Talk:IKEA/Archive 1

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A child called Ikea: Myth or reality?

Hi, a year go, somebody in the UK has named a child Ikea. It is now offically a girl's name. A child called Ikea: Myth or reality? Maybe it should be included? 172.203.222.217 10:47, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Plastic bags cost the earth

Hi, in the UK, IKEA has started to charge for carrier bags, to dissuade customers from using plastic bags. All profits from carrier bags are going to charities and environmental projects. Tesco has address the same issue by give points for bag re-use. Should something about this issue be addressed? Press Release 172.202.59.155 19:44, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

In Australia too. I know this was a very old post, almost a year now, but perhaps this could be added to the sorely neglected plastic bag article JayKeaton 06:09, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

IKEA Online Shopping

Hi, does anyone know much about IKEA's online shopping service. I know that IKEA Europe (Except UK) has an online shopping facility. There were rumours that IKEA UK will be launching this facility in the new year. Can anyone clarify?172.202.59.155 19:45, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

Good article?

I'd like to list this at Good articles. Any objections? SP-KP 18:38, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

OK, done SP-KP 18:08, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

Article removed from Good Articles

• First off, the article lacks references. These should be done in accordance with WP:CITE. Prefereably, inline citations in the form of footnotes should be included.'

Should we 'prefereably' run everything through a spell checker too?

• According to WP:LEAD, a lead should include of at most 3 paragraphs that provides a quick and brief over view of the article.
• Small sections be expanded/merged. For example, "Diversity", "Design reform", "Criticisms"
• Also needs to be NPOV, per the argument below. Acknowledge that criticisms are included, but they are poorly formatted and should be better laid-out. (What is "English" furniture, why is he complaining about "English" furniture, and how/why were the claims dismissed? Who launched the complains for the advertisement? What does smelling armpits have anything to do with this?)

Yes who launched the 'complains'?

• Weak prose, for example "IKEA's goals of sustainability and environmental design in their merchandise may be trumped by the impact a new IKEA store can have on a community:" is the first sentence of the section. What are these goals? Plus seems to sound POV.

Agreed.

• Relevancy and going off topic- What does "In Saudi Arabia three people were crushed to death in September 2004 when IKEA offered a limited number of $150 vouchers for free." have anything at all to due with community impact? Or traffic jams?

It's weak to say the least. But don't make light of tragedy.

• List-weighty
• History: Reaches only 1975. Is this comprehensive and thorough? I can hardly imagine that Ingvar Kamprad really did this alone.

What do you know about Ingvar?

I haven't thoroughly read the article yet, but these are some basic points that should be addressed. AndyZ 22:35, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

Wouldn't it have been just a tad better to read the article thoroughly before applying surgeon tools? Just a thought.

NPOV?

This seems a little too entirely positive. I don't really have any deeper knowledge of IKEA, so wouldn't want to add any critique myself... For instance, isn't IKEA known for copying their modern and unusual ideas from other manufacturers? Rvollmert 20:23, 2004 Jul 31 (UTC)

No they're not. If you really don't have any 'deeper knowledge' of something what gives you the inclination to assume things about it? This is patent nonsensical thinking - or lack thereof.

---

Yeah I would have to agree. Much sounds a bit like from a company broshure. Some NPOV cleanup is in order. --J-Star 11:18, 9 Nov 2004 (UTC)

What's a 'broshure'? This whole NPOV thing sounds ridiculous. Although none of you have an inkling what you're getting on about - and admit so outright - you're suggesting that because an article is too praiseworthy it must be a biased article? Don't you think if IKEA - who hire their own designers and even name them in their catalogues - were plagiarising others' designs those 'others' would sue them? To my mind that's deeper thought than you've given the subject matter and ceteris paribus I find your attitude arrogant to say the least.

