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by Mac Carey
So, just how popular is IKEA? It’s estimated that 10% of living Europeans were conceived on an IKEA-produced bed. It’s time you learned a little more about the company, its reclusive owner Ingvar Kamprad (who may or may not be worth more than Bill Gates), and his continuing quest to install flat pack, streamlined fixtures across the seven continents.
1. It All Started With a Car
The inspiration for IKEA’s design philosophy came when taking the legs off of a chair to fit it into a car. IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad was so irritated by the experience that he developed the concept of flat pack design. The novel packing method had a twofold appeal: it allowed easier shopping for urban Europeans who depended on public transportation, and it also lowered the company’s shipping costs dramatically. But the store wasn’t an immediate success. IKEA floundered in Sweden for thirty years (THIRTY YEARS!) before finding an international audience.
2. The Company Had Some Dark Secrets
While we’ve written about IKEA cloaking itself as a charitable institution, that isn’t the blue and yellow über-store’s only dirty secret. While Kamprad today is known as a frugal billionaire who drives a ‘93 Volvo, eats at middle-class restaurants, and outfits his home entirely in affordable IKEA products, his legacy is tainted by his past involvement with pro-Nazi organizations. Between 1942 and 1945, Kamprad joined, fund-raised, and recruited members for a fascist, Nazi-sympathizing group in Sweden. The news only came out in 1994, when his personal correspondence with fascist Per Engdahl was released to the public. Kamprad immediately apologized for his involvement and claimed it was the biggest regret of his young life. He also wrote to every Jewish employee on his staff to issue a personal apology.
Of course, none of this stopped the information from being a point of controversy when the store first arrived in Israel, but the world seems to have forgiven him. Today IKEA is one of the only international companies to spread to both Israel and Arab countries. In fact, the store is so popular in the Middle East that three people were trampled to death at the store’s 2004 grand opening in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
3. The Dining Tables Were Too Small for a Turkey
The beginnings of IKEA in America were inauspicious, with European compact efficiency conflicting with America’s “bigger is better” creed. In the 1980s, for example, many customers bought vases, mistaking them for water glasses. They were also wary of a dining room table that couldn’t hold the girth of a full size Thanksgiving turkey. IKEA’s designers only changed their mindset in how they approached American design after the head of US operations made a stunt of it: He handed out t-shirts to Swedish designers that declared “size matters.” They apparently got the message.
4. The IKEA Catalogue Is Bigger Than the Bible
The IKEA catalogue was and is the company’s greatest weapon in its arsenal. A 300-page missionary text, it goes out to over 180 million people in 27 different languages. Each year, there are more copies of the IKEA catalogue printed than the Bible. A bit of a cult following has also developed around the catalogues, with earnest readers on the lookout for hidden messages in the pictures, such as running references to Mickey Mouse and weird, obscure books on the bookshelves.
5. It’s a Hipster Hangout
Despite early stumbles in America, twenty years later, the store has so ingrained itself into our society that a trend amongst urban hipsters is to host dinner parties at the stores. A meal of lingonberry jam and meatballs at the cafeteria for the host and guests, and the living room displays make perfect venues for a round of Taboo and Pictionary. A blog posting chronicling the first party in Sacramento led to a string of copycats across the country. So far, IKEA management doesn’t seem to be complaining.
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Well I’ll be… Fascist ties, ehh?
Can’t believe I didn’t hear about that when it went public.
posted by Johnny Salversic on 8-10-2009 at 10:52 am
The IKEA here in Bologna, Italy has a full Cafeteria and coffee bar with a sealed smoking room so the customers don’t have to leave the store to have a cigarette (70% of Italian people over 16 years old smoke). People here like to go to IKEA and walk around and browse on Sundays because its one of the only places open (even grocery stores are closed on Sundays).
posted by Kate on 8-10-2009 at 11:26 am
I knew there was some reason I hate Ikea, besides the fact that their furniture is not built to withstand the weight of an average human.
posted by KS on 8-10-2009 at 12:26 pm
Though I’ve never tried to assemble any IKEA brand furniture, all the flat-pack furniture I’ve ever purchased has been a nightmare to put together. Maybe it is cheaper to buy it that way, but my time and sanity are worth the price difference.
posted by Melissa on 8-10-2009 at 1:07 pm
KS- something tells me you are not the weight of an average human.
posted by James on 8-10-2009 at 2:57 pm
@KS, I’m guessing you’re American (so am I, btw). The average American’s weight is hardly representative of the average human’s weight. Europeans, in general, are slimmer.
I’m still using the Ikea iron bed frame I bought over 10 years ago and it’s solid as a rock. Their dressers can be pretty nice: smooth rolling mechanisms, solid drawers. I’m still using a set that’s over 15 years old. But yeah, the wood futon-esque couch didn’t last 3 years when a 6′+ house guest dropped himself onto it with great enthusiasm and snapped the wooden supports under the cushions. Like everything else, caveat emptor.
