Can somebody explain this to me?

As I understand it, Ikea... sells... furnature.

So why is it that every time a new Ikea shop opens, there's mass 
hysteria? Why do road planners have to redesign road networks to cope 
with the increased traffic volume? And why is it that every single 
weekend, the entire place is more packed out than a sardine tin?

DFS sells furnature too. But usually DFS is half empty.

Land Of Sofas sells furnature too. But few people shop there.

Actually, John Lewis has a furnature department. It's usually the most 
empty part of the shop.

And anyway, how many items of furnature does the average person buy in 
their entire lifetime? Not damn many! So *why* the hell is Ikea always 
so busy? Why is it that seemingly every day there are muggings and 
stabbings over who gets to go inside first? Why does everybody become 
crazed psychos as soon as they go near Ikea?!

I'm confused...

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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> And anyway, how many items of furnature does the average person buy in 
> their entire lifetime? Not damn many!

They also sell lots of other stuff apart from big furniture.

> So *why* the hell is Ikea always so busy?

It's pretty cheap, and usually not bad quality, and the best bit is you can 
usually take the stuff home with you right there rather than having to wait 
several days (or weeks) for delivery.

> Why is it that seemingly every day there are muggings and stabbings over 
> who gets to go inside first? Why does everybody become crazed psychos as 
> soon as they go near Ikea?!

When you get your own (empty) place you'll see why :-)

BTW we learned to go during the week in the evenings, not on a Saturday! 
Have you ever seen every single check-out having a queue of 20 or 30 people? 
We just left.

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"Invisible" <voi### [at] devnull> a écrit dans le message de news: 
47f49415$1@news.povray.org...
> Can somebody explain this to me?
> As I understand it, Ikea... sells... furnature.

What Scott says. I didn't understand Ikea either until we bought a flat and 
had to buy furn***i***ture. Then we spent several week-ends there.
It has a high quality/prix ratio, their designs aren't tacky (unlike other 
cheap furniture shops) and lots of their stuff is modular so you can 
configure it according to your needs. They also sell lots of other (cheap, 
good) items for the house. The main issue I have with Ikea is that for a 
single type of furniture the choice can be more limited than in other shops.

G.


-- 
*****************************
http://www.oyonale.com
*****************************
- Graphic experiments
- POV-Ray, Cinema 4D and Poser computer images
- Posters

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scott wrote:

> They also sell lots of other stuff apart from big furniture.

True. Here at work, we have an Ikea knife.

I like it. It has a red handle, and it looks very "violent". I like 
violent things...

> It's pretty cheap, and usually not bad quality, and the best bit is you 
> can usually take the stuff home with you right there rather than having 
> to wait several days (or weeks) for delivery.

Fair enough...

> When you get your own (empty) place you'll see why :-)

Yes. And how many times does this happen in an entire person's life? 
Half a dozen, maybe? In the course of 50 years or so? Pretty rare event 
then, no?

> BTW we learned to go during the week in the evenings, not on a Saturday! 
> Have you ever seen every single check-out having a queue of 20 or 30 
> people? We just left.

I've only been round the new one in MK once. It's like some kind of 
fairground ride. It's like... there's this scripted path round the 
vastness of the showroom, and a whole set of infrastructure for allowing 
people to efficiently obtain the parts they want...

...the very fact that all of this complexity is even necessary in the 
first place tells you just how much footfall the store gets through in a 
day! o_O

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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> True. Here at work, we have an Ikea knife.

We got 5 mirrors from Ikea (2 huge for the hall and bedroom, 2 medium for 
the bathroom, and 1 small one for the toilet), also lots of plates and 
glasses, bins, rugs, bed sheets, cushions etc.

> Yes. And how many times does this happen in an entire person's life? Half 
> a dozen, maybe? In the course of 50 years or so? Pretty rare event then, 
> no?

There are 60e6 people livign in the UK, and 20 or so Ikeas, do the math!

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scott wrote:

> There are 60e6 people livign in the UK.

You do you know that?

> and 20 or so Ikeas, do the math!

Woah... So, basically Ikea shops are busy because they're *rare*?

