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Movers Break IKEA Bookshelf, Shrug
By Laura Northrup on February 2, 2012 9:30 AM
114 Comments
For their recent move, Derek and his wife selected a local operator of North American Van Lines. Things went pretty smoothly, except for one IKEA Expedit bookcase that was somehow cracked while leaving the couple's previous home, and subsequently fell apart when it was brought into the new house. Someone gave Mrs. Derek what she assumed was a claim form to sign, but ended up being a "Particle Board Furniture form" absolving the movers of any responsibility for cheap furnishings. More »
At IKEA, 'In Stock' Doesn't Mean 'We'll Actually Get It Down For You'
By Laura Northrup on January 9, 2012 11:33 AM
88 Comments
Michael wanted to drop $600 on a pair of wardrobes from IKEA, and even called ahead before driving out to the store to make sure the items were there. When he arrived, though, he learned that "in stock" doesn't actually mean "you can purchase it today," because someone would have to get a new pallet of wardrobes down from an upper level of the warehouse. That wasn't going to happen: a warehouse manager told Michael that they'd rather lose Michael's business rather than risk the safety of employees. While this emphasis on worker safety is refreshing, Michael thinks it's unfair. More »
Breaking The IKEA Catalog's Fourth Wall
By Laura Northrup on December 1, 2011 8:00 AM
24 Comments
What happens inside the pages of an IKEA catalog when no one's looking? Don't be silly. A catalog is just photographs, not a real-time portal into a secret world where real people are always standing very, very still to create a façade of domestic perfection on a budget. Or that's what they want you to think. More »
What If You Actually Lived Inside IKEA?
By Ben Popken on May 9, 2011 12:00 PM
25 Comments
Christian went on a trip to IKEA with his buddies and began to imagine, as many have upon seeing the different "sets" around the store recreating rooms in a house fully furnished by IKEA furniture, what would it be like if you actually lived inside the IKEA store? Since he's a really good photographer, he and his pals then staged a series of delightful photos bringing this concept to life. Very fun way of bringing IKEA's marketing metaphor to its literal conclusion. It also reminds me of this short sitcom about a family that lives in IKEA that came out last year. More »
Ikea Recalls Sniglar Cribs Over Possible Mattress Collapse Issue
By Chris Morran on February 18, 2011 2:16 PM
24 Comments
Ikea has issued a recall for its Sniglar baby cribs after learning of a possible risk that the mattress support could collapse. More »
(IKEA)
IKEA No Longer Stocking Or Selling Incandescent Light Bulbs
By Meg Marco on January 4, 2011 2:42 PM
176 Comments
IKEA has done away with energy-hogging incandescents ahead of federal legislation that would mandate more efficient light bulbs starting in 2012. More »
Ikea Gives Out Bikes To 12,400 Employees
By Chris Morran on December 8, 2010 2:40 PM
58 Comments
While Walmart was busy chipping away at employees' perks, the swingin' Swedes at Ikea were busy handing out early Christmas presents to staffers in the form of free bikes. More »
(Suz)
Turn Two IKEA Chest Of Drawers Into A Captain's Bed
By Ben Popken on December 2, 2010 5:00 PM
31 Comments
Crafty gal Suz went a little nuts and decided to turn two chest of drawers into a bed. Measure carefully, saw them in half, throw a mattress on top, and boom, you've got yourself a DIY captain's bed. She walks you through how she did it, so you can play the home version of the furniture remix game. More »
What Happens When You Let 100 Cats Loose Inside An IKEA?
By Laura Northrup on September 10, 2010 8:00 AM
89 Comments
Who knows better than cats what the most comfortable and interesting spaces in your house are? That's the idea behind a new commercial for IKEA. To get the crucial kitty footage, one hundred cats were—why not?—let loose inside the Wembley store after hours to romp and nap for the cameras. More »
Would You Buy Used Ikea Furniture From Ikea?
