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Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

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Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#71

Post by dmix »

niftich wrote: post #39
TylerE wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The store build-out on this model may be done, at least in the US. It most definitely is NOT. For instance the nearest Ikea to the Raleigh/Triangle area is over 2 hours away. There are 24 US states without a single Ikea store.

They have recently began a large wave of expansion [1] in the US. Raleigh (Cary) is getting one soon. So is Norfolk, Nashville, Jacksonville, Columbus OH, Milwaukee; they're also beginning to build second (or additional) locations in large metros like Chicago, DFW, Phoenix. [1] http://www.ikea.com/us/en/about_ikea/newsroom/expansion_plan...

I hope they try more innovative stuff in their new stores. Such as making self-checkout the primary means instead of the alternative. The long lines are often a problem and a single row of the checkout machines has 4-6 machines vs 1 or 2 people run counters. So it would speed things up

They could even extend it to offer more services like ordering delivery and install services.

It also makes a lot of sense in their current system.

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#72

Post by emodendroket »

ghaff wrote: post #41
niftich wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They have recently began a large wave of expansion [1] in the US. Raleigh (Cary) is getting one soon. So is Norfolk, Nashville, Jacksonville, Columbus OH, Milwaukee; they're also beginning to build second (or additional) locations in large metros like Chicago, DFW, Phoenix. [1] http://www.ikea.com/us/en/about_ikea/newsroom/expansion_plan...

They were trying to add a second store in the Boston area for a long time but they finally gave up on trying to get one into Somerville. (There was a lot of local opposition--mostly because of traffic concerns as I recall.) AFAIK, there's no current plan to add another store. The existing one is a fair ways south of the city.

I don't see how they could build something anywhere near as large as that store in Somerville anyway.

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#73

Post by reiichiroh »

justboxing wrote: post #46
jagger27 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TaskRabbit was cheaper than IKEA's own build service?

IKEA is almost always cheaper, but the service is horrible. They outsource the build service to local contractors and it's a hit or miss, mostly miss. I bought a closet from IKEA and arranged the service through them. They sent 3 dudes who couldn't speak a word of english. On top of that, the 3 dudes got mad that there was no parking in San Francisco and left. So I had to call IKEA again and get them to come on a Sun…

Our city has a local autistic savant who did this: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/01/17/autistic_mans...

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#74

Post by ddlatham »

reiichiroh wrote: post #73
justboxing wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IKEA is almost always cheaper, but the service is horrible. They outsource the build service to local contractors and it's a hit or miss, mostly miss. I bought a closet from IKEA and arranged the service through them. They sent 3 dudes who couldn't speak a word of english. On top of that, the 3 dudes got mad that there was no parking in San Francisco and left. So I had to call IKEA again and get them to come on a Sun…

Our city has a local autistic savant who did this: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/01/17/autistic_mans...

Great to see someone with those challenges find a way to be productive. But the article seems to disagree with the above label:

"The boy didn’t show an interest at first, noted Mark, who stresses his son isn’t an 'autistic savant.'"

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#75

Post by lobster_johnson »

smelendez wrote: post #27
thebrettd wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kind of throwing the baby out with the bathwater here...IKEA might still be great for you as long as you avoid all the subcontracted installation services? Unless you don't know or care to turn a screwdriver, I guess! :)

Not OP, but I'm fine putting together basic IKEA furniture but don't think I would try to install kitchen cabinets myself.

IKEA's modular kitchens are no different from anything else IKEA has, such as PAX wardrobes or BILLY bookshelves.

The hard part is to measure and plan appropriately (they offer an online 3D tool as well as free in-store consulting here with 3D modeling), but the assembly of the pieces is a cakewalk. I say that as someone who's literally in the middle of some IKEA kitchen assembly right now.

IKEA's kitchen modules are also brilliant for non-kitchen applications. They work for any kind of storage. Skip the fronts (limited selection, cheap-looking), countertops (mostly fiberboard) and handles, and use the modules as "hulls" dressed with better materials. Third-party vendors include:

Superfront — https://superfront.com/

Semihandmade – https://www.semihandmadedoors.com/

Kokeena – http://kokeena.com/

Dunsmuir – https://www.dcabinets.com/

Reform – https://www.reformcph.com/

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#76

Post by BowBun »

psychometry wrote: post #52
robterrell wrote: post #12

This is hilarious/perfect to me personally, because I have only ever used TaskRabbit to hire someone to build Ikea furniture.

...or to pick up furniture at an IKEA location, since they're usually way out in the suburbs and shipping prices are exorbitant.

...unless you just bought $3K of furniture after a move and it only cost $49 to deliver downtown!

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#77

Post by Fomite »

Domenic_S wrote: post #23
Spooky23 wrote: post #14

Judging from my Ikea kitchen delivery experience, I fully expect to have some dude with $20k in cabinets tied to the roof of his Honda shop up at people's houses.

Holy cow, you spent $20k on Ikea kitchen cabinets? Edit: Wow, you guys are touchy. For $20k you could get fully custom cabinets from a local shop made with cabinet-grade plywood for a typically-sized kitchen.

This is also highly dependent on location. Out where I live now, 20 grand will buy me some nice fully custom cabinets. When I lived in DC on the other hand...

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#78

Post by ghaff »

emodendroket wrote: post #72
ghaff wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They were trying to add a second store in the Boston area for a long time but they finally gave up on trying to get one into Somerville. (There was a lot of local opposition--mostly because of traffic concerns as I recall.) AFAIK, there's no current plan to add another store. The existing one is a fair ways south of the city.

I don't see how they could build something anywhere near as large as that store in Somerville anyway.

The Assembly Square project. But I think the traffic concerns were probably legit.

G

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#79

Post by mikestew »

justboxing wrote: post #46
jagger27 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TaskRabbit was cheaper than IKEA's own build service?

IKEA is almost always cheaper, but the service is horrible. They outsource the build service to local contractors and it's a hit or miss, mostly miss. I bought a closet from IKEA and arranged the service through them. They sent 3 dudes who couldn't speak a word of english. On top of that, the 3 dudes got mad that there was no parking in San Francisco and left. So I had to call IKEA again and get them to come on a Sun…

I looked up youtube videos on how to fix door screw holes (you use glue and wood chips)

As an aside for anyone else that wants to try this next time they strip a screw hole, I find it easier to cram a bunch of toothpicks in the hole, with wood glue, then snap the toothpicks off flush with the surface.

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