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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>> and 20 or so Ikeas, do the math!
>
> Woah... So, basically Ikea shops are busy because they're *rare*?

Well I guess they knew people don't go and buy a new wardrobe every week so 
they didn't build an Ikea next to every Tescos.

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Invisible <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> As I understand it, Ikea... sells... furnature.

  That depends on your definition of "furnature".

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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Warp wrote:
> Invisible <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>> As I understand it, Ikea... sells... furnature.
> 
>   That depends on your definition of "furnature".

...and suddenly I have visions of tree ferns. Hmm. Something is wrong 
with my brain. :-S

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Invisible wrote:
> Warp wrote:
>> Invisible <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>>> As I understand it, Ikea... sells... furnature.
>>
>>   That depends on your definition of "furnature".
> 
> ....and suddenly I have visions of tree ferns. Hmm. Something is wrong 
> with my brain. :-S
> 

they probably sell those too

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"Invisible" <voi### [at] devnull> wrote in message 
news:47f49415$1@news.povray.org...
> Can somebody explain this to me?
>
> As I understand it, Ikea... sells... furnature.
>

I've heard that Ikea also sells, of all things, meatballs. (Hopefully you 
don't need to find a screwdriver to put them together once you get them 
home.)

--
H²

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Invisible a écrit :
> Can somebody explain this to me?

Ikea understood something about their customer's psychology.

I'm usually very reluctant to buy something anywhere, I'd rather go out
without anything in my hands (unless I have a very precise goal).

But I am totally unable to get out of Ikea withless than 100 € in
various merchandise (never useless, everything is useful at ikea, but
hardly planned).

All my architects colleagues are equally fond of Ikea, most furniture
here, at the firm, is Ikea (inexpensive and good looking, what's more ?).

And, mmhhh, these cheap hotdogs... and swedish meat balls with jam and fries...

Fabien.

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Fa3ien wrote:

> And, mmhhh, these cheap hotdogs... and swedish meat balls with jam and 
> fries...

Oh the mental images... :-\

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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scott escribió:
> Have you ever seen every single check-out having a queue of 20 or 30 
> people?

Yes, around every single day in the supermarket here. Looks like if 
there are less people, they close some check-outs, in order to keep the 
customer annoyance constant.

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Invisible wrote:
> True. Here at work, we have an Ikea knife.
> 
> I like it. It has a red handle, and it looks very "violent". I like 
> violent things...

Invisible also wrote:
> I am the least masculine male I know of. Presumably because I dislike
> what being male stands for - violence, selfishness and brute
> strength.

Which is the real Invisible?

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"Nicolas Alvarez" <nic### [at] gmailisthebestcom> wrote in message 
news:47f52e5e$1@news.povray.org...
> Invisible wrote:
>> True. Here at work, we have an Ikea knife.
>>
>> I like it. It has a red handle, and it looks very "violent". I like 
>> violent things...
>
> Invisible also wrote:
>> I am the least masculine male I know of. Presumably because I dislike
>> what being male stands for - violence, selfishness and brute
>> strength.
>
> Which is the real Invisible?

  That was just the Jack Carver coming out of him... Understandable.

      ~Steve~

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> Invisible wrote:
>> True. Here at work, we have an Ikea knife.
>>
>> I like it. It has a red handle, and it looks very "violent". I like 
>> violent things...
> 
> Invisible also wrote:
>> I am the least masculine male I know of. Presumably because I dislike
>> what being male stands for - violence, selfishness and brute
>> strength.
> 
> Which is the real Invisible?

Well... I like inflicting violence on inanimate objects. I'm much less 
keen on it being done to living things...

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Nicolas Alvarez wrote:
> scott escribió:
>> Have you ever seen every single check-out having a queue of 20 or 30 
>> people?
> 
> Yes, around every single day in the supermarket here. Looks like if 
> there are less people, they close some check-outs, in order to keep the 
> customer annoyance constant.

They put in a bunch of those 'self check out' lanes at the grocery 
stores here. The common style uses scales to make sure that you only bag 
items you have scanned. Only, the bag area is tiny, enough for maybe 10 
to 20 items. So, when the store has only a few people working, what 
aisles do they keep open?

