ᐅ Ikea Visit and Purchase – More Frustration Than Enjoyment This Time
Created on: 22 Oct 2017 18:25
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Yesterday we went to IKEA. Something felt 'different' compared to our last visit. I didn’t feel the usual excitement. Even today, assembling the furniture was rather unsatisfying.
But starting from the beginning: I’m used to IKEA introducing many new designs and changes in their showroom after the new catalog is released. Yes, some “rooms” were new, but the sofa, bed, and table sections seemed unchanged. There was no eye-catching display. Worst of all: the dining tables and sofas looked more like clearance sale items. Nothing was decorated or nicely arranged [emoji33]. I barely noticed the kitchens. Just around the corner was the appliance and planning section – normally there are two large standout kitchens set up where you can see various cabinets and get inspired. Well, this time I wasn’t motivated at all to buy anything not on my list [emoji1].
We needed LED bulbs for our outdoor wall lights: both the lamps and the LED bulbs are from IKEA. One of the bulbs is defective. We needed 7W with 260 lumens to match the brightness of the other bulbs, but those are no longer available! They only had 5W bulbs with different lumen outputs. Where have the outdoor lights gone? Are they discontinued??? Every corner had these 5-watt bulbs, but no 7-watt ones... so we ended up buying four 5W bulbs instead of one or two to fit all our outdoor lights [emoji36].
Then I had an idea to buy under-cabinet lights, meaning light strips to go under our new bedside consoles. This would save us the indirect cozy lighting from two floor lamps by the bed. Here they seem to have drastically reduced the selection: in a small area, you need to figure out the difference between task lighting, indirect lighting, cabinet lighting, and strip lighting. It’s not easy when products are mixed up on the shelves as other customers pick up items and don’t put them back properly. Fortunately, my husband noticed that I was about to buy a cabinet light while I realized he was holding an expensive task light. In the end, we found what we were looking for… hopefully [emoji6].
Originally, I wanted two white Besta units, 30cm (12 inches) high with doors to serve as bedside tables. Nicely wall-mounted, as I mentioned, like console tables. They cost about €30 each. My husband liked the drawer version of Eket much better. Well, we swallowed that: those cost about €85 each. Ok, we’ll go with it. I’ve been looking for bedside tables for 3 years, know the prices, and know what else is missing from the market [emoji6]. Unfortunately, there were no shelf or compartment info cards on the furniture anymore [emoji35]. Since when is that a thing??? We had to rely on the computers in the warehouse. We didn’t remember “Eklet” at first, so we flipped through the catalog, then on the PC had to choose between storage, shelving systems, drawer units, and eventually bedside tables, which barely appear. My husband wisely went to a separate PC to search directly for Eklet. I wouldn’t have been surprised if only one item was left in the compartment (that always seems to happen to us), but there were still plenty available. Then we went to the bargain corner where almost nothing was advertised. That is also very rare at IKEA.
-> And my husband asked if the wall rail for mounting was included. I said: at that price everything should be included... of course it wasn’t, which we only discovered during assembly [emoji20]. After assembling the first cabinet, we started the second one. And what do we see? A nasty air bubble worked into the top surface: I’ve never seen this before, never had this, and tomorrow it will send me into a traffic jam on the A1 – but oh well: I still have to buy wall rails anyway [emoji14].
Then I looked closer: the other cabinet has the same issue, just a smaller air bubble inside. For €85, I really find this unsatisfactory [emoji20].
But starting from the beginning: I’m used to IKEA introducing many new designs and changes in their showroom after the new catalog is released. Yes, some “rooms” were new, but the sofa, bed, and table sections seemed unchanged. There was no eye-catching display. Worst of all: the dining tables and sofas looked more like clearance sale items. Nothing was decorated or nicely arranged [emoji33]. I barely noticed the kitchens. Just around the corner was the appliance and planning section – normally there are two large standout kitchens set up where you can see various cabinets and get inspired. Well, this time I wasn’t motivated at all to buy anything not on my list [emoji1].
