When we moved house a couple of
weeks ago, like so many people we chose to travel into a lovely
industrial estate and brave the crush of IKEA (on a weekend no less) in
order to collect a few cheap pieces of furniture.
At least we did try a range of second-hand shops first, but no dice. We
ended up with a pleasant enough dresser and desk chair, and weren't
sucked into purchasing too many fripperies. We were witness to only one
instance of IKEA RAGE on this occasion (it's so charming to hear a fellow american shouting "How Dare You" at full volume in a crowded environment).
But now we thank our lucky stars we didn't wait until IKEA opened a
store a little closer to home. Perhaps best described in IKEA's own
press release, which begins
"At 00.42am on Thursday 10th
February 2005, the new IKEA Edmonton store
outside London in the United Kingdom closed after several people were
tragically injured during the midnight opening event. The ongoing
celebrations were cancelled, and the store will remain closed until
further notice."
The
Guardian article
adds additional details including the brandishing
of wooden mallets, while the
SUN (sorry, this link has now expired) calls it the "Battle of Ikea" and
includes DRAMATIC PHOTOS FROM THE SCENE (including one image (caption: "
Terrified
... a toddler is lifted over people's heads to escape the crush") which
reminded me a little too much of Michael Jackson dangling "Blanket"
over the balcony.
All the fuss about the IKEA riot has totally distracted the press from
the news of the upcoming marriage between Prince Charles and Camilla
Parker Bowles, which to date has received only a single mention in the
press. I am pleased to see the UK press are finally over their obsession with the royals.