I don’t find Ikea products overly complicated to put together (I’ve seen much worse) but then I’ve also assembled gas BBQ grills with 40+ parts and build my own computers. Ikea’s pretty good at minimizing the number of parts.
Recaptcha includes… overeats :p
posted by Michelle on 8-10-2009 at 3:05 pm
Two things…
James, which country are we specifying the average to?
And secondly, i’m a mere 170lbs and i’ve heard those chairs groan with uncomfort when i’ve rested myself on their seats.
I think it’s a matter of fault in one of three steps. Assembly-line anything, including furniture, tends to have a few rotten apples slip through quality control once or twice. It could be that and/or err on the assembly of the item in question back at home. Finally, the age-old business rule of “sell the lowest quality item possible for the highest price possible” comes into play. Beat your competitors to make more money. The way to do that is to make your product or service less expensive. The way to do that is cut costs of manufacturing. In order to cut cost, you have to cut quality. The way to do that is to import cheaper product. Now, the way to effectively sell the cheaper product is to give it a benefit that others don’t have that gives the illusion that your product is better. In this case, it’s the packaging and shipping. The one time benefit the customers see is the ease of getting said product from the store to the home without spending more resources. This far outweighs the inconvenience of a piece of furniture that is big, bulky, heavy, and hard to fit places (especially cars and front doors [ok, turn it clockwise, CLOCKWISE! OK OK, now lean it upwards, slowly, ok, watch the doorknob, OW OW my fingers! i'm losing grip i'm losing grip!!]) This one-time easy solution clouds the long-term judgement of the buyer. So, in summary, a cheap piece of furniture you can easily transport is better than a high quality, costlier piece you may have to invest more resources into just to move (trailer, U-Haul, person you don’t like who owns a truck and to help you get in the house), even though the latter of the two will last longer and hold together much better.
This is not to say IKEA is bad, i like some of the things they sell.
posted by Steven on 8-10-2009 at 3:16 pm
The first US IKEA store opened outside Philly, PA in 1985 when I was a year old. My mother still talks about going to the 1-year anniversary sale with friends…she met people who had come all the way from Maryland and Virginia just to shop!!
posted by Katie on 8-10-2009 at 4:09 pm
i love IKEA they are great, most of our furniture is ikea and is a snap to build, also LOVE the food
posted by dre on 8-10-2009 at 4:57 pm
The only problem I’ve had with IKEA is the mattress I bought. Huge mistake…I’ve never had any issues with back pain until I started sleeping on one. Anyone have any suggestions on how to make it more comfortable (tried adding a couple layers of mattress pad but it didn’t make much difference) or in the market for a barely used IKEA mattress? I like the bedframe so I think I’ll keep that.
posted by Chris on 8-10-2009 at 5:07 pm
I wish there were an Ikea closer to my house! I love all the furniture we’ve bought from Ikea and it is an absolute breeze to put together. I bought a desk with a hutch and it was like 40 pieces in the box….no more than 45 minutes later it was finished! I get such a kick out of the directions since there is not a single word printed on them – just pictures! Can’t wait to go back!
posted by Jamie on 8-10-2009 at 5:40 pm
we were big fans of ikea in ca and when we moved to az had some withdrawls. i remember my mom getting in the car one afternoon and asked where she was going (assuming a quick trip to the store or gas station.) “ikea” she says. “ummm, when are you coming back?” (now assuming she is making a weekend trip and staying over at my aunts, as ikea is more than 6 hrs aways). “i dont know, midnight ish…” she wanted to pick up some furniture and decided it was worth a day in the car to go to ikea.
thankfully, az now has one.
posted by tiffany on 8-10-2009 at 7:47 pm
*sigh* No Ikea in New Zealand, although Auckland has been promised one for years now.
I have never had an issue with the furniture being strong enough to hold my weight…and I’m an ‘average human’.
posted by Logan on 8-10-2009 at 10:01 pm
Our “poang” chair comes with a lovely footstool, which all our guests seem to presume is ALSO for sitting on. Not so. Because the only thing supporting the cushion is a plank fitted between two slots in opposite parts of the frame, the guest often ends up falling THROUGH the stool so that the cushion (and their ass) is on the floor, while their legs and torso are sticking out of the frame. This has become a regular occurrence because so many people thought it a good idea to SIT on a FOOTREST that the wooden plank is now bowed and comes out quite easily. Whoops!