We needed LED bulbs for our outdoor wall lights: both the lamps and the LED bulbs are from IKEA. One of the bulbs is defective. We needed 7W with 260 lumens to match the brightness of the other bulbs, but those are no longer available! They only had 5W bulbs with different lumen outputs. Where have the outdoor lights gone? Are they discontinued??? Every corner had these 5-watt bulbs, but no 7-watt ones... so we ended up buying four 5W bulbs instead of one or two to fit all our outdoor lights [emoji36].
Then I had an idea to buy under-cabinet lights, meaning light strips to go under our new bedside consoles. This would save us the indirect cozy lighting from two floor lamps by the bed. Here they seem to have drastically reduced the selection: in a small area, you need to figure out the difference between task lighting, indirect lighting, cabinet lighting, and strip lighting. It’s not easy when products are mixed up on the shelves as other customers pick up items and don’t put them back properly. Fortunately, my husband noticed that I was about to buy a cabinet light while I realized he was holding an expensive task light. In the end, we found what we were looking for… hopefully [emoji6].
Originally, I wanted two white Besta units, 30cm (12 inches) high with doors to serve as bedside tables. Nicely wall-mounted, as I mentioned, like console tables. They cost about €30 each. My husband liked the drawer version of Eket much better. Well, we swallowed that: those cost about €85 each. Ok, we’ll go with it. I’ve been looking for bedside tables for 3 years, know the prices, and know what else is missing from the market [emoji6]. Unfortunately, there were no shelf or compartment info cards on the furniture anymore [emoji35]. Since when is that a thing??? We had to rely on the computers in the warehouse. We didn’t remember “Eklet” at first, so we flipped through the catalog, then on the PC had to choose between storage, shelving systems, drawer units, and eventually bedside tables, which barely appear. My husband wisely went to a separate PC to search directly for Eklet. I wouldn’t have been surprised if only one item was left in the compartment (that always seems to happen to us), but there were still plenty available. Then we went to the bargain corner where almost nothing was advertised. That is also very rare at IKEA.
-> And my husband asked if the wall rail for mounting was included. I said: at that price everything should be included... of course it wasn’t, which we only discovered during assembly [emoji20]. After assembling the first cabinet, we started the second one. And what do we see? A nasty air bubble worked into the top surface: I’ve never seen this before, never had this, and tomorrow it will send me into a traffic jam on the A1 – but oh well: I still have to buy wall rails anyway [emoji14].
Then I looked closer: the other cabinet has the same issue, just a smaller air bubble inside. For €85, I really find this unsatisfactory [emoji20].
kaho674 schrieb:
Oh, I see. Yeah, there are hardly any suppliers left. They’re all disappearing because people only shop at Ikea now. And because they want way too much money for a few pieces of processed wood.
My sister recently mentioned that people’s attitudes toward furniture have noticeably changed. Most younger and middle-aged people prefer to travel and have experiences. Furniture is not a priority. As long as the clothes can fit in, that’s all that matters. Older generations, on the other hand, place more value on quality and comfort. There are still enough of them, but when they pass away, we’ll be left mostly with Ikea.
I am definitely willing to pay a good amount for a piece of processed wood made by a carpenter, even beyond 1500. However, not for cut and coated particle board. That is IKEA’s strength. They cannot produce truly beautiful wood. But neither can Nolte and similar companies. They are just particle board coaters as well. Team 7 can do that. Karsten
I was planning to visit Massivum in Leipzig over the weekend. They offer affordable solid wood furniture—though I believe the quality is moderate. I’ve been looking for bathroom furniture for a while. We’ll see if the products look as good in person as they do in the online pictures.
Nordlys schrieb:
For a piece of processed wood! From a carpenter, I’m definitely willing to pay a significant amount—even beyond 1500. But not for cut-to-size and coated particleboard. That’s Ikea’s strength. They can’t do really beautiful solid wood.
But neither can Nolte and the others. They’re just particleboard coaters as well. Team 7 can do that. Karsten I’m not familiar with Team 7, but there are quite some differences in coatings. For example, real wood veneer is almost indistinguishable from solid wood. But it still has particleboard underneath.
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