The Allen wrench of pain
Okay, Portland metro air travelers. Your worst fear has arrived. The Ikea store by PDX opens tomorrow. From The Columbian:
So compared to some U.S. retailers, they're probably okay.
But who are the people who camp out to buy self-assembly furniture? To each their own, I suppose, and if I were Swedish I would be glad to visit a store from my home country, but people used to camp out for Rolling Stones tickets, not home decor. It reminds me of the donut craze a few years back, with people driving 250 miles round trip to buy donuts. Nuts.
I'll admit I'm not a shopper, and frankly I can't stand most retail experiences, so the idea that a huge store full of stuff is a fun place to go is rather alien to me. Who knows, I'll probably check Ikea out at some point, but I'll definitely leave the tent and sleeping bag at home.
And what's up with putting the burden on air travelers?
Seems like some strict alternate routes should have been temporarily imposed if such huge crowds are expected, instead of this voluntary stuff. Like flying isn't enough of a pain in the neck already.
If you're flying out of Portland during this honeymoon period, get ready to run a gantlet.I don't have anything against Ikea. From what I understand, they offer both full and part time workers benefits and try to be "green" about stuff, like offering recycling of fluorescent light bulbs no matter the brand.
"We are encouraging travelers to give themselves an extra 30 minutes," said Steve Johnson, airport spokesman.
IKEA shoppers are being asked to use arterial streets, primarily Northeast Alderwood Road and Northeast 82nd Avenue, to get to the store, and to leave the Airport Way exit for people trying to catch flights.
So compared to some U.S. retailers, they're probably okay.
But who are the people who camp out to buy self-assembly furniture? To each their own, I suppose, and if I were Swedish I would be glad to visit a store from my home country, but people used to camp out for Rolling Stones tickets, not home decor. It reminds me of the donut craze a few years back, with people driving 250 miles round trip to buy donuts. Nuts.
I'll admit I'm not a shopper, and frankly I can't stand most retail experiences, so the idea that a huge store full of stuff is a fun place to go is rather alien to me. Who knows, I'll probably check Ikea out at some point, but I'll definitely leave the tent and sleeping bag at home.
And what's up with putting the burden on air travelers?
Seems like some strict alternate routes should have been temporarily imposed if such huge crowds are expected, instead of this voluntary stuff. Like flying isn't enough of a pain in the neck already.
