Our Visit to IKEA Yesterday

While we were out and about enjoying some phenomenal weather yesterday, my wife mentioned that she would like to check out the new IKEA store in Round Rock. I had been there once, and I cringed inwardly a little bit, because I was familiar with the layout there. However, they do have a massive number of inexpensive products, so I was game.

When we first arrived, my wife attempted to sit in a chair that looked to be made of nylon on a frame made of plastic or perhaps metal, and it sort of dumped her onto the floor on her behind. We mocked the chair and its odd design, along with the name, which was probably a Gurkel or a Haafendag or a Klonturv or something similar. My son (who gets his smart aleck gene from his dad) quickly said, "Are we just here to make fun of the furniture?" Then, as I was laughing, he followed up with, "Are you going to put that in your blog?" I told him that I just might.

Since I haven't been to any other IKEA stores previously, I'm not sure if they are all laid out the same way or not. In the case of "our" location, however, it reminds me very much of being lost in a corn maze. Once you are inside and browsing, there is a specific path that you must follow in order to (eventually) find the exit.

Walking at a brisk pace, I would estimate that it takes 10 minutes or more to get out once you are trapped inside. I had to leave before the rest of my family in order to get home and meet an electrician, but my wife later mentioned that, although they stopped for a snack at the in-store cafe, she still felt like the proverbial man crawling through the desert by the time they reached the exit safely.

Despite their best efforts at merchandising, IKEA didn't manage to convince us to purchase that much yesterday, although my wife did pick up a few items. I have thus far steered clear of any bigger ticket purchases there, mainly because any time I am visiting a friend or client's house, I can typically pick out the IKEA furniture with ease, if I'm being honest. That being said, they seem to have some excellent values, so I'm sure that others will easily be able to pick out our stuff soon, too.

Speaking of corn mazes, please enjoy this clip from "Human Giant", which is probably among my favorite comedy shows:

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