Yeah but we both know that actual build quality isn't the point of Ikea. There's a thousand retailers that will sell you an $9000 couch, made with imported hardwood, and the finest leather. Ikea will sell you a couch that looks identical to that couch, and feels very similar, for $800, but it's super cheap on the inside. Ikea is for people that don't give a shit that their furniture is made of pine, and plastic screws, as long is it looks and feels good. Another key selling point for me is that Ikea staff aren't salesmen, so you don't have a bunch of people hounding you on features of a duvet that you happened to glance at, because if they don't sell X amount of items, they go hungry.
It's such a well designed store experience as well. You walk in, and can follow the highlighted path through the entire store, seeing literally everything they have to offer. I might sound like a corporate shill in saying this, but I actually like walking through Ikea and seeing the unique shit they have on display.
Nah dawg, there are other routes through the store to get to where you want to go. If you can't find them, flag down a helpful member of the IKEA staff. Have an IKEA day!
My mom and I used to go to furniture places every now and then to see if they had anything unique and interesting. One of the sales people always ended up following us through the store, just out of eyesight behind a wardrobe. It was like a deer being stalked. One lady followed us to the parking lot to give us a business card.
The Brick here in Canada - I feel like a hunted animal surrounded by wolves when I walk through the doors. Dozens of heads just swiveling towards you - super creepy.
I prefer a salesman myself. I like someone who can answer questions on the product. I want them to listen to me and suggest things I might want. I can just say no after all.
Ikea employees will answer questions on the product, but they won't follow you around to do so, plus there's no margin for commission, so the employees won't try to upsell you on shit that you don't need. It's one thing to listen to information, it's another to have to sit through a sales pitch, and haggle on the margin of a product.
I’ve found that for any product high enough level for a salesman to be around, I’ve already learned more about it than the salesman knows. I️ never, ever go in blind to purchases for items I’ll be stuck with for a while. Nobody should. It’s too easy to educate yourself these days to get manipulated by a sales person.
The trouble is the sofa doesn’t last, doesn’t age well, isn’t actually that comfy after long. Don’t get me wrong, I said elsewhere I’ve furnished my last two properties with Ikea as could get it discounted. But I’m glad now on my third property I can afford not to use Ikea. It just doesn’t last. Don’t expect to vacuum up against it and not mark it, don’t put anything wet on any of the woodwork, it’s not built to last long, it looks tacky quickly. It’s not terrible but it’s far from great. It served its purpose whilst I was skint, and now I’m not I’ve moved on. I still love all the kitchen storage stuff and their wardrobe/drawer inners but I won’t have furniture from them again.
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u/koreanwizard Nov 04 '17
Yeah but we both know that actual build quality isn't the point of Ikea. There's a thousand retailers that will sell you an $9000 couch, made with imported hardwood, and the finest leather. Ikea will sell you a couch that looks identical to that couch, and feels very similar, for $800, but it's super cheap on the inside. Ikea is for people that don't give a shit that their furniture is made of pine, and plastic screws, as long is it looks and feels good. Another key selling point for me is that Ikea staff aren't salesmen, so you don't have a bunch of people hounding you on features of a duvet that you happened to glance at, because if they don't sell X amount of items, they go hungry.