On the move...of houses. Me and my family have finally moved to our new place.
And like many other people, we have bought furniture and other things from IKEA, the big store that has almost everything.
To its credit, the superstores have been thought of as innovative experiences, something like taking a flight whilst you are still on the ground. They design a journey for you to go through different sections, get ideas, measure things, ask for advice, use computer software, have a nice lunch with the family, get Swedish groceries and even get to change the nappies of your little ones. IKEA is the only store where I found a baby changing unit in the men's toilet. And they also have a children's play area, only that it is for those aged 3 or over.
The business/service model 'works' for IKEA on the basis that additional costs are offset because it is you who can collect your goods and take them with you. You can check the inventory of each superstore if you need to. You can get things straight away by going there instead of buying them online. At the store you pick the goods from a warehouse area. If they are too heavy or bulky to fit in your car, you can then give them back and they will deliver to your door next day. For a fee.
And you can assemble things yourself.
Great.
I live in a DIY country. By this I mean many people assemble things themselves. They paint; decorate; install. So much so that when we moved to our new place the builders we hired discovered all the wonders that DIY people do.
The DIY country is also a cowboy builders one. This means that often, DIY people just patch things up, and leave many surprises to you.
Great.
Yes, IKEA gives people the chance to buy cheap, with an OK degree of quality. It also gives them free reign to do whatever they want. Not only IKEA, but all those in the DIY sector.
Whilst doing this, IKEA creates many systemic effects which makes me thing I should get paid by them:
- The website is not great. I thought I had bought a pair of chairs together with their cushions. Only the cushions arrived, as I had to also select the chair frames. The website let me carry on without selecting frames. When I called them, they said I needed to go to the superstore because they would not sell me the frames only. As I showed my disappointment, the woman on the phone suggested: "Have a talk with your partner and decide what to do". We decided to go to the superstore with our children: 30 miles each way (with horrible traffic at the entrance), plus 3 hours doing the superstore tour and having lunch. Should I complain about this? Well, let's carry on.
- Even if you can buy things online, the delivery times given by the website are at least one week later. That is another reason why we went to the superstore. I have yet to discover faster options.
- Whilst at the store, I have to join the stream of visitors. It is like going to an exhibition. We have to move fast. You can picture this with two toddlers, each in a sort of supermarket trolley, trying to grab everything that they can.
- The first time we went to the store, we were 'lucky' that the stuff was so heavy we were helped to send it straight away to delivery from the warehouse section for next day delivery. They said they would deliver at 11am. So I got ready to be at our new place to receive the items. They arrived 3 hours later. Driver and helper looked so tired that I gave them a hand. And they had to make 6 more deliveries on that day!!
- The second time we went to the store, we picked the stuff ourselves. With the twins in our trolleys (it was only me and my wife), we were lucky again that the boxes just fitted in the trolleys and later on in our car (I was given different box sizes in the website).
If I can account for the time I spent helping IKEA (at the store, in my house); the time spent by one of the builders assembling things well in our new place; the time of my wife helping out and the time of my twins (enduring the journeys), I should probably ask IKEA for a pay check.
They would probably say that still they helped me save a few quid. But who is right here? Me or them?
They would probably say that still they helped me save a few quid. But who is right here? Me or them?
All I can say is that we live in an age where computers help everyone to feel we are in control of things, specially in control of time and money, in control of our lives. But we are not. IKEA would claim they are helping me in my dream of having a new place. I could also claim I am helping them by sorting out the messes they cause with their business model.
We need better business models. Models in which technology (i.e. websites, call centres) serves people by giving more options; by helping us make better decisions (for instance the decision to go to a store); by reducing false expectations (i.e. delivery times). By not treating us like 'stupid' people (those who did not know how they or their technology works) whilst claiming that we are very intelligent, savvy, DIY customers.
And yes, together we are creating messes. I know I am responsible for these messes, they should accept it as well.
