IKEA is so overrated

Yesterday, I needed some bedroom furniture, so I took my first ever trip to an Ikea. My roommates swear by it, I’ve always heard the stereotypes of the super cool showrooms and sleek design and I figured, why not… I got nothing else to do today and I love most things Scandinavian. Let me take a drive to Carson and get some furniture.

Upon first impression I was struck at just how massive the place was. It was like a blue and yellow airplane hangar just full of sleek, cheaply made, armoires. I entered and was immediately thrust into a retail experience unlike anything I have ever gone through before. You have to waltz through a ridiculous showroom maze, before you can even buy anything. And with all the items in a foreign language, it practically felt like you were in a foreign country. Which would be cool, if I didn’t have shit to do and places to be. So it took me literally forever to find what I came in there for. If I didn’t happen to go online beforehand and actually pick out what I needed, I would’ve totally left empty-handed. Because I didn’t even know how or where to find anything in the damn place, I probably walked the entire maze of all three floors of the store like nineteen times before someone working there finally told me that you have to order the item at the front and then pick it up afterwards. It took me literally an hour and a half to walk in, find, and buy a friggen underbed drawer. Also, the fact that it set me back 50 bones, didn’t exactly make me the happiest camper.

Four hours, ten-million screws, and many twists of the power-drill later, I had a finished set of drawers.

However, despite the ridiculously complex and frustrating shopping method… while I was there I saw the famous “Swedish” meatballs and was like “I’ve heard so much about these meatballs, I have to at least try them when I’m here… I mean, how often am I in Carson?” So I got an order. It was like a Costco meal, $5 got you eight mini Swedish meatballs smothered in gravy, a scoop of mashed potatoes and some lingonbery jam. Overall, the meatballs were good… nice blend of beef, pork (and maybe was that veal I tasted?), but they could’ve used a little more of a sear on the outside. I only ate half the plate, if I was hungry I probably could’ve finished them. The lingonberry jam was very good and the mashed potatoes were absolute crap, no real taste and not because it was super fresh or anything. The gravy was just alright, could’ve been richer.

Overall, I’d rate my IKEA experience a 4.5/10. I’ll stick to Facebook Marketplace for my cheap furniture needs. Will probably return only if I ever get a hankering for some Swedish meatballs.