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IKEA buys 11,000 acres of U.S. forest to keep it from being developed

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Re: IKEA buys 11,000 acres of U.S. forest to keep it from being developed

#331

Post by patentatt »

Scarblac wrote: post #324
candu wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally, I dislike IKEA for registering as a non-profit, when they're very clearly not. To me, this belongs in the same bucket as any number of tax avoidance schemes that ensure wealthy individuals pay far lower tax rates than the average person, and that large corporations pay effectively nothing. If they're able to provide great customer service - well, good on them, but I'd much rather the public purse have the…

What I don't understand is how Inter Ikea Systems (the company that holds the rights to the Ikea concept, that is paid by the nonprofit) avoids having to pay taxes.

There’s plenty of blog articles and YouTube videos out there that break it down, it’s quite elaborate if memory serves.

Re: IKEA buys 11,000 acres of U.S. forest to keep it from being developed

#333

Post by xxs »

dkdbejwi383 wrote: post #230
kuschku wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can just go to any IKEA and buy a replacement part? Every single part they've ever sold is available at the replacement desk in their stores (at least here in Germany). Even individual screws, legs, etc. When I broke a door and one of the hinges of a kitchen cabinet, I just went to IKEA and bought a replacement door (of the exact same type) and replacement hinge) and replaced them.

> You can just go to any IKEA and buy a replacement part? Assuming there is a store nearby and even that the company is still in business. It's vendor lock-in. Meanwhile, my solid wood sideboard could be repaired by any competent cabinet maker, without needing specialist hinges or plastic brackets. Not that it is liable to fall apart as easily as particleboard & veneer.

Goodness, I am a software developer, I don't have a woodworking shop but I'd be able to repair pretty much anything Ikea - epoxy, pva, some sawdust for filler (or woodfiller), buy particle boards with same/similar color melamine online.

Any novice woodworker/joiner should be able to fix IKEA w/o any parts from IKEA even.

Re: IKEA buys 11,000 acres of U.S. forest to keep it from being developed

#334

Post by Ygg2 »

jakupovic wrote: post #322
Ygg2 wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought an IKEA desk and tried to assemble it myself. Between the poor wood quality, bad paint job, hard to connect components and painful assembly process, I gave up and got a refund. I asked a friend of a friend that's a carpenter and he made way better desk for same amount of money.

I call BS, you can't even buy the material to build something at IKEA prices, let alone assemble it.

BS based on what? I can show you the desk. I did found his bill. It was $30 bucks more.

The price for IKEA piece was materials plus delivery.

The price for that desk was design, delivery and assembly on the spot.

Re: IKEA buys 11,000 acres of U.S. forest to keep it from being developed

#335

Post by Ygg2 »

cko wrote: post #326
jakupovic wrote: post #322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I call BS, you can't even buy the material to build something at IKEA prices, let alone assemble it.

Probably didn't account for cost of labor.

Cost of labor was around 50% of the material value.

Re: IKEA buys 11,000 acres of U.S. forest to keep it from being developed

#336

Post by bluGill »

snarf21 wrote: post #309
nom wrote: post #256

I never understood why people hate IKEA. Yes it's cheap. Yes it doesn't last a lifetime. Yes it needs a lot of wood. Yes it's highly optimized. But guess what, IKEA is a business responding to the needs of people. The negatives that are mentioned frequently are merely a symptom of our ever faster developing society. The people who complain are the same ones that just buy cheap crap from china without even thinking ab…

I don't even think it is that cheap. It is better than the quality you get at most furniture stores for a lower price.

I don't buy the garbage at most furniture stores for the same reason. Real wood isn't that much more expensive and will last. Plenty of it to be found at the likes of goodwill for cheap.

Re: IKEA buys 11,000 acres of U.S. forest to keep it from being developed

#337

Post by paganel »

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #266
paganel wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not throwing furniture away every few years will seriously help solve the problem. Of course, that would mean fewer sales for companies like IKEA.

They already think the Western world has reached peak stuff: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/18/weve-hit-pe...

Of course they would say that.

And even if that were true, their prospective sales don't depend on the "Western" world only, not to say anything about the fact that equating "the Western world does not buy stuff anymore" with "the world doesn't buy stuff anymore" is peak orientalist (but this being standard corporate communication it does not surprise me).

Re: IKEA buys 11,000 acres of U.S. forest to keep it from being developed

#338

Post by jeffbee »

That's a pretty small forest by American standards but buying up forests or any kind of open land with the intent to spare them from being wrecked by another sprawling exurb is a great thing to do. Similar work has been done by various open space preservation funds and land trusts in California. As a climate strategy it's not really even about the forests, it's about the exurban Americans who are the greatest threat to the global climate.

Re: IKEA buys 11,000 acres of U.S. forest to keep it from being developed

#339

Post by violetgarden »

addicted wrote: post #301
chrisseaton wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's the junk food of furniture. Produced at scale with poor materials, satisfies people's immediate need, locations are functional and service is fast. But don't you want something more substantial and created with more craft? You probably don't need more than one adult bed in a lifetime, for example. I've got furniture that's been in use hundreds of years.

I don't think the junk food comparison is valid. IKEA design often deservedly wins awards, and their products are a great fit for many use cases that otehrs don't even cover. It's closer to fast casual than to junk food. More Shake Shack than McDonalds, but not a steakhouse.

I actually went to some high end furniture stores and was surprised that a lot of stuff on the floor was still IKEA quality. Maybe a slight step up, but a lot of it wasn’t solid wood. Additionally, a lot of it was a bit too fussy or looked like something my grandparents would like. When I went to IKEA, I was glad to see some simple furniture, as it suits my tastes.

Re: IKEA buys 11,000 acres of U.S. forest to keep it from being developed

#340

Post by sneak »

istjohn wrote: post #314
candu wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally, I dislike IKEA for registering as a non-profit, when they're very clearly not. To me, this belongs in the same bucket as any number of tax avoidance schemes that ensure wealthy individuals pay far lower tax rates than the average person, and that large corporations pay effectively nothing. If they're able to provide great customer service - well, good on them, but I'd much rather the public purse have the…

Wow, that is sketchy. Here's more info on IKEA's tax evasion scheme: https://www.fastcompany.com/3035734/ikea-is-a-nonprofit-and-...

avoidance != evasion
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