The first IKEA in Ohio opens on the north side of town tomorrow and people are actually camping out to be the first inside. The mind reels.
For the record, I’m a fan of IKEA and am excited to see them come to Cinci. I’ve gone out of my way to shop at the one outside of Chicago and haul a few things back – but in all fairness, I was already in the area on business. I wouldn’t quite characterize their wares as cheaply constructed junk, however I do usual find myself appending the phrase “for what you pay for it” when I talk about their quality. IKEA is like the red Italian table wine of home furnishing – an affordable source for mod-european styling on a budget, packaged up nicely for American consumption. Sure, the flavors are a little muted as to appeal to the widest swath of palates, but the taste is still satisfying and pairs easy.
But camping out? Ya know, I never understood the hordes who waited out for iPhones, PS3s, or the countless over-hyped electronic gadgets before them either. Doesn’t everyone know by now that first-gen electro gizmos are invariably either overpriced, buggy, or both. Maybe that actually moves Daryl (and his other brother, Daryl) waiting for his Billy bookcase up a notch higher on the consumerism food chain, but only a notch. I mean, who in the hell can’t wait another day, or week, or month for a bookcase, floor lamp, or flower vase? Yes, I do know the store is giving door prizes to the first few, but nothing all that lavish, and certainly nothing worth staking out the storefront for up to 48 hours. I’m holding out hope for humanity that these are actually store employees incognito, strategically drumming up a little media attention, but I doubt it.
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