Thursday, January 3

Hell ...

... aka IKEA.
Mr Brown & I have just returned from what is quite possibly the 7th circle of Hell (the appropriate circle because if we'd stayed a minute longer we'd have either killed someone or ourselves).
Now understand, we're note expecting a pleasant shopping experience. We understand that in exchange for cheaper goodies we forgo some of the niceties offered in, say, DJs. But it's that that much cheaper, Mr Ikea, to put up with this ....
1. Wander through entire store (because it's not designed to allow you to go straight to the section you are interested in).
2. Find a staff member who will give you a 'pick list' print out with the warehouse shelf location for each and every item you want. At this point you ask "are all the items available?" You are told "yes". "Are they booked as ours? Can we just pick it all up at the pick up?" You are told "we don't do that anymore".
3. Wander through endless more miles of store to get to the warehouse.
4. Right, you're at the warehouse, locate a trolley (the really, really big one) and start looking for isle, shelf and 'location' numbers, because each and every item has a different one.
At this point you will find some of the items aren't on the shelves. You may find the one of you accuses the other of misreading the locations, item numbers, voices may become harsh, bits of paper may be thrown, 'talk to the hand gestures' may even be made. This is a low point.
5. Finally, find most of what you are looking for, much of this is really, really big and mind-bogglingly heavy and awkward to lift. Things like "for god's sake hold the fucking trolley still" may be said in a tone that is not appreciated. Phrases such as "don't you speak to me like that" may well be thrown back in retaliation.
In an effort to salvage what is left of your marriage you try a little humour, speculate on how many dwarfs or little old ladies are crushed in the isles every day. How many heart attacks, slipped discs or foot maimings occur every week. You may plot, together, an elaborate pantomime, faking an accident. In the end, since neither of you is prepared to lie on the floor under a Pax wardrobe carcase, this comes to nothing.
6. More endless wandering, this time pushing at least a metric tonne of flat-pack on a poorly-designed trolley, until you reach the checkout queues. Stand here for some time, consider leaving the trolley of stuff and making a run for it. No, wait, you are being served, hand over an considerable amount of dosh.
Ask about home delivery. Push your tonne of crap to the home delivery queue. Once served find this bit, the only bit NOT run by Ikea, is quick, efficient, cheap and cheerful (although, obviously we reserve our final opinion until the actual delivery tomorrow).
7. Swear NEVER. EVER TO RETURN, only to remember you HAVE to because despite the computer saying there are 23 Pax, hinged, wardrobe doors, in birch, on the shelf, there isn't a-fucking-one!
And now of course we have to build it. Mr Brown says he thinks we can do this, without ending up divorced, if he is left to do it without help. If help is required I'm to hand him things but say nothing. I think he's being a tad unfair.

8 comments:

e said...

If I laugh, will you disown me? But kudos to you both for passing this test of marriage. So far...

Ms Brown Mouse said...

Disown you, goodness no - laughter is the only thing that saves us! He's in the other room, putting together the first bit - so far so good.

Pink Granite said...

Yay! IKEA!!!
Yay! Pax Units!!!
I'm soooo sorry that you had a frustrating time at one of our favorite stores! But I hope that once your Pax unit is assembled all the pain will recede!

We have wrestled the flat packed Pax boxes on top of our Subaru wagon and wondered how much longer we could do that kind of grunt work. I mean we are not getting any younger! Once we get it home, we unpack it and carry it in piece by piece.
But oh the joy once everything is happily stowed away. And even more joy when it stays neat and tidy for months on end!

Our old house has just two small closets, so we have Pax units in two bedrooms and the last one planned. We installed a different brand of cabinets in the bathroom. While they were more expensive, they don't work as well or as smoothly as the Pax.

I agree humor is the key to surviving and thriving in marriage. Especially when the happy couple finds themselves in the seventh circle of hell!!!
Good luck with the assembly process!
;o)
- Lee

Ms Brown Mouse said...

Well you see, Lee, Ikea used to be fun. You'd wander about, order what you wanted from a helpful person and drive round to the warehouse where helpful burly chaps would help Mr Brown load it onto the ute. I could not believe they made us take stuff off the giant shelves! I've no idea what tiny, weak or very old people do - buy more expensive, pre-constructed furniture I guess.

Urban Koda said...

Had a similar experience the last time we went to IKEA as well - except we added in a few mutant kids as well. My son may well have learned some new vocabulary for when he gets upset at school, since the wife left he and I to collect the stuff from the shelves.

As to the assembly of stuff - I'm with Mr Brown. Husbands should be left alone when assembling stuff. Sure it sounds unfair, but it's just better this way.

Ms Brown Mouse said...

Uk, when you call your childer mutants, is that because they are red-heads (a true mutation) or because they have tails or eyes on stalks?
Mr Brown did most of the building on his lonesome, though I was called on for lifting assistance (pfft).

Pink Granite said...

Hmmm...
It's probably best that we never experienced the "old way" at IKEA. Not knowing there once had been better, we came to like it this way.
But you're right that IKEA is designed for hale and hearty (and somewhat mechanically inclined) folks.
Around here there are now people who offer their services to assemble flat packed items!
;o)
- Lee
P.S. Do you like the finished product?

Ms Brown Mouse said...

The whole thing got worse today when we went to return the broken door - but, on the upside, the cupboards & shelves Mr Brown has put are great.