06 September 2008

Back from the IKEA wars

We are celebrating Labor Day this weekend, but our car is in the shop so we didn't travel. We took a newcomer to IKEA today to get some stuff and just to check it out. The problem is that it was an uncharacteristically sort of rainy day. And vacation month (August) is over. This is two MAJOR strikes against the mall. The third is that it is Saturday.

So we joined everyone else in Madrid at the San Sebastian de los Reyes IKEA. We chose the small yellow dolly rather than a full size cart so it would be easier to negotiate the crowds. So did everyone else!

A crowd challenge you face here, and I'm afraid I'm developing this habit, is that people just stop where they are and have discussions. Doesn't matter that their bodies and baby stroller and or cart are blocking the entire aisle and that there is no way for you to pass around. You get to wait until their conversation is finished. So that makes it interesting.

I got bumped a lot by people's carts or yellow dollys and I know I bumped a few people as the load got wider than the mini-dolly. But one lady took the cake. She pushed so close and so abruptly close to me that a large box protruding from her dolly drew blood on the back of my neck! It's a good thing I wasn't facing her or it might have been my jugular. I'm being facetious somewhat but, man, I've never had a shopping injury before.

5 comments:

  1. Who knew that going to IKEA would be so dangerous? Make sure you have some band-aids with you next time. : )

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  2. I've heard that the morning after Thanksgiving can get violent like that. :) I wouldn't know, though.

    There are plenty of Americans who stop and talk and block walkways, but it probably isn't as common here as there. That is one of my pet peaves: people who block walkways to have a conversation when it isn't necessary.

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  3. We have an IKEA here in Portland. It can get pretty crowded. We waited an hour for Woogy to get into the play area. Later, Nibbles had a little outburst when she didn't get her way and we had to leave with her kicking and screaming. From what I saw, IKEA looks like a pretty cool place.

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  4. Anonymous7:42 PM

    Maybe you needed to break away from the fray and take the road less travelled. At every Ikea I've been to in the states, arrows lead customers along a circuitous route through the store...but there are secret shortcut doors if you look closely enough. I once ducked through one of these and beheld a colony of elves manufacturing modular furniture. Apparently, the word "union" has no equivalent in Elvish.

    -Grant Gieseke (I would've signed in, but my attempt to read the Spanish login instructions led to my purchase of seven blenders instead)

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  5. I didn't realize everyone else saw the Spanish interface. I thought it was just on my end! Too bad about the blenders!

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