I cant believe purposely IKEA makes you run through the whole store before leaving.I thought I was the only one that noticed that if one follows the "to exit signs", they would have eventually zig-zagged and circled the store about three times.LOL

I can believe it but they'd hardly be alone. Such a topic belongs better in an article on general 'store making' or 'supermarket making'. It's widely known the most attractive things are at the back and that the way in can be easier than the way out, the most expensive products at horizontal arms reach and the products everybody needs either high up or way low; that muzak is used to 'lull' people into a detached tranquil state so they calm down and buy more; but to place something like this in an article specifically about IKEA is ludicrous.

Most of the time, if you look around while you're walking, you will see shortcuts throughout the store. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.42.152.143 (talk) 21:34, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

Store "shortcuts"

> Montreal's Ikea has these shortcuts

So does New Haven, Connecticut. I think it's safe to assume that all newer Ikea's have them and older Ikea's will probably grow them.

Atlant 02:15, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

As do both Toronto stores and the Burlington store. Radagast 17:31, Jan 21, 2005 (UTC)

I think they're really standard now. --ShurTape 23:30, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC)

The Philadelphia store also has shortcuts; I was there today. Izzycat 18:33, Jun 28, 2005 (UTC)

As far as I can remember, the Toronto store has had them since like 10 years ago. I don't think "recently" is correct.—Gniw (Wing) 16:33, 30 October 2005 (UTC)

Agreed. The Richmond store (First in Canada) has had them as far as I can remember (at least 1986) Doormatty 08:39, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

As does Calgary's store... WestJet 20:24, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

Non-stabbing

Hi, I've removed the reference to the 'stabbing' at the Edmonton store. Not only IKEA, but also the local police say the incident wasn't related to the store's opening (Times article). Cal T 22:37, 14 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Economies of Scale

Whilst from a design and price standpoint IKEA may be a good company, the glaring omission of IKEA's faults (dirty, understaffed, complex, understocked, etc) seems unusual for a Wikipedia article. I'd urge someone to remedy this and balance the article out, if this isn't possible I'll see what I can do at a future date when I have more time. --Burfdl 07:20, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC), IKEA employee.

I think that most of the criticisms are probably very store-individual. The IKEAs I've been to have been clean and I've never had problems finding staff.

In my experience 'very clean' may be a strech, but they are certainly no dirtier than any other stores I have been to. Relatively clean would be a better way to describe them I think. Great Green Arkelseizure 04:16, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

I would not even count them as a good company from the design standpoint. Their products look good but usually have some design fault when it comes to using them - like our bed which has just broken a leg (and we were not doing anything in it at the time!). -- RHaworth 07:32, 2005 Feb 18 (UTC), husband of IKEA employee.

Certainly you have to scrutinize the merchandise, especially when the price seems too good to be true. --Theodore Kloba 17:56, July 12, 2005 (UTC)

Also, the leg of your bed may be an exception. If this is the only example you have, it can hardly be considered conclusive proof that IKEA furniture is prone to breaking. Great Green Arkelseizure 04:16, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

Pronunciation

How do Britishers pronounce "IKEA"? Here in the US (Chicago area), I've heard both /i'ke.a/ and /aɪ'ki:ə/. There are a lot of Polish and Spanish speakers here, so maybe we're just more used to pronouncing foreign words than those in areas of the US with less immigration. --Theodore Kloba 17:56, July 12, 2005 (UTC)

I've got a radical idea but I hardly think it will catch on. Why not pronounce it the way it's supposed to be pronounced? (I knew it was a bad idea. ;) )

I've never heard it pronounced any other way than the second option (to rhyme with "idea")

in both Scotland and England --DrStu 19:37, July 28, 2005 (UTC)

When I'm talking to my neighbors from Europe, I say "i-KAY-uh" (short i), but when I'm talking to anyone else here in America, I say "eye-KEY-uh". :-)

Atlant 20:38, 28 July 2005 (UTC)

Hehe, I'm from Sweden and we pronounce it eye-key-a(as close as I could write it). I find your discussion very entertaining/interesting ^^.--NoNo 02:56, 27 August 2005 (UTC)

Ee-KAY-Yah.