Yup, just the 10 items or less lane and the self check out machines. 
It's like they don't expect anyone to do any real shopping at 3 am.

Post a reply to this message

On Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:42:36 -0400, Sabrina Kilian <"ykgp at
vtSPAM.edu"> wrote:

>
>Yup, just the 10 items or less lane and the self check out machines. 
>It's like they don't expect anyone to do any real shopping at 3 am.

It is only 5 items or less here and who else is in the store at 3 am?
-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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Invisible wrote:
> Can somebody explain this to me?
> 
> As I understand it, Ikea... sells... furnature.
> 
> So why is it that every time a new Ikea shop opens, there's mass 
> hysteria? Why do road planners have to redesign road networks to cope 
> with the increased traffic volume? And why is it that every single 
> weekend, the entire place is more packed out than a sardine tin?

Ikea's executives pray night and day that this question never occurs to 
anybody.

Regards,
John

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scott wrote:
>> And anyway, how many items of furnature does the average person buy in 
>> their entire lifetime? Not damn many!
> 
> They also sell lots of other stuff apart from big furniture.
> 
>> So *why* the hell is Ikea always so busy?
> 
> It's pretty cheap, and usually not bad quality, and the best bit is you 
> can usually take the stuff home with you right there rather than having 
> to wait several days (or weeks) for delivery.

Case in point:
We bought a couch and love seat set.  The couch was delivered when 
promised.  We were told there "was a problem with the love seat."

A few *months* later (and we had already paid for the love seat!), we 
were told by a rep from the company, "I don't know why we haven't gotten 
it to you, yet!  The inventory system *still* says there's 1 in stock at 
the warehouse!"

And, when we tried to complain, we were told that "things like this 
happen in the furniture business all the time."

Ikea IS the warehouse.  If you can buy it in the store, it's because you 
can take it home that day.

-- 
...Ben Chambers
www.pacificwebguy.com

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Sabrina Kilian wrote:
> They put in a bunch of those 'self check out' lanes at the grocery 
> stores here. 

Around here, a few stores have taken those out, saying that they move 
too slowly and have more problems compared to traditional cashier lines.

-- 
...Ben Chambers
www.pacificwebguy.com

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Stephen wrote:
> On Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:42:36 -0400, Sabrina Kilian <"ykgp at
> vtSPAM.edu"> wrote:
> 
>> Yup, just the 10 items or less lane and the self check out machines. 
>> It's like they don't expect anyone to do any real shopping at 3 am.
> 
> It is only 5 items or less here and who else is in the store at 3 am?

When I've gone in, usually me, 3 people cleaning up, and 4 
cashiers/managers just standing around slacking off. Occasionally there 
is someone restocking the shelves.

Post a reply to this message

> It's like they don't expect anyone to do any real shopping at 3 am.

YOu should be lucky your shops are open at 3am, ours all close at 8pm.

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On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:04:35 -0400, Sabrina Kilian <"ykgp at
vtSPAM.edu"> wrote:

>
>When I've gone in, usually me, 3 people cleaning up, and 4 
>cashiers/managers just standing around slacking off. Occasionally there 
>is someone restocking the shelves.

Well I live in the "big city" :) and while they are not crowded it
looks like everyone has a story. :) 
The people with fractured sleep cycles seem to gather there, maybe
just to see another face or escape the hustle and bustle of human
contact. As I say everyone has a story. I've worked shifts a lot and I
tend to drift into being awake at night and sleeping during the day,
when I'm not working.
PS I don't like garlic or mirrors either :)
-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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Stephen wrote:
> On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:04:35 -0400, Sabrina Kilian <"ykgp at
> vtSPAM.edu"> wrote:
> 
>> When I've gone in, usually me, 3 people cleaning up, and 4 
>> cashiers/managers just standing around slacking off. Occasionally there 
>> is someone restocking the shelves.
> 
> Well I live in the "big city" :) and while they are not crowded it
> looks like everyone has a story. :) 
> The people with fractured sleep cycles seem to gather there, maybe
> just to see another face or escape the hustle and bustle of human
> contact. As I say everyone has a story. I've worked shifts a lot and I
> tend to drift into being awake at night and sleeping during the day,
> when I'm not working.
> PS I don't like garlic or mirrors either :)

I haven't thought of hanging out at the grocery store at 3 am. I may try 
that the next time, just wander the aisles and chat. I wouldn't call 
this place a 'big city' but just a college town. That probably explains 
why they are even open at 3am to begin with.

