I went once, bizarrely on the day Princess Diana died. It was full of people giving sidelong glances to everyone else, clearly thinking "So glad I'm not the only one here and not Caught Up in the Nations Grief". If there was one close to Cambridge I would be there more often, particularly as I now have a house to put stuff in...
I did not know of it until about 24 hours later, because we were in the USA (at Worldcon) and not paying attention to the news. I saw someone's newspaper in their hand and asked if the headline meant what it looked like it meant... and I have been incomparably more unhappy when someone I knew died.
I was in California at the time, and heard the news late at night, and woke my parents up in London, as soon as it was a reasonable hour. They didn't believe me at first. My American friends were all convinced that it was a conspiracy on the part of Royal Family to get rid of her.
Our son loves the Swedish meatballs. Sometimes we go just to do some food shopping.
My IKEA adventures are many and varied, including one in which I walked the mile and a half from Tottenham Hale Tube station to the Edmonton IKEA because I'd just missed the shuttle bus and didn't want to wait around for the next one. (Not a recommended walk, by the by.) I think IKEA is worth visiting at least once, just to satisfy curiosity.
My family used to go to the one in Warrington - the first in the country - because it was a convenient stop halfway between Leeds and my grandpatents in north Wales, where we could stretch our legs whatever the weather!
IKEA is worth a visit. I know people who go just to eat Swedish meatballs in the cafeteria. The Man and I are satisfied with the furniture we've bought there-- it's all modest and does what it's supposed to.
But I'm sure my 92-year-old grandmother hasn't been yet, either.
We like IKEA for its practical solutions for small spaces. For some things it's pretty useless and I hate going there when everybody else thinks it's a good idea to come too.
I'm sure there's lots of people back home who have not been to IKEA. I'm not so sure about people here, since there isn't a lot of choice as to furniture shops, or at least not as convenient and cheap ones.
My Dad hasn't been to Ikea from what I can gather. I like it for the same reason as meglorien, and that for the money its goods are of a better quality than other popular brands that look similar. Our shelves & desks have done excellent service, and before that a cot (lasted 2 kids and would have lasted more had someone else's water tank not burst all over it).
Obviously, just like anywhere else that is popular (e.g. shops in general?!) going there at a weekend or bank holiday is a bad idea. Tuesdays, or after dinner time, or 23/24 December have all worked for me - virtually empty. I hate crowds.
Well...apart from people who don't like it (for reasons sensible or otherwise) if you don't live near one, esp if you also don't have a car, then it seems perfectly reasonable not to have been. Not needing to buy any furniture would be another obvious one ;)
They do have nice kitchen stuff and a lot of our bed clothes come from there as well, so you could go there even without needing furniture. We do often find we go there first and sometimes are disappointed about what we expected to find though...
Ikea is good for decent basic furniture and kitchenware, reasonably priced. Its also quite fun to circulate around and browse, and the cafe is decent too.
We've found the way to avoid spending more than we should there is to go there looking for something in particular, discover they don't have it, and leave quickly in disgust. (Dish for party dips? No. Safety glass film in the home safety range? No. Picture frame I actually like? No.)
Browse without a clear goal in mind and it's easy to spend a fortune. ;)
Hehe, I find parting with money all too pleasurable. Ikea is one of those stores I'll leave my wallet at home and take a fiver in cash. That way I can enjoy the thrill of buying a new kitchen utensil and some candles, with no risk that I'll go mad!
We've got some Ikea stuff (a set of bookshelves and the units that hold the A/V stuff in the living room). Both are nice and solid. In fact, the furniture itself is pretty good. Problem is that the shopping experience is so oppressive and overwhelming that personally I wouldn't want to go in there voluntarily.
Down in the south-west, we don't have any brances (although one has been rumoured for Plympton), allowing the region's local equivalent, Trago Mills to maintain supremacy. Trago is a bit like Ikea, although it tries to sell everything (not just furniture and meatballs), caters rather more to the janner element and has a rather more fundamentalist political philosophy.
I have been once; the piece I bought was totally unsatisfactory and was missing a part, and they refused to do anything about it. They have heard of customer service, but don't want anything to do with it. I also hate the way you have to follow their prescribed route. I also hate that it was founded by a fascist.
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My American friends were all convinced that it was a conspiracy on the part of Royal Family to get rid of her.
Our son loves the Swedish meatballs. Sometimes we go just to do some food shopping.
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But I'm sure my 92-year-old grandmother hasn't been yet, either.
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I'm sure there's lots of people back home who have not been to IKEA. I'm not so sure about people here, since there isn't a lot of choice as to furniture shops, or at least not as convenient and cheap ones.
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Obviously, just like anywhere else that is popular (e.g. shops in general?!) going there at a weekend or bank holiday is a bad idea. Tuesdays, or after dinner time, or 23/24 December have all worked for me - virtually empty. I hate crowds.
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My question really came about because some colleagues were expressing surprise at lunchtime that I had never been.
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You can buy furniture in second hand shops cheaper (some of it even from Ikea).
On the other hand, I have an MFI kitchen...
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We've found the way to avoid spending more than we should there is to go there looking for something in particular, discover they don't have it, and leave quickly in disgust. (Dish for party dips? No. Safety glass film in the home safety range? No. Picture frame I actually like? No.)
Browse without a clear goal in mind and it's easy to spend a fortune. ;)
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The kitchens are good, and can be fairly cheap- plus they have three worktop heights.
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That experience - and glancing through the catalogue - is the reason that neither Inamac nor I have ever been again.
I thought the quality of the furniture absolutely dreadful and the style unimaginative - and I love clean modern design and am a fan of the Bauhaus...
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Down in the south-west, we don't have any brances (although one has been rumoured for Plympton), allowing the region's local equivalent, Trago Mills to maintain supremacy. Trago is a bit like Ikea, although it tries to sell everything (not just furniture and meatballs), caters rather more to the janner element and has a rather more fundamentalist political philosophy.
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I also hate the way you have to follow their prescribed route.
I also hate that it was founded by a fascist.
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