A trip to IKEA is like going on a short holiday. The visit raises the expectation of foreign experiences. Even the car park is massive and airport like. Remember to write down the area and parking space number for your return home.
The first thing that greets you in the lobby is an invitation to visit Smaland. A Lilliputian delight filled with exciting things for children to do. A kids club perhaps? You drop them off and do what adults do on holiday, visit interesting places, see how other people live in the 40 square meter house or the more affluent 70 square meters. It’s reminiscent of a visit to Skansen in Stockholm or indeed our own Beamish.
All the signs are in an exotic language, many unpronounceable but which hint at the use of the item to which they refer. Even the restaurant has a holiday feeling. English style food with a foreign twist and, to cap it all, pictures of the meals at which you can point to avoid some embarrassing linguistic slip.
Of course no trip to IKEA is complete without buying a souvenir. Of all the amazing things on view, you pick up some trinkets for the home and make your way to the long queues at passport control, already thinking and planning your next mini break.
By the way, Skansen and Beamish museums are well worth a visit.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 