By Chris Morran on September 3, 2010 11:45 AM
61 Comments
From certified pre-owned cars to refurbished electronics to sporting tickets, there has been a growing trend of businesses trying to cash in on secondary markets for their products. The latest example is Ikea, which recently got into the business of selling its own used furniture online in its homeland of Sweden. More »
(Benjamin Benschneider)
Man Crams Soaking Pool, Video Lounge, Cafe Into 182 Sq Ft Apartment
By Ben Popken on August 25, 2010 12:00 PM
84 Comments
Steve Sauer's "pico-dwelling" is a 182 sq ft apartment he has managed to cram a soaking pool, video lounge, and cafe into without feeling cramped in the slightest. Most of the furniture comes from IKEA, natch. More »
Fake Family Lives In Real IKEA
By Ben Popken on August 6, 2010 4:00 PM
11 Comments
Guy Ben-Ner shot a short sitcom in which a family drama is played out while the characters are depicted as living inside an IKEA. They shot it in within three different IKEAs, one in Berlin, one in Israel and one in New Jersey, and its edited so the action flows seamlessly between the scenarios. Real customers walk by and at one point almost steal the camera. Amusing commentary on consumer culture and geopolitics and damned clever idea. More »
Why Does IKEA Need To See My ID To Exchange A Defective Bed?
By Laura Northrup on July 29, 2010 11:30 AM
108 Comments
Pity those of us who live in the hinterlands, far from any IKEA stores. When we do manage a trip into civilization to buy cheap furniture with strange names, we take a risk. We risk buying a defective item and having to drag it hundreds of miles back to the store it came from. Jason tells Consumerist that's what happened to him when he bought a set of bunk beds with a manufacturing defect. But that's not his main concern. What he wants to know is: is it unreasonable for a store to scan your driver's license when exchanging an item that is obviously defective? More »
Yeah, But You Have To Admit It Was Kind Of Overpriced Last Year
Reader Matt says, "Just writing to share the fantastic deal we got on a lampshade last night at IKEA." More »
By Meg Marco on July 27, 2010 12:00 PM
31 Comments
Reader Matt says, "Just writing to share the fantastic deal we got on a lampshade last night at IKEA." More »
(Ben Popken)
IKEA's Blue Screen Of Death
By Ben Popken on July 8, 2010 2:00 PM
46 Comments
Snapped this picture last night at my local IKEA of a blue screen of death afflicting their product finder kiosk. Since it's IKEA, they also expect customers to do their own tech support.
Who Made The Lead In My Kid's Bed?
By Ben Popken on June 29, 2010 2:00 PM
13 Comments
What happens when you want to trace down which manufacturer is responsible for the lead on your kid's Thomas the Tank Engine, and make sure you dispose of and don't buy any other products associated with that maker? Or the melamine in your dog's food? Or the antifreeze in your toothpaste? It can be hard to find out. Global supply chains are vast and sometimes impenetrable. For instance, your IKEA Sultan Alsarp bed is made in China (not Sweden) and contains parts from Africa, Germany, and Russia. Enter Sourcemap, a open-source MIT project that aims to find out "Where does all the stuff inside your stuff come from?" More »
Burned By A Defective IKEA Oven Mitt, I Seek Justice... But What Kind?
By Laura Northrup on June 25, 2010 8:30 AM
74 Comments
Scott tells Consumerist that he used some new oven mitts from IKEA last night, and found out that one of them is defective. Unfortunately, he learned this the hard way: by burning his thumb. Now, he's not really sure what to do: the store is a few hours away, and he's not really sure what he wants from the store in return for the incident. What would you do? More »
IKEA Phasing Out Tris Flame Retardants From Furniture
By Ben Popken on June 22, 2010 10:13 AM
10 Comments
A Slate reporter was bowled over by the pungent chemical aroma her new IKEA sofa emitted after she took of the package. She carved off a little piece of the mattress foam and sent it to a lab, which found it contained a funky flame retardant called "chlorinated tris." This is interesting as brominated tris was banned from children's sleepwear in 1977 after studies showed it was a skin-absorbable carcinogenic. More »
Ikea To Put Dimmer Switch On Incandescent Light Sales
By Chris Morran on June 15, 2010 12:33 PM
52 Comments
If for some reason you have a truly heartfelt attachment to the incandescent lights sold at Ikea, you might want to get your hoard on ASAP. The Swedish furniture change has announced plans to begin phasing out sales of the energy-chewing bulbs starting Aug. 1. More »
See The Ikea Ad That Was Too Naughty For Texas TV
By Chris Morran on June 11, 2010 12:15 PM
65 Comments
For some reason, a few TV stations in the Houston area have a problem with the date of June 9, or at least the way Ikea decided to portray the date in a new ad promoting the reopening of their local store. More »