Really, it’s marvelous entertainment and has made for some great photos! We always try to stop people before they sit on it, but sometimes… it happens anyway.
posted by Kat Speyer on 8-11-2009 at 2:28 am
Like the hipster hangout thing, Ikea is also great to bring a date.
posted by RRRROB on 8-11-2009 at 5:22 am
I worked for IKEA in the customer service area. Furniture pick up and delivery. WOW let me tell you, the crappy stuff and crappy attitude of managers towards customers is mind blowing. I quikly learned NOT to spend my money there. And never did! I’m thankful that my money went elsewhere.
posted by smargypants on 8-11-2009 at 10:12 am
You get what you pay for at Ikea. I mean, I own some Ikea stuff, but really, some things are good enough for the prices they offer.
However, here in the States, the service and food quality has gone way down. I mean, they are definitely not 5 star reataurant, but they charge for everything now. Ex: $0.50 for extra sauce and what not.
In other countries that I’ve visited, say in Asia somewhere, the food is way better and quality too… oh well… I still enjoy going there to walk around. :)
posted by mooLamb on 8-11-2009 at 11:32 am
Don’t get your panties in a bunch over an elderly businessman. I have read, though, that the tax implications of a business in Sweden and a number of other things has been hottly debated. There are a lot of family members that have raked in the cash.
I’ve found that people buy stuff at IKEA for college kids. They buy the cheapest worst stuff. (Ikea has expensive really nice stuff too). But that stuff breaks within a couple years of hard use (college kids) so people will oftentimes have a negative reaction to IKEA.
It really is not comparable to anything but Target or a large old-school department store. I, personally like the modern styles and am impressed every time I go in there. Just be sure to not get lost!
posted by racy_rick on 8-11-2009 at 12:12 pm
The hipster hangout is right! Check out this soap-opera webseries shot entirely on location at a Burbank Ikea.
http://la.channel101.com/shows/show.php?show_id=351
posted by David on 8-11-2009 at 12:21 pm
The best part of Ikea is that their stuff is designed. It’s just better to look at than stuff from other stores.
About durability: I have some stuff from which the paint is coming off. On the other hand, I also have a lot of things I bought as a student and I’m 41 now.
Shopping on a Saturday afternoon is a nightmare, but fortunately you can also shop in the evening (here in the Netherlands).
My experience with customer service is good: they accept everything back, return your money and don’t ask questions. In some stores the personel is friendlier than in other stores.
@Chris: Ikea sells hard, medium and soft mattresses. Which one to buy depends on your weight. Maybe you made a mistake there.
posted by Edwin Martin on 8-11-2009 at 12:48 pm
I hate Ikea stuff, there I said it. Low quality with no real style looks like made by robots. I’m in the antique and folk art business and we desribe boring ordinary folks as “ikea people”
I met this girl once , seemed real nice but when we went back to her place….all this ikea furniture ! Really bothered me, we would be laying in this hokey Ikea bed with me wondering what am I doing.
Finaly an x girlfriend told me to just think about her oak arts and craft bed while in the Ikea one ….and it helped !
posted by todd on 8-11-2009 at 2:22 pm
I have a lot of Ikea furniture in my apartment and love! It’s all holding up great. I drive 40 minutes from Wilmington, Delaware to Philly to get it. No complaints here. There decorating stuff is fun, too.
posted by Shannon O'Connell on 8-11-2009 at 4:51 pm
TODD,
wow. you must have thought the 60’s were full of robots. it’s weird–i think all that grandmother furniture you like is completely tacky and in horrible taste. oh well.
posted by ass on 8-11-2009 at 5:09 pm
I spent the summer in NYC and on my very last day I had an “OMG Ikea” revelation. I remembered that they often shopped there on Queer Eye For the Straight Guy, how had I missed the location during my 49 day romp around the city? Manhattan has no IKEA, however. After seeing the store, it was clear that one would never fit there. The only IKEA NYC has to offer is in Redhook, Brooklyn, and is accessible only via water taxi. It was AWESOME but I only bought a few bowls + straws because I didn’t want to deal with carrying more stuff in my already overstuffed luggage. I thought that I could just order online once I got home. We need a new coffee table, and i found a lovely one for 19.99 on the IKEA website. The shipping was 150.00. No way jose. I understand that IKEA wants you to go to the actual store, but I live in Las Vegas, not in a volcano or something. How on earthhhhhh can it cost 150 dollars for them to ship me a 15 pound package. ok done.
posted by Kelly on 8-11-2009 at 5:15 pm
wow! realy? these are the things i should know! Wow! i am just stunned!
posted by mjk on 8-11-2009 at 5:23 pm
OMG, you should see the drama of store openings here in Japan, IKEA is relatively new here. Hour long plus waits outside the stores before getting a chance to go in. The Japanese are like that though, they all show up to see the latest trends in retail. I still see lineups outside of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and it’s been around for 3 years or longer.