I switch between 30 hour days when I have a big project to work on, and 
normal days other times. But since I can sleep through the upstairs 
neighbor's kid running around and banging on the piano, but prefer to 
work in a quieter environ, I just find myself coding from 11pm till 6am.

PS garlic = good, mirrors = bad =)

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On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:22:44 -0400, Sabrina Kilian <"ykgp at
vtSPAM.edu"> wrote:

>
>I haven't thought of hanging out at the grocery store at 3 am. 

That's normal :)


>I may try that the next time, just wander the aisles and chat. 

Be a wee bit careful, there's fruit loops everywhere :)

>I wouldn't call 
>this place a 'big city' but just a college town. That probably explains 
>why they are even open at 3am to begin with.
>

In Britain they are the worst for early closing, at least a few years
ago.

>I switch between 30 hour days when I have a big project to work on, and 
>normal days other times. 

Would you believe I've twice worked a 25 hour "ghost-er", on the day
the clocks went back. 

>But since I can sleep through the upstairs 
>neighbor's kid running around and banging on the piano, but prefer to 
>work in a quieter environ, I just find myself coding from 11pm till 6am.

I could sleep through the last trump or so I've been told. :)

>PS garlic = good, mirrors = bad =)

garlic = turning to dust, mirrors = "nothing" 
That's a comely neck you have there. May I look a bit closer? :)
-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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Stephen wrote:
> On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:22:44 -0400, Sabrina Kilian <"ykgp at
> vtSPAM.edu"> wrote:
> 
>> I haven't thought of hanging out at the grocery store at 3 am. 
> 
> That's normal :)
> 
> 
>> I may try that the next time, just wander the aisles and chat. 
> 
> Be a wee bit careful, there's fruit loops everywhere :)
> 

Fruit loops and grape nuts both.

>> I wouldn't call 
>> this place a 'big city' but just a college town. That probably explains 
>> why they are even open at 3am to begin with.
>>
> 
> In Britain they are the worst for early closing, at least a few years
> ago.
> 
>> I switch between 30 hour days when I have a big project to work on, and 
>> normal days other times. 
> 
> Would you believe I've twice worked a 25 hour "ghost-er", on the day
> the clocks went back. 
> 

Yikes, I don't see how. I can code for 25 hours, but that's light weight 
work.

>> But since I can sleep through the upstairs 
>> neighbor's kid running around and banging on the piano, but prefer to 
>> work in a quieter environ, I just find myself coding from 11pm till 6am.
> 
> I could sleep through the last trump or so I've been told. :)
> 

Why would you want to do that? Half the fun will be running around in a 
Jesus costume.

>> PS garlic = good, mirrors = bad =)
> 
> garlic = turning to dust, mirrors = "nothing" 
> That's a comely neck you have there. May I look a bit closer? :)

I'm already rid of my soul, so what else is there to lose? I warn you, 
though, I bite back.

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On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:40:07 -0400, Sabrina Kilian <"ykgp at
vtSPAM.edu"> wrote:

>
>Yikes, I don't see how. I can code for 25 hours, but that's light weight 
>work.

In both cases there was some pressure, production was down or limited.
And a lot of the time was just sitting around waiting for someone
else.

>> I could sleep through the last trump or so I've been told. :)
>> 
>
>Why would you want to do that? Half the fun will be running around in a 
>Jesus costume.
>

Done it when I was 12, the beard tickled. Anyway if I keep a low
profile I might keep my mouth shut.


>I'm already rid of my soul, so what else is there to lose? I warn you, 
>though, I bite back.

No point then. Especially if you bite back. Doesn't mater anyway :)
-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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