This may be because of the way Canadians pronounce IKEA, but all IKEA's radio and television commercials here (in Canada), both French and English, pronouce the name to rhyme with the word 'idea'. Also is the name supposed to be spelt in all caps? Great Green Arkelseizure 04:16, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

All caps. It's an acronym. Read the article!

It's in all caps because 1) it's an acronym and 2) that's the way IKEA does it. :-)

Atlant 17:24, 2 February 2006 (UTC)

The first time I went to an IKEA store, I went to the one in Kungens Kurva just south of Central Stockholm with family members. I was pretty young and had never heard of IKEA before, but I remember how I learned to say IKEA perfectly. You see, they told me we were going to "ee-kay-uh" (IKEA) to get some stuff for my cousin, but I was only familiar with "ee-kuh" (ICA). It's a supermarket chain in Sweden. I was throughly confused why we were going to the grocery store to by a desk for my cousin... Still, the way I learned it in Sweden was "ee-kay-uh". Ever since, "eye-key-uh" has rubbed me the wrong way. -Zen Mar 03 2006 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.231.36.107 (talk • contribs)

Yeah, that's definately the right way to say it. ee-kay-uh.. Not eye-key-a as I wrote before.

Yup. But IKEA themselves are smarter than to try to get others to do the same. They're trying to make an accessible name. Same with 'Linux'. 'Ee-KAY-Yah' is correct - but correct doesn't mean right.

Yup. ee-KAY-uh (stress on second syllable), first and last syllables very short. --Cultural Freedom 2006-09-22 15:46 (UTC)

Sustainable approach?!?

Looking at the thousands of SUVs parked around the suburban Chicago IKEA, I'd say the company is failing at encouraging sustainability!--Theodore Kloba 18:09, July 12, 2005 (UTC)

That probably has more to do with American attitudes than IKEA.

Atlant 00:26, 17 July 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, because God knows you can fit large pieces of furniture (even if they're flat-packed) into a two-door. Boy, your comments couldn't be anymore subtle. Also, quit signing your comments like that. *doesn't care that this is from a year ago*

Yes, ultimately you have to blame the people driving the monster trucks, but IKEA did decide to locate where there is no public transportation access; they located near their market. --Theodore Kloba 19:34, July 18, 2005 (UTC)

You apparently missed the note below. Stoughton, MA, New Haven, CT, and Elizabeth, NJ are all served by public transit (or public transit aided by hired coach service).

Atlant 12:47, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

This is prominantly displayed on the Ikea Staughten page.

Prominently even.

[1]

Transit to IKEA
Leave your car at home (Or at the T Station)!
You don't have to just drive to get to your new IKEA Stoughton. There are other ways to get right to our doorstep:
-IKEA Shuttle; Shuttles will be running every weekend from 10 am - 6 pm at the Quincy-Adams T-stop on the Red line.
- BAT (Brockton Area Transport); Try out the new bus route that goes down Stockwell Drive and through to IKEA!
(See link below for more information)

You can (with some slight difficulty) get to the Montreal IKEA by transit, and let me tell you, you haven't lived until you've lugged home two entire bookcases by bus and metro. - Montréalais 15:19, 1 May 2006 (UTC)

Cart escalators?

One IKEA store feature that I had not previously encountered is the escalator for shopping carts (buggies). Are these escalators more prevalent in other parts of the world, or are they unique to IKEA there as well? --Theodore Kloba 18:34, July 12, 2005 (UTC)

No, other chains have them too. For example, some Wal-Mart stores in Los Angeles have escalators for shopping carts. --Coolcaesar 01:50, 13 July 2005 (UTC)

The cart escalators in IKEA's Stoughton (MA) store are different than I'd seen before; IKEA's is a long, inclined moving walkway and the carts have specialized wheels that "jam" on the slots of the walkway. So you just roll onto the walkway with your cart, your cart gets stuck so it can't careen down the incline and Grundtal or Klang people to death, and at the bottom, the cart unjams and you roll away.