posted by Craig on 8-11-2009 at 7:29 pm
@Kelly, I had the same problem with their $20 bookcase(going in a closet), they’d get in 40 or 50 but always be sold out buy the time I got to the store, shipping was $150 for 3 of them, so for the $210 I could have bought much nicer bookcases.
posted by Paul on 8-11-2009 at 9:30 pm
i was in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia back in ‘92 and IKEA was already open for business then. So, that grand opening in 2004 that you mention may not be accurate.
posted by tangotango on 8-11-2009 at 9:37 pm
Would Gates dress like this http://www.hurjagblevrik.se/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/ingvar_kamprad.jpg
posted by Jon on 8-12-2009 at 6:02 am
Really? You’re going to bring up something that the guy refers to as the greatest regret in his life? Fine. You know who else supported the Nazis? Your mom.
posted by Samuel Erikson on 8-12-2009 at 10:01 am
Lol, don’t say that it’s hard to build their products, my class built almost all the furniture we have at school and it was bought at IKEA. So if a bunch of 13-year-olds can put together their furniture, why can’t you?
posted by Marie on 8-14-2009 at 5:45 pm
The Austin TX Ikea is a great spot for license plate hunts.
Other Ikeas get visitors from nearby rural states; the Schaumburg, Illinois one always has some Wisconsinites and Iowans and even the occasional South Dakotan.
The Austin lot gets visitors from a dozen Mexican provinces. Seems like Mexico has pent-up Ikea demand too.
90% of my furniture is from Ikea. I hate spending money on inert objects. Everything else is either ugly or expensive.
posted by Michael Tobis on 8-15-2009 at 2:05 am
@Marie
Yeah, I don’t get what people are on about when they whine about how hard it is to assemble. My dad and I put together my Malm bed, two Malm side tables, part of a Poang chair (half-disassembled from Craigslist), and maybe some other stuff I forgot one Sunday morning with no problems. Also, their instruction booklets are fun – I like the doughy little people.
posted by murt on 8-15-2009 at 2:01 pm
point number 5 is so true. in Malaysia, all the hip 20 somethings hang out there on weekends. people go dating there too.. its kind of annoying, cus theyre there every other weekend, not just during dinner parties or other events. ppl who want to buy furniture end up going to some kind of mass dating event.
posted by boo on 8-26-2009 at 10:54 am
We just got an IKEA in Charlotte, and let me tell you—for an ADHD adult with no sense of direction, IKEA is the scariest place in the world to go alone. I went in for a rug and did not emerge until 2 hours later with a rug, 4 shelving units, and a squirt bottle. Oh, and I got horrifically lost.
Still though, IKEA rocks.
posted by KerriD on 9-7-2009 at 1:17 pm
I love Ikea… Since im in MD we have 3 with in a hour drive ;)
posted by Mrs. Smith on 9-10-2009 at 3:19 pm
I worked for IKEA for over 5 years as a learning and development specialist and i have to say that pieces of info her arent exactly accurate… flat packing was brought about by a table, not a chair.
@kelly… the reason shipping is sooo totally expensive is that the web ordering center ships from Baltimore and shipping rates are based on that. you would be better served renting a budget van and driving to your closest store to grab your goodies… in fact… all US stores have rental cars/vans/ trucks available right at the store for your convienencde! which is soo cool!
most of the furniture is as sturdy as can be… the variable in the equation is the person assembling it… i have a bed that is 10 years old, but a dining chair my bro-in-law built, that is extremely rickety. LOL
while working for the company, i was one of the few IKEA history trainers and have learned lots of interesting facts about the company. Including the fact that each product is put through around 500 tests during manufacturing alone and that the design of all products starts with one simple thing in mind…. the price tag. the price point or affordability is the main concern to the company who just wants to make their products available to as many people as possible.
Great philosophy if you ask me.
posted by Lillipadmom on 10-12-2009 at 1:43 pm
I love my rocking chair that i got 6 years ago, and it doesn’t even creak. It all depends on how you make it!
also, went to ikea, and looked around for a frame for a painting i made. Turns out I found one that fit my canvas perfectly… ikea must have some psychics on the job…
posted by Nic on 10-21-2009 at 12:19 am
My local Ikea (Leeds UK) have had a few crayfish nights recently that have been AWESOME! All you can eat crayfish and loads of schnapps! And their hotdogs are great too!
posted by Alf on 10-31-2009 at 2:58 am
I’ve been building things from IKEA since I was 15… and I’m a girl… with no engineering skill whatsoever… While initially frustrating, I am now quite good and building things from vague instructions. I thank IKEA most wholeheartedly.
@murt – doughy people. that’s a smile for the morning.
posted by ac on 11-10-2009 at 12:57 pm