You have most likely heard of IKEA. Even if you don’t happen to live in one of the fifty countries that the Swedish home empire operates within, you’ve probably seen the memes. You know, the ones about not being able to build their simple furniture yourself? Such people might need a trade secret or two to get the job done. But there are far more tips and tricks that the nearly 200,000 IKEA employees are hiding. People pushed and prodded these home department heroes to the point that they finally broke the silence, and we were there to listen. Let’s take a look at IKEA’s most well-guarded mysteries…
What IKEA Has Been Hiding Staff Tell All
Visual Attraction
IKEA has almost mastered the art of visual attraction and it is how they keep their customers’ interests peaked. Paula, an employee at one store, says that the interior display walls are not permanently fixed. Paula expanded on this approach in an interview with Mental Floss, ‘They have a lock on them so people can’t move them. At the end of every night, so we have to move all the walls so we have a shot to where the trash is.’
Visual Attraction
Cheaper Delivery
If you have ever bought furniture online, you will be well aware of the hefty prices charged for the delivery of said furniture. IKEA has a simple and easy $5 solution. Basically, you can browse the IKEA online store for the items you desire, place your order, and then pay for it. Then, for just $5 extra, they will reserve your items, even if stocks run out. This makes it easy for you to collect at your earliest convenience.
Cheaper Delivery
The Technique
If you have ever stepped foot inside an IKEA, you could not have missed the bins nearly overflowing with merchandise. Did you ever get the feeling that this stuff must be cheap? That’s exactly the kind of thinking IKEA was trying to instill in its customers. According to Paul Robertson, an employee at another IKEA store, this tactic is ‘To create the impression of volume and, therefore, inexpensiveness.’ Paul said they would employ this technique which they called ‘bulla bulla’, the staffer told Mental Floss.
The Technique
Once Opened
There is one small thing to keep in mind every time you go into an IKEA store. According to Jana, an IKEA employee, ‘Everything in that store, we have on display. You can touch it, feel it, lay your face on it, but for some reason, customers open the package and then leave it there. What they don’t understand is when they open certain things, we can’t resell them, so we have to scan them out.’
Once Opened
Family Plan
There are few things in life more irritating than seeing a product on special offer which you had already paid full price for. The folks at IKEA have come up with something of an ingenious idea to deal with this frustration. “IKEA Family” members get a 90-day price protection plan which you might consider signing up for next time you are in store. The plan ensures that if you find an item on sale for less than you paid, you’ll get the price difference back.
Family Plan
Curious Shelving
You may not know this, but all the things filling the bookshelves at the different stores are from the employees themselves. It explains how they got them looking so “natural” and almost homely. An empty bookcase is not nearly as attractive as one that looks right at home. An IKEA employee said to Mental Floss that, ‘That stuff that filled those shelves, it was all our own stuff, from home and whatnot. Within reasonable measures of course, nothing lewd or unnecessary.’
Curious Shelving
Getting There Too Early
During an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit, an IKEA employee called Algren shared some advice for those early birds out there. ‘I’ve been working at a UK branch for some time now and notice a lot of people getting in early to beat the rush. Funny thing is, they’re the ones who create the early morning rush. About an hour after the early rush, I would say is the best time to go to the checkout counters.”
Getting There Too Early
The Whole Room
We know that we have, on more than one occasion, walked past a room display and realized we just had to have it, exactly the way it is on display. Thankfully, there is good news for those who can afford to do just that. According to IKEA staffer Paula, some people will buy a whole room! See it, love it, buy it. ‘There have been people that come in and see a room and like everything there and they take it.’ She said.
The Whole Room
Emergency Backup
A lot of new parents still need to learn how to get their baby’s bowel movements’ timing just right. Any new parent will tell you that this is definitely not an easy thing to master. One essential tip you will learn early on is to have spare diapers on hand at all times. Accidents still happen, however, and sometimes they hit while you are shopping. Thankfully, the folks at IKEA have literally got you covered. The family restrooms have changerooms where little ones can be cleaned up, and they even supply emergency diapers.
