IKEA: The Swedish Feeding Trough - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

IKEA: The Swedish Feeding Trough - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News: "Furniture giant IKEA lures customers with homey interior landscapes and cheap warm meals. But more and more people are starting to use the stores as an ersatz for social services and babysitting."

I guess a lot more people have a lot less stigma about hoarding free condiments and services offered at this place. You know, I strangely feel connected to them.

For one, I don't get the feeling that Ikea is trying to stop me from having a good time at their expense. The coffee is free (after swiping my Ikea card at the voucher machine), the food is cheap, and the place is well lit and is fairly clean.

It must be the work of an interior designer... I can actually find places I can eat in peace, during a crowded day. Perhaps it's the placing of the tables and chairs, or the height of the ceiling, or the gray panels and walls and dinner table lighting.

I can't say much about the babysitting service. I don't have a baby, though I may revisit this post again in the near future. But the general consensus on this endemic has been right so far. Folks shouldn't be abusing it.

Still, despite these odd occurences, there's something about Ikea that wants you to just lay back for awhile (apart from the reallllllllly long lines at the cashout counter). Love it or hate it, but you can't beat the fact that it's got a selling point.... for almost everyone.