All the other schemes I've seen use a typically-inclined, step-equipped escalator and some kludgy method, often separate from the steps, of bringing the cart along with you.

Atlant 13:28, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

I think the idea was borrowed from the moving walkways in airports (without the incline) but IKEA and other stores seem to have caught on to the idea to get people from floor to floor. They're officially referred to as 'travelators' in the UK stores and are relatively a new inclusion. Most stores were originally built with only one floor with later internal rebuilds adding a mezzanine floor and the need for a travelator. The new IKEA in Ashton-under-Lyne has two sets of travelators (one above another) linking three shopping floors together. However none of the stores in the UK have anything to jam the trolley in place, relying on people to use them responsibly instead. ~~ Peteb16 11:45, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

List of IKEA stores

Why not have a list of IKEA stores with it's location and aperture dates instead of the IKEA's debut in each country? I think that's much more useful.

You mean opening dates, right? Aperture refers to an actual physical opening like a window or hole, not the act of throwing open a store to the public.

The problem with listing opening dates of all stores is that IKEA has a lot of stores and opens more all the time. Over time, it would become as nearly as pointless as listing all the Safeway Inc. or Kroger stores and their opening dates. Also, I doubt such detailed information would qualify for mention on Wikipedia under the notability policy. --Coolcaesar 17:31, 28 August 2005 (UTC)

Several people have been adding a few countries in the last days (Australia, Germany, UK). Is there any interest for this? If every single country is added then the list will be longer than the rest of the article, but would be almost devoid of encyclopedic content. I suggest that the entire list is deleted (but not the historical one) or moved to a separate page. Tskoge 11:39, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Why not create a subarticle: List of IKEA stores or some such?

Atlant 13:02, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

And why would we need that? IKEA already has a perfectly fine store directory on their Web site which they have a strong commercial incentive to keep up-to-date. Why should WP editors create more work for themselves trying to keep a WP list synchronized with IKEA's list? --Coolcaesar 18:41, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Double entendres

I don't quite understand how the fact that some of IKEA's product names are double entendres is a problem. Granted many of the double entendres are not particularly funny, but they're hardly bad enough that they would count against Ikea as negative aspects. It is an interesting fact that should not be removed but it should be moved to a more suitable location in the article. Great Green Arkelseizure 04:03, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

IKEA furniture breaking down

I removed the following stement from the article:

Although the furniture's aesthetic has a broad appeal and adheres to a minimal set of styles, making it easy to furnish an entire home in an attractive manner, the furniture also tends to break down very quickly under any duress, requiring many furniture pieces to be bought repeatedly. Some question the validity of their environmentalist-based marketing and low prices due to the need to manufacture and purchase greater quantities to account for this, as although the environmental and economic impact of a single piece of furniture appears low compared to traditional furniture manufacturers, the so-called "Ikea lifestyle" can end up being much worse on the planet and the wallet in total.

I see no evidence that IKEA furniture is any worse than similarly-priced flatpack furniture. Sure, put too much weight on the particleboard shelves of your Billy bookcases and they will bend or break, but none of our IKEA furniture has given up yet, and we have a fair amount of it. We've even handed some down when we were done with it, so my own experience would suggest that it is better than a lot of comparable stuff. (Note: I have no business relationship with IKEA other than as a satisfied, long-term customer.)

Atlant 17:22, 2 February 2006 (UTC)

You've had good experiences. I've had bad experiences. So has everyone I've known who has an opinion about IKEA furniture. I felt that the way wrote it was neutral, though, and reflected that some people don't feel that it's very good quality or long-lasting.

