, is the main reason for visiting. We usually also come away with foodstuffs - pickled herring, jam and the like. At this time of year, they also stock a non-alcoholic take on mulled wine which I enjoy.
The cafe is very popular with folk who I doubt are also shopping there. I think it’s the remarkably cheap breakfast that brings them in - I think it’s just under three quid.
Thanks for the reminder… Sunshine has to have an IKEA chocolate bar. There is NO NEGOTIATION on that requirement, if I drag her through the store, she will patiently let me look at “stuff” as long as she gets her chocolate bar at the end.
The furniture showrooms and the cafe are on the second floor at the Toronto North York Ikea. The ground floor is where the housewares , flat boxes of unassembled furniture, cashiers and snackbar are located.
There are some shortcuts, involving stairwells, so it’s possible to go eat in the cafe then leave quickly, without walking through all the showrooms
It’s probably the cheapest breakfast in Toronto, too. I know a few people that go out of their way to fill up when they have a reason to visit Ikea.
Their breakfast never appealed to me. I’ve had the meatballs and some pastries over the years in the cafe. It’s certainly pretty good food, and affordable.
I have bought quite a few food items from their snack bar/ shop over the years. The main thing I liked were the Daim chocolates. I think I probably tried a hot dog from the snack bar at some point.
More than 30 years ago, when our first one opened, I got a stainless-lined copper saucepan from Norway that I loved. Slightly curved bottom. Also ordered a wonderful end grain cutting board about 15 years ago. I enjoyed the wandering when I went (during the week) because their stuff was designed for smaller spaces, and I lived in apartments/condos/small townhouses. I think I had a computer hutch/desk of theirs. Perfectly functional. Gave it away when I moved. Never ate in the cafeteria.
