Last week, I think, some of my office mates were abuzz with the grand opening of a new IKEA in Richmond.
Richmond is a suburb of Vancouver. Think of, say, Schaumburg, Illinois. Easiest and best way to get there is by car, and you only venture out that way if A) you live there or b) you must get something that can only be found there. Like IKEA.
Since I have no furniture (my TV stand is the microwave box), and it being a grand opening, there were sales galore. And I found a bed frame on its website with drawers that was cheaper, and had better reviews, than ones I found at Sears. So I figured, sure, why not?
I confess I am not up on my IKEA knowledge. I’ve been to the IKEA store in Schaumburg exactly once: to get tables, chairs and some odds and ends for a tradeshow booth for work. I had specific items and a time crunch so browsing was out of the question. As Walter, one of Jeff Dunham’s puppets, says: “Get you’re shit and get out.” That is exactly what I did.
This time, yes, I did have a specific item in mind, but I was also generally curious about the whole IKEA craze. It’s the first word that comes out of anyone’s mouth when you ask where to buy furniture. They have to think for a second if you ask for other options.
The place was mobbed. I got herded around the show room, which had a fair amount of good stuff. Found the bed frame with drawers, Brimnes I believe is the name, made our way through the rest of the ways and to the warehouse. And this is where the fun begins.
You go from a showroom to what essentially is a Sam’s Club, or, as is the case in Vancouver, Costco, with floor-to-ceiling shelving containing boxes that hold the pieces of the furniture you want. The signs in the showroom tell you aisle and bin number, sending me on a treasure hunt through their vast warehouse. According to the signage, we just needed to get three boxes. Special grand opening, parts all inclusive, what a deal! They were out of the chairs for which they are famous, though, but I did get a..LAC table, I believe. It’s a simple black, four-legged side table that is quite handy.
And this is where having helpful office mates is, well, helpful. There is no possible way I would have been able to get the boxes, long, heavy rectangular boxes, up the three flights to my apartment.
I thought that would be the biggest challenge. And then I started reading the IKEA assembly instructions.