Emergency Backup
Employee Benefits
During his Ask Me Anything interview on Reddit, the earlier mentioned employee, Algren from the UK, also pointed out some of the other benefits of working at an IKEA store. ‘We only pay $1 for 15 meatballs and fries and a soda, it’s great. It’s because we get a 15% discount on everything in the store. From furniture and distributions, to food and other orders.’ That seems to be a reasonably fair deal, we thought.
Employee Benefits
By The Bargain Bin
If you are at an IKEA, you are probably already looking for a bargain. But if you are interested in a really good deal then the “As-Is Section” is the spot to keep a vigilant eye on. Now, according to a tip from Reader’s Digest, the stock in this section is only updated a few times a week. So the quicker you are in spotting the items arrive, the better the deals you’ll find there.
By The Bargain Bin
The Secret Way
Other than the chic furniture and their crazy amounts of stock, IKEA is famous for another clever innovation. Coworkers at the store fondly refer to it as the “Long Natural Path”, or the “Long Natural Way”. This intriguing title refers to the way the aisles wind through all the shelves and stacked merchandise. As a writer for The New Yorker, Lauren Collins pointed out, the unique trails turn at every 50 feet to retain the shoppers’ interest.
The Secret Way
Displayed Deception
When you are strolling through the aisles doing some regular old shopping, does it ever occur to you that the item you’re looking at, the one on display, is not the best one to grab and stick straight into the trolley? Staff at IKEA are constantly making sure that the items on display are not damaged or faulty, but if you picked it up already, they wouldn’t know and you would be stuck with the hassle of returning it later.
Displayed Deception
What The Numbers Mean
Paul Robertson told Mental Floss, during his interview, ‘While I was there, it was the last two numbers that would tell you what color the item was.’ He said. ‘So let’s say it ended in 40, then it was blue. That would mean the 4 range was blue, so 41 might be light blue and 42 would be dark blue.” If you were ever curious about the coding system that IKEA stores utilize, now you know a bit more.
What The Numbers Mean
A Few Screws Missing
If you’ve assembled any piece of IKEA furniture before, then you most likely have found yourself in the same scenario we’ve been in so many times before. You either have a few extra screws leftover or, even worse, you’re short a screw or two. Algren confessed on the Reddit AMA that, ‘In around six hours we’ll have eight to nine cases, which range from one to three [missing] screws to a whole bag.’ Talk about having a few screws loose!
Few Screws Missing
Double Check Online
Online shopping is so much less stressful and far less of an effort than the frantic bustle of the busy city streets and crowds of people wanting the service we all deserve. IKEA has come to the rescue again and thought of another way it can help make life a little easier and a little less crazy. The reference numbers on products are an easy way to get to the exact item you found online and even to place or retrieve your order.
Double Check Online
A Pick Me Up
Walking up and down those aisles can leave you feeling a little flat after a few hours of going at it. One really thoughtful way IKEA spoils their “Family” members is with a free cup of something hot to drink. Make sure to perk up your body and mind, so you can get back to getting all the goodies you need to make your house that perfect home. Sometimes, the perks can actually help you feel perky again.
A Pick Up
Special Offers
Not all of us feel the need to buy the pristine stock at every turn and step, and for those reserved folks, there is often a bargain to be found in the “As-Is Section” at IKEA stores. This corner of the store usually has the stock that was on display in the store, but occasionally a pre-owned item gets set up here. The stock is not broken, however, rather it is basically just out of the box. If you’re okay with that, keep a close eye.
Special Offers
Alternative Gifts
A lot of companies have a thirteenth cheque method in place, to show some appreciation to their staff. At IKEA, things work a little differently. Mental Floss reported the following, gathered from our old friend Rob. ‘The first year I worked there they gave out bikes. This year they gave out Rokus.’ Then there was Paula, from another IKEA store, who said she and her colleagues all stood a chance to win a holiday of some kind. We have so many questions…
Alternative Gifts
TaskRabbits?