207.171.180.101 18:43, 2 February 2006 (UTC)

Neutrality is necessary but not sufficient; content must also be verifiable against a reputable published source. See Wikipedia:Verifiability. If you can get a source such as a newspaper article quoting lots of people complaining about the quality of IKEA furniture, then the text can go back in. For information on how to find articles, see Wikipedia:How to write a great article. --Coolcaesar 18:53, 2 February 2006 (UTC)

Exactly - its not good enough just to say "its crap, my mates say so". For opinions like this we need a proper trustworthy source to back it up. Personally, ive got several bits and bobs of ikea furniture and had no problems whatsoever. So how am i going to believe your little rant there? -- jeffthejiff 19:40, 2 February 2006 (UTC)

Counterpoint: the article mentions Ikea's "sustainability" but provides no independently verifiable sources for this. Criticism of the longevity and quality of their furniture is common (for example, here), and having an article about Ikea without mentioning these criticisms strikes me as violating neutrality. --Mr. Vernon 07:28, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

I think there needs to be some mention of the build-quality of Ikea furniture. Even if its to say that it's similar to other DIY kits. --Navstar 03:45, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

As long as you can do it in an NPOV way, be bold and go for it!

Atlant 22:56, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

Ikea has three levels of quality. There is the least expensive things (which are mainly particleboard with veneer), next up is the midrange (some wood, some particleboard, moderate price), and then the more expensive things (solid wood, longer lasting). I have bought all the levels, and really, if you pay for cheaper, you'll get cheaper quality. The top quality stuff of theirs is quite good. You can't be that general about things that are made so differently. And yes, all those items were flat pack. ekehoe 21:40 9 Jan 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.42.152.143 (talk) 21:40, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

Wait...you mean I can't use my BILLY bookcase as a sled?!? -- 12.116.162.162 (talk) 18:09, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

Dutch or Swedish?

Intro says, that "IKEA is a Swedish home furnishings retailer", but the article is categorized to Companies of the Netherlands and Dutch multinationals. Isn't there a contradiction or what?

No. Fox tax reasons, the company is based in the Netherlands. It is a convoluted structure of subsidiaries, which also allows the company to claim that Kamprad does not own IKEA. The company is very much Swedish and its true headquarters are in Sweden. --Nelson Ricardo 00:13, 17 March 2006 (UTC)

What are 'fox tax reasons'?

Nelson Ricardo: Your comment is incorrect. The company offers Swedish/Scandinavian design furniture, but except for the design department and several production facilities, it's headquarters are not based in Sweden. The IKEA Concepts has its headquarters in Delft, The Netherlands (source: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/customer_service/faq/faq.html#0300). The IKEA Group is headquartered in Denmark (source: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/customer_service/faq/faq.html#0303). The owner of all IKEA stores worldwide (INGKA Foundation), excluding franchise, is based in Leiden, The Netherlands.

Also, it is very common nowadays for corporations to flee to the jurisdiction which offers the most lenient taxation and/or licensing conditions. This is why most cruise lines and shippers are "officially" based in Third World countries, though their actual base of operations may be in the U.S. or U.K. --Coolcaesar 01:31, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

Popular Culture/Friends

I'm just curious why the show Friends in the pop culture section is typed as F*R*I*E*N*D*S? What is the point of this?

Nevermind, looking at it a second time, I've decided to change it as I noticed it was spelled incorrectly as well. --Madelinerock 18:33, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

I saw Doug & Judy Funnie going to an IKEA-like store called Snörd-Grüppen on Doug. could that count as a pop-culture reference? Chris 23:13, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

Opening Soon in Ireland and Romania

While I personally know IKEA has a store opening soon in Ireland, does anyone have a place to cite it from? I know it shouldn't be too hard since the restrictions on shop-size were removed in Ireland, as a result of their plans, but I can't find anything better than this which is so outdated that it doesn't confirm it is being built, just that the restrictions were removed. Anyone have a better one? And maybe one for Romania? - ^Red_Hot 21:26, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

