Ikea: Get a clue

[Ghoulish Delight]

http://cbs2.com/water/watercooler_story_041083448.html

Ikea opened a store in London. They were going to have it open for 24 hours and have amazing grand-opening deals. Instead, they closed it after 40 minutes once 5 people were hospitalized and a man got stabbed.

Ikea says:

“IKEA could never have predicted and are genuinely overwhelmed at the outcome of the evening and the consequences that the opening of a home furnishing retailer has had,”

Ah yes, I see there point. What possible experience could have taught them that this might happen? (http://arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=50867&d=2&m=9&y=2004) :rolleyes: Idiöts.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Ok, this has crossed over from stupid to criminal. They should not be allowed to do this kind of thing anymore.

[Chernabog]

I love the quote from the Arab news article: "The IKEA management insisted that only two people were killed."

Oh good, is THAT all? Jeezus.

[sleepyjeff]

Wow... :(

I agree with CP, this should be criminal.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Wow... :(

I agree with CP, this should be criminal....and I forgot to add - they should be charged to some degree for the murders.

[Claire]

All that aside, Portland needs an Ikea. Sounds like the opening would weed out all the stupid people. :eek:

[Mousey Girl]

I agree, they should have learned after the first time.

This makes me almost glad we don't have an Ikea here-we have an ubber large warehouse, but no where to purchase.

[Ghoulish Delight]

An Ikea opened in Burbank, in Carson, in Irvine, and in Costa Mesa...I don't seem to recall any injuries at those. Does that mean that people across the Atlantic are getting better deals than us?

[UvaGirl]

Maybe they're just desperate for minamalist furniture?

[KoH]

You have to remember, these are the same people that beat the crap out of each other at their soccer games. I think they are fortunate only two died.

[Ghoulish Delight]

You have to remember, these are the same people that beat the crap out of each other at their soccer games. I think they are fortunate only two died.Somehow I'm thinking the football hooligan segment doesn't intersect very much with the "I want a purple, plastic writing desk called Flörgen*" segment.









*Note: The word Flörgen is a fabrication by the author of this post. Any resemblence to any Scandanavian insults to your mother, living or dead, are purely a coincidence.

[tracilicious]

I think I have to credit the idiots outside the store for the deaths, not inside. A free couch shouldn't make people crazy enough to kill each other. I do love Ikea, furniture though.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I think I have to credit the idiots outside the store for the deaths, not inside. A free couch shouldn't make people crazy enough to kill each other. I do love Ikea, furniture though.Yes, the people who did it deserve blame. However, if I organized an event where people were trampled to death, I wouldn't organize a simliar event and then act shocked when people get trampled.

[tracilicious]

Yes, the people who did it deserve blame. However, if I organized an event where people were trampled to death, I wouldn't organize a simliar event and then act shocked when people get trampled.

Yes, that's a good point. One wonders though, if they did try to make changes to ensure safety.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Somehow I'm thinking the football hooligan segment doesn't intersect very much with the "I want a purple, plastic writing desk called Flörgen*" segment.Here's where I admit I searched IKEA's website for a plastic writing desk so I could say "Florgen, how ridiculous - it's really called <blank>." But they don't have any plastic writing desks.

Now I have Claire's word in my head - Whateverishly. :p

[Claire]

Now I have Claire's word in my head - Whateverishly. :p

Bwahahaha......one at a time....you'll all have that word stuck in your head.....one by one!!!

And I wish it was my word. The credit belongs to David Sedaris. :) It just so fits me somehow--pretty much my philosophy on living in one nonsensical word.

And Portlanders really want an Ikea, by the way. Badly. Every week for years, there's been Ikea-Runs organized on Craigslist for Portlanders heading to Seattle. The City of Portland's been a real pain in the ass for Ikea to work with financially, so it seems we'll never get one. :rolleyes: Way to go, Portland! Discourage that growth, push the big businesses to the freaking suburbs!

[Prudence]

I've stopped going to Ikea sales. (You know, technically our Ikea is in Renton, not Seattle.) Actually, I've stopped going to most sales in general. It's too much hassle and always seems to bring out the worst in patrons and employees alike. Frankly, it's worth it to me to pay more.

Or I just buy online.

[Morrigoon]

You know, proper queueing would help. Why have just a door? Why not set up a queue at LEAST long enough to accommodate the vouchers, and make it narrow enough to discourage passing/cutting.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Every week for years, there's been Ikea-Runs organized on Craigslist for Portlanders heading to Seattle. Ok, now I'm certain that when they do open an IKEA in Portland, people will die. :eek:

Seriously Claire, I can totally see myself using "whateverishly", as in "I felt whateverishly about it." I love David Sedaris. :cool:

[sleepyjeff]

Ok, now I'm certain that when they do open an IKEA in Portland, people will die. :eek:



They don't call us "Little Beirut" for nothing :eek:

[Claire]

I'm no Ikea fan, not by a long shot, but if they built it, I would go. Just not anytime soon after it was built. :rolleyes: :D I think Portland would benefit from having one though.

[mhrc4]

that is, um, wow, some Ikea fanfare eh?

[Tito's Kitten]

I used to work for the IKEA in Burbank and let me tell you when they train you you have to learn every bloody line of furniture they carry (You have manuals from every department that you fill in by HAND) and you learn about that while in America we love a bargain the U.S IKEA's are not the cultural lifestyle phenomenon that it is in Europe. (Hey, in Europe you have to PICK UP YOUR OWN COUCH from the wherehouse unlike here where it is brought out to you.) One great thing is if you work at IKEA they tell you that hey, the customer needs to do some work too. (I had people try to bribe me when I was 8 and 1/2 months pregnant to go down to the self serve wherehouse and pick up their furniture for them.)

These news stories don't even surprise me since I have heard so many horror stories about their grand openings. I heard that when they opened the Emeryville story in Nor Cal, more than half the staff quit by the end of the first day because they said people were nuts in there!!! I heard stories from some of the Burbank people who had to fly up there to help cover the store that people were hostile, they got attacked in the parking lot, there were fist fights on the wherehouse floor over boxes of furniture and even a girl I worked with got spit on by a customer because they didn't have the unit she wanted in stock.... WTF?????!!!!!

[NirvanaMan]

Jesus christ. Again? Though Ikea's comment that they "never could have predicted" this happening was careless and stupid, I blame the morons who are willing to stab someone over some chitty particle board furniture. Those are the people that should be charged with murder, not the business who simply opened a store. Honestly...what is wrong with people? It's like when I see people lined up at Costco gas 10 deep at each pump to save 2 cents over the gas station an 1/8 of a mile away. I don't get it. Well I guess it's not exactly the same, but its retarted either way.