Proof the world has gone mad

I wanted a small Ikea bedside table ready for our rejuvenated guest room. Ni way would l want to drive seventy miles to our nearest branch and queue for five hours . I ordered one from Ebay and it came a few days later and is now ready to be erected.

No way it should say

My DD buys their furniture and it's really good quality for the price... but IKEA have doubled their delivery charge since lock down. I think that's really shocking and totally taking advantage. When you consider how the price of fuel has fallen, I think it's outrageous.
And I wouldn't queue for them or McDonald's either!

Its been raining here- i wonder if they'd all be as willing to stand queuing in bad weather?

DH hates Ikea and just wont go!! I have found a good alternative in Wayfair. They sell flatpacks and ready made furniture, either modern or traditional furniture and lots more at good prices. My daughter (an Ikea fan) has started buying from Wayfair.co.uk now - they deliver, too.

Good grief how much do they charge now for delivery? It was high enough when i ordered ONE item over 2 years ago!! I thought it was extortionate then.(& it was only a basket type 'holder' for all my sons video games etc.) Think it was about £8.99 delivery from warrington to preston!

The item itself was only about £12-£13!! -and no, that wasnt next day delivery either!

Perhaps all the home workers have realised they need a proper desk or chair? Husband certainly does. Luckily he can order via his workplace.

Otoh our Ikea was due to close permanently this summer anyway so is not reopening. not that id be joining tje queues!!

A bit like Next boxing day sale. I'm expecting there to be queues outside pubs and hairdressers when they open as well

Craftycat- they really should advertise the fact you can go in for just collecting an online order- but somewhere prominent & on outside! I did same at M&S foodhall, (to collect a clothing order) but didn't see sign (inside doorway) till i got to front of queue- the door guy offered to go get order- but by then i had queued anyway, so said no ill see if theres any other stuff i want while im here- so i guess they're all hoping we will do the same then spend even more...they're not daft these retailers

I quite enjoy an occasional wander around with my daughter. Last time it was mainly to equip a grandaughter going off to Uni. We usually spend more time in the cafe having a good natter than we do shopping!

There is no way I would queue though, and certainly not for hours.

I think they will have to do it by appt only at hairdressers as it takes so long for some colours/wash/blowdrys etc. Not sure about barbers though- might be queues for that..i dont know how they'll work it for pubs, as some will be eating, some just drinks, but may want more than one round, or to make it last as the pubs have been shut so long, so how would you manage that? You cant really 'move them on' just cause others are waiting- i know this, from not being able to get a table on mothers day or near xmas etc.

And the IKEA cafés probably cant reopen yet either!

Well hopefully people will keep to the safe distancing rule as it’s a one way system round ikea. I think people are still,off work some seeing it as a holiday I’m not can’t wait to get back. Also people have been holed up and this might be a normality thing getting back to doing what they did before.

Merlotgran- what do the blinds stick to?? My window casings are all plastic! (Upvc?) Do you stick on the magnets first?-then stick the blind to that? Or what? (i like the idea but not if it would keep dropping down at the drop of a hat!) ?

There have been times when we were almost that desparate, a crucial missing part right in the middle of fitting a kitchen....

I agree about the 'day out' thing- one of my DD's has been making her trips out longer, by 'having' to go to 'other shops' while she food shops as well..I keep warning her it could not be safe but not taking much notice...

Even she's not daft enough to queue at Ikea for hours though..

Just sad, but then it’s like after Christmas when people are suffering ‘withdrawal symptoms’ from shops being closed for a day or two.

I have always avoided Ikea as I blame them for the "self assembly" thing. When I buy a piece of furniture I don't expect to pay several hundred pounds and then have to build it myself - I am not a carpenter!

Before the lockdown I went into John Lewis looking for a cabinet - found just what I was looking for (£400) then I looked closer and saw that it was self assembly! Of course they told me they had a service where they will assemble it for you - for a price!

We're a nation of consumers.
Whatever we buy, however and wherever we buy "stuff".

"I wondered if she was just sick of staring at her old but perfectly serviceable furniture during lockdown or were they sitting on hastily knocked up chairs made from old pallets because the dog had eaten the sofa?"

Oh Merlotgran my puppy did just that, right in the middle of the sofa seat! We now need a new sofa but a big throw will do for now

I cannot understand all these people that want to queue for somewhere like Ikea. What is so urgent to queue in burning sun just to go into a store. Heard on radio this morning that another 50 McDonalds outlets opened this morning and mile long queues had already began. I mean "really" nothing better to do than queue for McDonalds.

I hope the queue gets bigger,i can go shopping and have less people in the shopping queue along side me.

I have looked at the photos and blurbs of those magnetic blinds and it seems to me that they are suspended from two mall fittings fixed to the wall, one each end of the top, so you still need to drill for the fittings.

The magnets are just for raising and lowering the sections of the Roman blind bit - you get a pole to pull down the sections that are too high to reach, otherwise you just use your hands. That is how they made them cordless! Putting them up again is done by hand. Commenters on the Ikea page say that they can pull the blind down OK, but to open it again they have to stand on a box.

It also sounded (but it may not be) as though you don't get any rod to thread through the top hem to attach to the wall fittings. That wasn't very clear.

If I were considering these, I would contact Ikea with some questions before ordering.