I..don't...get it
I've even been to this Ikea and I just don't get it. For a chance to win a dining table and chairs? Someone should tell them they have a 100% chance of having to put their furniture together themselves. And this is all for a remodeling? Psst....people, it's all blue white and yellow inside with lots of affordable furniture.
I'm not a hater. I still own an IKEA dresser and got through some of my leaner years on IKEA furniture (and I still visit from time to time to load up on "stuff"). But it would never occur to me to camp out for either 1) furniture or 2) The IKEA shopping experience (I'm the person that recommends to my friends that they go when IKEA first opens Sunday morning to avoid the crushing mob).
Clearly an example of building customer evangelists, but I'm still not sure how. Maybe I'm just not the "camping out type". Anyway, I find this pretty fascinating. Even more so if someone can explain it to me.
(Tip: Church of the Customer)
Comments
- Anonymous
June 30, 2006
Lots of prizes.... something to do... entertaining.. what you make of it... event... social... community - Anonymous
June 30, 2006
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
June 30, 2006
Hmm, OK. But usually when people camp out for something there's fan-dom (fanhood?) involved. They camp out for concert tickets bc they love a band or for Star wars tickets (I'm not going to pretend like I understand that). You know there's some common uniting love andit's not like, furniture.
I guess I just didn't know that there was such intense IKEA love out there. If these folks wanted to go camping they could have gone up to the Wisconsin Dells or something. They are camping out for IKEA and I need to know why! Are the swedish meatballs that good? Do they have an intense need to organize their closets? There's a story here and I don't think we have it yet. - Anonymous
June 30, 2006
I think it's a subset of customer evangelists.
The reasons why people camped out in front of that Ikea are probably very similar to why people ammped out in lines to buy Windows 95 (back in the day) and Xbox 360: Evangelism, curiosity and rebellion.
The last item is probably key because they do what 99% of other people would not. They're the One Percenters. - Anonymous
June 30, 2006
I have heard the Swedish meatballs are very nice. OK I really don't know why these people would camp out. I can understand the "event" and it being popular, because grand openings of stores with prizes, activities, and the store being noteworthy and possibly bigger or better than any furniture store ever before are all event-worthy features.
I would just guess that these people who are camping out have little money and a lot of time? Or the prizes are extremely good. I mean it can't be compared to tickets at a concert because they can just make more furniture right? Maybe the furniture was taken from the home of a rock star? Or maybe, the kids, who don't have any money, wanted to camp out and win their parents some furniture to impress them, but then the parents said "hey your not camping out there alone" and they all camped out and lived happily ever after.
I am willing to beleive any one of those scenarios.
Oh wait a sec............ I think their was a 50% off sale. There you go. They were all rushing to get the furniture before it went as well. Buying an entire lounge and bedroom suite would save a lot of money.
http://info.ikea-usa.com/chicagomidsummer/ - Anonymous
July 01, 2006
Random Ikea'isms:
-While I think the idea and concept of IKEA is cool, (I saw one in China in March) I do not hang out or frequent it.
-I have one Ikea rug that I love but getting it home is a story unto itself.
-I was in NJ yesterday and stumbled upon an Ikea randomly without thinking it was there. I kept driving:).
-I have a friend in Chicago who furnished and remodeled her house courtesy of the Ikea in Schaumberg. She went any time she had a free minute.
-Another friend in Atlanta goes to Ikea for lunch from work because its less expensive and better than the cafeteria food where he works. (I dont get it either)
-To me to run in to get 1 thing and to have to go through the whole store, is maddening. With my luck that item is in the last part of the store before you check out. - Anonymous
July 01, 2006
Josie-thanks for sharing that. The cookware sounds great. Balmy 60s in July in chicago sound really nice...like maybe Taste of Chicago won't be as sticky as it usually is (if the weather lasts).
Ben-I can understand enthusiasts for feature-based products a little more. I didn't think of IKEA products that way but I'll try ; ) Frankly, the fact that the have garnered this kind of enthusiasm from people makes me like the company more.
Bob-I was thinking college students that needed free stuff
Wine-Oh- I feel similarly. If I go (maybe once a year), I defnitely make a day out of it. I get up Sunday AM, stop off for a latte and am there when the doors open so I can actually take some time looking around. I always end up taking stuff home and rugs and curtains are favorites. If I go at any other time, I find that the number of poor caret drivers, people not looking where they are going and folks with kids runniong buck wild far exceed other stores. So if I can't get there early, I don't go.
I just got a dresser delivered last week and even mentioned to the delivery guy how excited I was to get my first, new, non-Ikea dresser (mostly because I have a great walk-in closet).
Getting the Ikea stuff home can be a challenge and I think I've finally reached that point in my life where I would rather pay more than have to put furniture together by myself. I think I learned a big lesson with my adirondack chairs that took a whole weekend.
They are having their - Anonymous
July 01, 2006
Balmy for the Taste of Chicago? Nope! Never is, never will be. The Taste jinxes our weather. It's nearly 11 p.m. here on the first day of the Taste, and the temp is 86 and humid. - Anonymous
July 01, 2006
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
July 02, 2006
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
July 03, 2006
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
July 03, 2006
Two words Heather - Marketing Power. That's my answer to Heather's "Does not Get it" question when she... - Anonymous
July 04, 2006
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
July 05, 2006
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
July 11, 2006
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
July 11, 2006
I didn't know Ikea was considered "hippie". I might resemble your description too much (I'm not a hippie, fashion wise, but I'm an avid recycler)...never thought "social-cause leaning" had a negative connotation associated with left over hippies. Maybe I need to get out more. Yet another thing I don't get. I'd assume tree-huggers would take issue with the concept of disposable furniture. Hmm, perception is a weird thing I guess - Anonymous
July 11, 2006
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
July 11, 2006
Haha...granola has too much sugar for me. I eat unsweetened Muesli, despite the difficulty pronouncing the name. I drive a totally uncool but utilitarian Toyota Rav 4 that gets great gas mileage and I love antiques, but mostly just ones handed down to me. I may have hugged a tree once but I was most certainly joking. I'm an active consumer that detests packaging and recycles. I don't buy aerosol hairspray, but I own about 50 pair of shoes. I make regular drops at the Salvation Army and then fill my closet up with more clothes. I just cancelled my organic produce delivery service. I won't live without TV. I hate camping!
How do I fit into your demographics now? ; ) - Anonymous
July 11, 2006
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
July 12, 2006
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
July 12, 2006
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
July 12, 2006
That would freak people out.