IKEA to open the fourth store in Thailand

[scubascuba3]

32 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Never been to an IKEA...what's it like...should it be on my "to do" list before I die?

Well, you have options, you can buy Thai junk that most likely won't last or buy IKEA stuff that has a proven track record to last decades, it's a bit HISO here being more expensive than the thai stuff

[newnative]

42 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Never been to an IKEA...what's it like...should it be on my "to do" list before I die?

     Perhaps--if you enjoy shopping.  When I was much younger and much poorer IKEA was a life saver.  I still remember when the 2 IKEA stores opened near Washington, DC.  I bought MALM bedroom dressers, bedside tables, and beds, BILLY bookcases, dining tables, housewares, lamps, armoires, mirrors, and other items. 

    My partner and I still like to go to the Bangkok IKEAs now and then.  The first time we visited I saw a lot of young Thai couples and young families likely buying furniture for their first places and it brought back memories.  We still find IKEA good for housewares, picture frames, rugs, outdoor furniture, kitchen and bath stuff, lighting, chair cushions, and some furniture items like large upholstered ottomans with storage.   It's always a fun visit when we go, with a break for lunch at their restaurant.  Wish they had chosen the Pattaya area for their next store.

[Pdib]

It will surely add to the bad traffic problems in that area. It already became bad enough when EMQuartier opened

[zoltannyc]

22 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Never been to an IKEA...what's it like...should it be on my "to do" list before I die?

The Swedish meatball worth it...

[Jingthing]

4 hours ago, zoltannyc said:

The Swedish meatball worth it...

Are they better than the meatballs we can get at typical Swedish restaurants in Thailand? I won't even mention horse.

[impulse]

On 3/29/2022 at 4:45 AM, Pattaya Spotter said:

Never been to an IKEA...what's it like...should it be on my "to do" list before I die?

When you walk in the door, you're trapped in a maze and the only way you can get out is to walk by every single thing they have in the store.  At least that's my recollection from my visits to the first IKEAs in the USA.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

9 minutes ago, impulse said:

When you walk in the door, you're trapped in a maze and the only way you can get out is to walk by every single thing they have in the store.  At least that's my recollection from my visits to the first IKEAs in the USA.

 

Ya, but that's part of the fun of it... the journey of exploration.... and knowing that the only way you can get out is charging forward thru the maze that ultimately takes you to the check-out section / exit... ????

 

[djayz]

On 3/29/2022 at 4:53 PM, recom273 said:

When I clicked the headline, I was fully expecting to see, Korat or Udon ... nope ..

Me too. I was hoping Korat... But, nope, wasn't meant to be. 

[mbenson]

That's great! Thais have a natural talent for writing those instructions.

[RafPinto]

On 3/29/2022 at 3:17 PM, 86Tiger said:

Evidently large portion of the population.  Seems their parking and stores are always packed.

That's for the weekend free airconditiong.

[Pattaya Spotter]

On 3/29/2022 at 5:19 PM, scubascuba3 said:

Well, you have options, you can buy Thai junk that most likely won't last or buy IKEA stuff that has a proven track record to last decades, it's a bit HISO here being more expensive than the thai stuff

SB, Winner, and Index are hi-so enough for me.

[Pattaya Spotter]

22 hours ago, zoltannyc said:

The Swedish meatball worth it...

Yes that's what I've heard...a bit strange going to a furniture store for the food.

[Mr Derek]

That green stripy sofa reminds me why I have never bought any of their furniture.

[SomchaiCNX]

6 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

SB, Winner, and Index are hi-so enough for me.

Used to be before Ikea arrived.

[Pattaya Spotter]

12 hours ago, SomchaiCNX said:

Used to be before Ikea arrived.

And don't forget Chic Republic. 

[Mr Meeseeks]

22 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

SB, Winner, and Index are hi-so enough for me.

My personal experience with those brands has been very poor overall re: quality and service. Not so IKEA. 

[Hummin]

On 3/30/2022 at 3:03 PM, Jingthing said:

Are they better than the meatballs we can get at typical Swedish restaurants in Thailand? I won't even mention horse.

Kjøtkaker is better at Taste of Norway at jomtien. 
 

I liked swedish meatballs as a kid, but now, not so much. Tried them at Ikea Bagna, and will not eat them again. 
 

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Hummin

[NancyL]

Rats, I was hoping for Chiang Mai, but realistically we're past the point of buying a condo-full of furniture again.  When we totally remodeled our condo in 2019, I we made a couple trips to IKEA in Bangkok.  First one to check it out and second one after I did hours of online research.  

 

While it's great for young people outfitting their first place, it's also good for retirees fitting out their last place.  We left behind very high quality furniture (sold for pittance at garage sales) and a kitchen in the U.S. -- all built to last decades.  And we used them for decades.  We don't need that now at this point in our lives.  The high-end IKEA stuff is great for us.

 

At the time, the Thai versions of their online design tools were clunky, but I found the UK versions worked well and the items had the same part numbers in both the UK and Thailand.  I had to get a customer number for a UK store and selected Nottingham, not knowing it was actually a real place and I still get special offers from that store!  

 

When I returned for the second trip to IKEA BangNa with the designs I'd created for the kitchen and closets, plus a list of other items I wanted, on a slow Monday, somehow the store general manager tracked me down (maybe it was the roll of blueprints I was carrying), and after chatting gave great advice about how to shop for an entire condo, i.e. head to the kitchen and closet depts to make appointments with the designers, then go buy the other stuff (free-standing furniture) until time for the appointments with the designers, then allow plenty of time at the end to arrange delivery and home assembly at the end.  And he gave me some vouchers that paid for lunch and dinner.  The designers were great, offering wise improvements over the designs I had created. 

 

I must admit that the only department that seemed less than totally thrilled to help me was the professional office furniture section, where I bought a professional-quality desk, file cabinet and bookcase for Hubby's home office.  They seemed to lose interest when they realized I wasn't outfitting an entire office complex.  However, it's great quality stuff and anyone outfitting an office should consider it.  Much better than the "home office" Hemnes desk I bought for myself because it matches the Hemnes furniture in our bedroom.  Oh well, the cats spend more time at the Hemnes desk than I do.

 

At check-out , I discovered that they had a contractor who would travel to Chiang Mai and assemble everything for something like 7% of the purchase price.  I called the general contractor for our condo remodeling and asked him if this was better than having his crew assemble and he said "go for it"; his people had never assembled IKEA.  And they were amazing.  Driving all night from Bangkok, acting as a highly synchronized team to bring the boxes up to the 15th floor condo, tossing away the instructions immediately upon opening the boxes, and going to work assembling items in record time.  The kitchen took 1/2 day, the closets 2 hours.  Then jumping into the truck to drive back to Bangkok.  Who says that Thai people don't know how to work?   

[NancyL]

5 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Kjøtkaker is better at Taste of Norway at jomtien. 
 

I like swedish meatballs as a kid, but noe, not so much. Tried them at Ikea Bagna, and will not eat them again. 
 

 

I like their salmon a little better than the meatballs.

[Klonko]

Though I purchased two armchairs from Ikea, Index Living has more apealing furniture for me at the same price point. I think Ikea is also living from its image. And I hate to be forced to walk through the whole store.

[NancyL]

39 minutes ago, Klonko said:

Though I purchased two armchairs from Ikea, Index Living has more apealing furniture for me at the same price point. I think Ikea is also living from its image. And I hate to be forced to walk through the whole store.

I'm not a fan of the upholstered IKEA furniture.  But, you can get a map of the store and see that there are short-cuts where you don't have to walk through the whole store.

[vinci]

i like Ikea, problem is they are too far from city, i have only been there once or twice since the day they open in Thailand, i wanted to go there more often, good news if they have one in Suk

[KanchanaburiGuy]

Lol

 

No one who eats street food in Thailand should be laughing about "mystery meat" Swedish Meatballs at Ikea........

 

????????????

 

IKEA is fine. Nothing wrong with them, nothing at all. And you've gotta respect a company that comes up with an innovative approach and finds a way to be hugely successful at it.

 

The only drawback, as far as I'm concerned, is people thinking they're getting higher quality products than their prices reflect, when they aren't. 

 

People think: It comes in a flat-pack, so they're saving money on freight. And they're saving money on factory assembly, too. "So, for the price I'm paying, I'm getting a better product than I could get otherwise!"

 

No, uh uh. You're not! 555

 

IKEA has a great variety of things, all at very reasonable prices. It's a great One-Stop-Shopping kind of store. And, personally, I don't care what they're made of, I think those Swedish Meatballs are pretty great!

 

555

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

[tonray]

19 minutes ago, KanchanaburiGuy said:

And, personally, I don't care what they're made of, I think those Swedish Meatballs are pretty great!

I tried their 'plant based' schnitzel last week...it was outstanding ! More vegan options lately...mystery meat where the plants are the mystery now

[Eric Loh]

Not bad for a Swedish company that do not make any of their furniture in Sweden but in countries like Myanmar, China, Vietnam and Malaysia.

 

[Doctor Tom]

One of the most over rated companies/ brands around.  The stuff is low quality, expensive and doesn't last and then to add insult to injury, you have to put the damn things together yourself.  No thanks.   This post seems to be only talking about the food, says it all really.  Maybe its just a restaurant chain with the odd bit of low class furniture to buy 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Doctor Tom