by Gregers Møller 

 

As part of the Swedish furniture giant IKEA’s global effort to become a more sustainable business, IKEA Bang Yai in Thailand has been turned into a circular store.

 

According to Greenqueen, IKEA Bang Yai is the first outlet in Thailand to adopt IKEA’s global Circular Store concept and here customers can shop second-hand furniture, bring their preloved items in for resale, and earn points by sorting and recycling their waste for collection.

 

Ikano Private Limited which operates IKEA Thailand, IKEA Singapore and IKEA Malaysia have already been adopting new strategies to lower its waste, but customers are now seeking even more circular options, the company says. Besides being able to buy used IKEA furniture at a discounted price, customers can also sell their own preloved home furnishings and bring recyclable waste for drop off at the recycling center.

 

Full story: https://scandasia.com/thailands-ikea-bang-yai-transforms-into-a-circular-shop/

 

-- © Copyright ScandAsia 2021-10-27

 

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The conveyor belt structure of Ikea stores is so annoying.  They force you to march by all of their products just to get the spatula you came for.  No other retailer does that.

1 hour ago, cmarshall said:

The conveyor belt structure of Ikea stores is so annoying.  They force you to march by all of their products just to get the spatula you came for.  No other retailer does that.

Every supermarket does it and they change the layout every few months so you have to change your route!

2 hours ago, cmarshall said:

The conveyor belt structure of Ikea stores is so annoying.  They force you to march by all of their products just to get the spatula you came for.  No other retailer does that.

It depends on what you want. For example, chair cushions or bedroom furniture...right there at the entrance (in Bang Yai). I might suggest a 20 baht store more appropriate for your spatula purchases in the  future.

2 hours ago, cmarshall said:

They force you to march by all of their products just to get the spatula you came for.

A spatula is probably not their highest selling item and therefore low down in the prime real estate allocation priority list!

43 minutes ago, fangless said:

Every supermarket does it and they change the layout every few months so you have to change your route!

Lidl from Germany is famous for this. They were fun to visit when I was in Spain. You go for one thing, wind up with a few other interesting things. Came for some beer, wound up with some motorized educational toy to spin around, which became more entertaining as I drank the beer.

 

Back in the States I worked at a store mostly dealing in imports. We often dismantled displays and moved them about the store upon each passing holiday. A manager admitted to me this is to get customers hunting for items, and in the process, buy more stuff. It also fit their adventurous, exploring the world theme, which their primarily bored housewife clientele desperately needed.

2 hours ago, fangless said:

A spatula is probably not their highest selling item and therefore low down in the prime real estate allocation priority list!

Sure not a highest selling Item but they are pretty pricy for a few of the Spatula sets at a little over 1k baht.  I actually had a laugh when I saw them and wondered how a spatula set could cost so much.  Well they are made of silicone, wont melt and if damaged have a warranty on them....lol

6 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Sure not a highest selling Item but they are pretty pricy for a few of the Spatula sets at a little over 1k baht.  I actually had a laugh when I saw them and wondered how a spatula set could cost so much.  Well they are made of silicone, wont melt and if damaged have a warranty on them....lol

DAISO silicone spatula for 60 baht...but without warranty

5 hours ago, cmarshall said:

The conveyor belt structure of Ikea stores is so annoying.  They force you to march by all of their products just to get the spatula you came for.  No other retailer does that.

     That's the fun part of going to IKEA--wandering through the vast store.  They do a wonderful job with their displays, their model room settings, their merchandising.  There's always something new or seasonal to keep your interest.  When we go my partner and I usually spend several hours or more, with a break for lunch at their restaurant.  Always an enjoyable outing for us.  

There are shortcuts, you just have to figure out where they are.

An awful lot of IKEA furniture is pressboard junk. I doubt most of it would survive secondhand.

 

Good idea, though. There is a real shortage of recycled, secondhand, thrift stores in Thailand. Good value & better for the planet.

14 hours ago, cmarshall said:

The conveyor belt structure of Ikea stores is so annoying.  They force you to march by all of their products just to get the spatula you came for.  No other retailer does that.

pro tip: you can walk the other way round ????