Reply
Fri 24 Nov, 2006 09:46 pm
Quote:Swedes Trust IKEA More than the Church
What do Volvo, Ericsson, Saab and IKEA have in common? The people of Sweden have more faith in them than in the church.
REUTERS
An IKEA store in Sweden: People trust the furniture maker more than the church.
Perhaps the news shouldn't come as much of a surprise, coming as it does from a country best known for its meatballs and the bright blue and yellow warehouses selling cheap and cheerful furniture around the globe. Still, preacher men the world over must be reeling. A new poll taken of Swedes indicates that more people trust IKEA than the church in the largely Protestant country.
According to the poll, taken by the business weekly Dagens Industri, 80 percent of Swedes said they had "much or very much trust" in the world's largest furniture store chain, which was founded by Ingvar Kamprad. But only 46 percent of the 800 people surveyed said they trusted the Swedish church, which counts 80 percent of the 9 million residents living in Sweden as members.
IKEA isn't the only company Swedes trust more than the church -- the list also includes Volvo (69 percent), Ericsson (59), Saab (57) and pharmaceutical giant Astra Zeneca (47) as well as four other companies that beat out the church on the trust factor. Indeed, the church landed in slot 14, behind Sweden's public television station, its universities, small business, the central bank and the daily paper Dagens Nyheter.
There was, however, some positive news for the church: It got better marks than the conservative party of Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt (30 percent). And it fared better than foreign companies like Coca-Cola, which only 22 percent of Swedes said they trusted.
I had a bad experience once putting together a blanket /toy chest that doubles as a bench.
I think I ended up nailing it together.
I had to put up two by fours to put a Kohler cast iron sink in the sink cabinet. Pffffft. Yes, I know they make their own sinks.
Though I don't actually hate Ikea. And I knew of them early, as a pal was a stewardess for Pan Am from Sweden - thus she and her friends would order from Sweden from Ikea. (Yes, a long time ago.)
They opened an IKEA within the last 2 weeks north of here.
I'd look in there if I was in the area, but wouldn't go out of my way. Especially this time of year.
I once looked through a friends catalog, like osso said, wasn't anything to hate....just nothing jumped out at me.
Then again, my home is more Ancient Roman Bordello than Scandinavian.
Well, there's an element of being trapped in the store, re going in and getting out, that is pretty annoying but is something of a given, or was, as I haven't been there in a while. On the other hand, I did see this and that that I liked. I too am more Roman bordello/victorian/japanese... than scandinavian, re decor taste. They are famous for their meatballs in the cafe, and they're ok. More ok for the fun of it.
On the other hand, back around 1970, Ikea offered something different for us in the US.
There are plenty of good deals at Ikea for those with a discerning eye. There are many things I wouldn't buy there (sofas, for one, chairs for another), but many many other things are quality product at a very good bargain.
I wouldn't buy sofas or sink cabinets... but they had lots of other stuff.
Since I first saw Ikea, places like Bed Bath and Beyond and competitors showed up, so they are not out there alone re some products.
In whatever it was, '68 or '70, there were pretty much alone.
I bought some cabinets from IKEA. I was very much surprised to find the tag "Made in Czeck Republic" on the package. If ya can't trust IKEA who can you trust???
They have all kinds of stuff though, it's not just the clean lines blonde wood Scandinavian thing. I have an upholstered chair from them that I adore -- curvy arms, fabulous vintage-looking peony print. Bought it when I lived within 20 minutes of two count 'em two IKEA stores, sigh. (Pasadena.) (I also furnished my entire agency -- offices and classrooms -- with IKEA stuff for approximately the cost of two regular [non-IKEA] metal office desks. That's when I went from liking 'em to revering 'em.) (Sign me up for their religion, I guess.)
Have started an active one-woman campaign to get them to open a store here -- their PR guy is actually very funny. :-)
Mame wrote:There are plenty of good deals at Ikea .....
Did you go to the one in Richmond? I think that was the first one in BC.
I have to honestly say that the Scandanavian style generally doesn't make me sit up and say "Wow!". Having said that, it does fill a niche though.
Actually, IKEA changed tremendous when you compare it today to what it was 30, 40 years ago: you can get even "real" furniture there now.
You'd probably be surprised on how much wood furniture is made in the former Czechoslovakia, and I believe that if IKEA didn't pioneer it, they certainly had a major hand in developing the Czech industry.
I've spent a ton of money at IKEA over my lifetime, but then I was early influenced by Bauhaus ideals (function over form) and never had much money. Perfect IKEA customer.
On the quality issue, you get what you pay for. (Although I have found some very well-made items, usually things that never make it into the catalogues.)
Some trivia I read recently (and remember):15% of everything sold by IKEA is "Made in Poland", (they get their stuff from more than 55 countries altogether) and only 40% of IKEA's gains are made by the selling of furniture.
And there's no country where they sell more than in Germany .... :wink:
My kitchen is from IKEA, and I especially like my pull-out pantry. The
wood shelves are movable and should I decide to change the face of the
cabinets, I can interchange them any way I'd like to - they all fit.
I love 100 % cotton bedding and IKEA has great sheet sets (duvets) that
are fairly inexpensive. My garage has wood cabinets from IKEA and I have everyday dishes from there too.
I would be reluctant to buy a sofa there though.
Hmm, ditto :wink:
We still use some Billy's, our complete everyday dishes are from there .... and all the cupboards and other 'storages furnitures' in the cellar (= previously used above)
I do find it notable that very few, if anything, from IKEA is actually made in Sweden.
But the design is 100% made there :wink:
Many years ago I worked for an auto parts importer that manufactured their automotive parts in Taiwan. However, we had many potential customers that would not buy anything made in Taiwan. Therefore, the company had the inner and outer fenders made in Taiwan then they simply welded them together in the US. Customers liked seeing the "Made in USA" sticker on them. They were a few dollars more but, hey, it's now American made!
NickFun wrote:I do find it notable that very few, if anything, from IKEA is actually made in Sweden.
Labor cost are far too high in Sweden.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace