I knew I was going to drive past the IKEA furniture store this past weekend. I attended a writing conference and the huge monument to Swedish capitalism (not to be confused with Volvo or Husqvarna...) rose just west of the Interstate 15 I'd be taking. With my wife engaged in a de-clutter experiment, we needed something only IKEA offered, plastic lids to cover their stackable plastic tubs.
No problem, I thought. I can stop by either on my way down, or on my way back. It'll be quick.
I should have known.
I did not stop Friday as I drove south. To be honest, I kind of forgot. But, I knew by leaving the convention after my last panel Saturday afternoon, I'd have plenty of time to stop, run in, grab the lids, pay, then jump in my car and head home.
Thankfully, the traffic traveling north was far better than I experience the day before as I drove south. I was feeling good Saturday afternoon as I pulled into the parking lot, spotted a beautiful yellow VW Beetle the store uses for promotions (I still wonder if the thing runs...), found a sweet parking spot as close to the entrance as possible, jumped out of my car and ran inside.
If you've been inside an IKEA store, you know it's a labyrinth. Once inside I could have gone upstairs to the showroom, or stay on the main floor and search among the thousands of items with funny names on the sales floor.
I chose the main floor.
Once I entered the sales floor, I realized I had no idea where the things might be. Not kitchen, not lighting. I made my way to the storage section. They had to be there, but I couldn't see either the tubs or the lids. I spotted an employee and asked him a simple question, "Where are the plastic lids that go over the plastic storage tubs."
He just looked at me.
I had instantly become "one of those guys," the ones who think the employee should know exactly what I was thinking--as if, the store only sells one type of tub and one type of lid for that tub. The employee was more than professional. He politely said they have hundreds of types of storage tubs and asked if I knew the name of what I was looking for. Of course I didn't. I told him it was for a storage unit like you see in kids rooms. He suggested I go to the kids section upstairs. Luckily, I've been in IKEA and shopped enough in that section, I knew right where it was.
Once I got there, I saw the tubs. I looked for lids. They had none. I flagged down another employee who looked it up on their little computers. At first they said they didn't know if they still made those lids. But after checking, they directed me to the aisle and section to find what I was looking for. After a quick jog, I found my six lids, hit the "20 Items of Less" checkout lane, hopped in my car and I was on my way.
Next time, if I have to do a quick IKEA stop, I'll be doing my homework...you know, to save time.
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