Don’t stress too much if tools and having to use them gets you a little light-headed or simply just uninterested in the task. IKEA has these really handy folks hanging around at each store and they’re called “TaskRabbits” These staffers are ready and waiting to put your flat pack furniture together for you. Just remember that this service is not free and you’ll have to pay the helpful rabbits for their time and effort.
TaskRabbits
In-Store Bargains
One thing most people are not aware of, is that IKEA stores run semi-independent from one another. So, when a particular store has an excess of stock and decides to run a specific special offer, you are likely only going to find that offer at that particular store. Depending on the store you frequent, you might stand a chance to land some really special bargains that none of the other stores even know about.
In Store Bargains
Pinterest Influence
As an employee, Paula pointed out during her interview with Mental Floss, that the very popular platform Pinterest can sometimes be to blame for items simply racing off the shelves. “It’s a specific spice rack that we are almost always out of stock of. A couple of Pinterest posts pointed out how handy these were for kids book shelves after a coat of paint. We literally had to turn people away who had come in just for that.”
Pinterest Influence
Getting Stuck
Anyone in a relationship, now or previously, would testify to the fact that shopping, especially for furniture, can be a couple’s worst nightmare come to life. It’s an argument just waiting for an opportunity and a place to happen. Jana, a member of staff, shared this sagely fact with Mental Floss “Shopping at an IKEA together as a couple is one way to really test your relationship. The size and variety in the store probably overwhelms them.”
Getting Stuck
Kids Meals For Free
For those who haven’t been to an IKEA store yet, or for those who haven’t noticed somehow, they sell way more than just furniture that’s handy and easy to transport. They also stock a large variety of foods and they serve meals too. According to the site House Beautiful, on a Tuesday you can bring your kids to have a free meal, so long as you buy a starter or other meal from the menu.
Kids Meals For Free
Open The Wallet Here
While Mental Floss was interviewing Rob, he revealed something very interesting, “It’s basically impulse buys. “They seem like useful things you just hadn’t thought you would need. It might look practical, but it’s just impulse-buying.” This is the area they call the “open the wallet” section and it is exactly what it sounds like it is, a clever little way to get you to spend a few more bucks out of your wallet than you actually intended to.
Open The Wallet Here
A Different Picture
Having trouble picturing that piece of furniture in your living room or bedroom? Well, IKEA has yet again come up with a clever way to help you decide on that purchase. First you’ll need to install the IKEA Place app on your smartphone. This app will help you place an image of the item into a picture of your living space and this will help you see if it is going to work in that corner you were thinking of.
A Different Picture
Right Time For Returns
Ever had an item you needed to return for a refund and on arriving at the store, found the queues at the returns department were as long as the queues at the checkout tills? This is something that can get severely compounded if a product has whole batches that are being returned by various customers. In total contrast to other patterns, the best time for returning items would be in the early hours of the working day.
Right Time For Returns
Discount The Move
One of the most tedious and stressful events of our lives would be having to move house. It is such a daunting mission that some of us avoid it entirely. IKEA has been kind enough to come up with a way that house moving can be a little less overwhelming. If you’re making a purchase of over $250 and mention to them that you’re moving homes, they’ll cut as much as 10% off your purchase.
Discount The Move
Almost Everything
IKEA is the name synonymous with flat-pack furniture, and for some maybe also Swedish meatballs in gravy. Though recently Reader’s Digest discovered that many staff members of the huge retailer are still utterly surprised at how few people know that they sell way more than just those few items. Even when they are in the store, some said, they somehow overlook or just completely fail to notice the incredible selection that is actually available.
Almost Everything
Comradery
Staff at most IKEA stores seem to have a strong sense of comradery and like to have fun after work hours have come to an end, “There was always one guy, at the end of shift, who would make sure I’m distracted and then go and hide somewhere. So all the time while I was finishing up closing tasks, I would know he was there somewhere waiting. He frightened me every time.”
