Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

recode.net

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 205 posts

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#81

Post by ErrantX »

shimon wrote: post #30

This is an interesting move, a design/manufacturing/retail company buying a labor marketplace company. Ikea has grown a ton based on having widely appealing products at extremely low prices. Their growth over the past decade has been driven by expanding their physical retail presence on the one-giant-store-per-city model. The store build-out on this model may be done, at least in the US. Still, many potential buyers…

I suspect the ambition is less lofty. They know people use TR regularly to deliver and install Ikea furniture and they figure on taking a slice.

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#82

Post by dogruck »

jagger27 wrote: post #32
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.

TaskRabbit was cheaper than IKEA's own build service?

I recently had this experience:

* Day 0: order a bunch of IKEA stuff with delivery

* Day 15: get message saying all items ready for delivery, on Day 30

* Day 20: I call shipper and ask if we can reschedule for Day 37 -- no problem

* Day 35: shipper calls and says oops we actually only deliver to my town once a month so it'll have to be on Day 60

... many phone calls with contradicting info and "check with manager" ...

* Day 40: I pay a local contractor to pick items up from shipper's warehouse.

(No refund on shipping because it was "my fault.")

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#84

Post by sethj »

dmix wrote: post #71
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...

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 c…

Ugh, the new, remodeled, Ikea in Seattle got rid of the self checkouts. Checking out now takes at least 15 minutes. Sometimes more. It's awful.

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#85

Post by konschubert »

KerrickStaley wrote: post #60
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…

Personally I build IKEA furniture myself. It's very straightforward and often pretty fun.

I have never met anyone that doesn't do this. I must be living in a different bubble than most people here.

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#86

Post by schemathings »

mikestew wrote: post #79
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…

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.

Golf tees. Good hard wood.

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#87

Post by anoother »

BowBun wrote: post #76
psychometry wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...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!

How do you manage to spend 3k in IKEA?

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#88

Post by adekok »

aoenstkn4nto wrote: post #20

I hope this improves IKEA's absolutely awful installation experience. I recently did some kitchen cabinets, and while the people who did the actual install were great, everything about the experience was awful. IKEA contracted it out to Traemand, who sub-contracted it out to a local company. The local company was really hard to get ahold of and kept losing paperwork and not scheduling things. Once they did schedule s…

The main issue there is that Ikea isn't owning the installation process. They should be making sure that they know who's doing the work, when they're showing up, etc.

And then tracking that, so if one group of contractors has consistent problems, they can be fired.

Re: Ikea has bought TaskRabbit

#90

Post by mikestew »

schemathings wrote: post #86
mikestew wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Golf tees. Good hard wood.

Having not had a golf tee in my hands in a good ten years, aren't they too hard to snap off? IOW, I'd have to saw or sand it flush, right? Regardless, toothpicks I have. I'd have to go buy golf tees. :-)
Post reply on HN