There's nothing on the IKEA website about new stores planned for Ireland or Romania, in a list that goes out to Nov 2006. Consequently, I'd suggest removing them from our list. Or perhaps adding another "Tentative Plans" list, where entries cite some sort of authority, such as the RTE report above. JXM 01:02, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

IKEA are planning to open stores in Dublin and Belfast. I don't know about Belfast, but the Dublin store has received initial planning approval. This decision has been appealed to the national planning board, due to traffic concerns. The location of the Dublin store is to be at Ballymun, on the North side of the city. Objection 17:59, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

I was going to ask for a recent citation, but I've found one anyway:[2]. Shame the actual opening doesn't sound more definate. Peteb16 18:16, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

The Belfast store opened on 13 Dec 2007. The Dublin store is still in planning stages. ekehoe 21:41 9 Jan 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.42.152.143 (talk) 21:43, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

Crossfire

yet another crossfire article

why cant we just all get along?

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 12.29.239.2 (talk • contribs) .

Are you sure you're in the right place? As Wiki articles go, this one is a pretty peaceable kingdom.

Atlant 13:20, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

"As Wiki articles go" indeed.

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 12.29.239.2 (talk • contribs) .

By the way, you can "sign" your Wiki talk postings by including four tildes (~~~~) after the post. When you press "Save page", they will be replaced by your username or IP address in a handy Wikilinked format; a timestamp will also be included.

Atlant 15:51, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

IKEA and Nazism

Spencerk inserted a bunch of stuff about IKEA and Nazi connections. I reverted this for two reasons:

1. The edits were done in a snarky manner. Some of them were included as "references" to material that could not possibly be connected to the question of IKEA's alleged Nazi connections.
2. The entire question has relatively little to do with IKEA, the world-wide store and much more to do with Ingvar Kamprad, the founder.

The Kamprad article already discusses his Nazism, but if folks think that article doesn't go far enough, go edit that article; I really don't think such stuff belongs in this article. Atlant 11:55, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

hi atlant, I am not an anonymous editor, and did not intend to make any contibutions snarky.

The store owner having a nazi past created a huge stir in 1994. Especially, according to this article, when ikea first brought stores into isreal in 2000. I agree that this stuff isn't a huge deal, but i only added one sentance in the criticism section. I will find better references if you'd like, there are millions. Spencerk 14:44, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

(You're correct: you were not anonymous -- I've edited my original post to reflect that.)

This edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=IKEA&diff=next&oldid=52603150) is the one I reverted. As you can see from the edit, you added more than one sentence in the criticism section; it was those several scattered "reference" hyperlinks that cause me to call the edit "snarky".

Meanwhile, your new edit is much better (and I won't revert it) but let's see how some other's feel as well.

Atlant 14:59, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

I've reworded, streamlined and more thoroughly researched Mr. Kamprad's ties to the New Swedish Movement in the 40's, and have edited that portion of the article as such to make it neutral. To prove that I'm not an IKEA fanboy, I also added mention of the Norwegian's prime minister's criticism of the lack of women in IKEA instruction booklets. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.184.20.120 (talk • contribs) .

Thanks -- I have no complaints about the new text, especially as how it is now tied-in to the history of IKEA's expansion (so directly on-point for this article).

Atlant 12:00, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

Economist article about IKEA holding companies and foundation

This article isn't of particular interest to me, but I happened across this piece at Economist.com and immediately thought of this WP article. Could someone incorporate information from that piece into this article, if you believe it's worthy of inclusion. Thanks. Mindmatrix 00:58, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

i am an employee of ikea australia and have been for many years, let me clear one thing up for you all, ingvar kamprad had strong ties with the nazi party, so much in the way when he washed his hands of the party he sent letters to every ikea co-worker across the world of his decision.

who really cares though!!! they make crap furniture and he is doing what he set out to do —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.105.129.205 (talk • contribs) .