Comradery
A Pricey Item
One particular item that stands out for many shoppers roaming the aisles, would be the IKEA kitchen backsplashes. This particular item stands out to everyone mainly because of the ridiculous price tag attached to it. It is not like the other products that IKEA stores generally stock. When asked about this, a nameless manager from one store said that this item is a custom-made product crafted by a third-party manufacturer and they have little say over the price.
A Pricey Item
Know How-To
You don’t have to wonder about where the display furniture in IKEA stores comes from, or who put them together, anymore. If that actually ever really bothered you at all. Someone working at an IKEA store somewhere, calling themselves Epimetheus, had this helpful bit of information to share with us, “Every piece of furniture that has been assembled in the store, was put together by a training IKEA employee, specifically the sales team members.”
Know How To
Like A VIP
If you are someone who enjoys in store surprises, then you may want to consider looking at the IKEA Family membership plan again. Reader’s Digest said that one of the perks is that you’ll get invited to exclusive media events, most of which will not be advertised so there really is no other way to know they’re happening. The secret surprise behind this is entirely to the benefit of each of the IKEA Family members.
Like A VIP
Tannoy Deciphered
Whenever that intercom comes on in the store, we’re so used to being confused by the announcements that we just don’t pay much attention to the voice anymore. Jana, a member of staff at IKEA shared a bit of insight with Mental Floss during her interview about the term “Code 22” saying that, “This meant that the queues at the cash registers were filling up the warehouse area and anybody with register training needed to go help out in the front of the store.”
Tannoy Deciphered
Most Popular?
IKEA stores around the world generally stock a huge selection of items and while many of them are popular, a handful of specific items hold the in-store titles of most popular products for the staff. Mental Floss noted staff as saying that the BILLY bookcase and the LACK table are by far the best sellers in most stores and that the POÄNG chair and the EKTORP sofa are right on the heels of the forerunners.
Most Popular
The Salmon
Many of us have wondered about the food they serve at IKEA. During their interview on Reddit, staffer Epimetheus had a couple of thoughts to share on the various dishes served in stores, noting that not all stores stock the same dishes but in general commented this, “I consider myself a connoisseur of IKEA foods served in the restaurant, I would strongly recommend the mac-and-cheese, the salmon, the princess cake and cornbread. The salmon wrap, it’s my favorite, for the sauce.”
The Salmon
Great Working Vibe
When asked about how they actually get treated at work, Algren said during his Ask Me Anything interview on Reddit “Management and I get along really well, They’re down to earth and easy to understand. They’re actively promoting a good work environment and we comfortably perform what is asked from us.” It would seem that everyone is happy to be working at these stores, and we know what they say about happy employees.
Great Working Vibe
Catching Winks In Store
The people at IKEA stores really do seem to have a very chilled vibe going on. As Paula pointed out to Mental Floss in her interview, the staff won’t bug you if you decided to take a short nap on the appropriate furniture. She says that only if you had been asleep for a couple of hours would someone come over and give you a small nudge to get you up and going again.
Catching Winks In Store
Just Ask
You may have walked through the store a couple of times and thought to yourself, “these guys are not as helpful as at other stores,” Nope, you have to ask these folks for help, they’re not there to hound your every step until you need something. It leaves you free to take your time as you like to do. “As we understand, it is the Scandanavian way to run a store.” Rob told Mental Floss.
Just Ask
Another Way To Go
“Unless a sign specifically says ‘Employees Only’ then it would be best to avoid that door, but if it doesn’t say anything, well go ahead and look through. There are many shortcuts if you know where to look.” This is what Paula said to Mental Floss explaining that most doors lead to another section of the store and that the shortcuts may not be marked but are available to customers as much as for staff. Another clever innovation from the IKEA folks.
Another Way To Go