IKEA visit

I had my most pleasant visit yesterday to IKEA. Even though I like this store for many things, it can make you grind your teeth to be there with half of the San Francisco Bay Area. I was coming home from my last visit as part of a clinical study for a new implanted hearing aid that will come on the market in April of 2012. The overpass went right pass the store and I said: I am going to stop. I had no list and no measurements with me . They were all at home.


I made a bee-line for the cafeteria because I was starved. The people in front of me had a catalog and through hand signals (Chinese speaking?) they showed me where I could get one also. There were only about 10 of us in the dining area. Sweet. I was also the only caucasian person. Half the people were Asian. IKEA may be doing more for diversity in the USA than all the laws combined. I always have the Swedish meatballs even though I like my own recipe much better. I add minced onions to give them ZIP.


The clinical study has given me gift certificates each visit to compensate for travel costs and since my birthday is next Monday I decided I would treat myself . With no agenda in mind it was really fun. And the store was not crowded on a Tuesday afternoon.


One of the things I do not like about American capitalism is that no one even thinks about whether we NEED the item. We end up with 100 brands of toothpaste (documented), which is really a waste of effort. I have been with Pepsodent for decades. Having too many choices becomes a stress in my life as having too few choices would also do the same. 


I have never felt that stress before at IKEA until I started looking for one thing that I knew was on my list. A duvet cover for my down quilt.  It costs a fortune to have my big down quilt to be washed at the cleaners and I finally decided I really needed a duvet cover. There were so many choices I thought I had died and gone to toothpaste hell. The cheapest was 14.99 and it was nice. But I am not a flowery type of lady. Give me plaid or solid or stripes over flowers any day.  Don't get me wrong. I adore getting real flowers. Just not wearing them.


This is what I finally decided on. I like it. It is folksy. It has so many colors one cannot go wrong.  And it is so soft.

The one I liked the best in the catalog was the most expensive. Duhhh. But when I was able to feel them in real time, it was not as soft as I wanted it to be. If I am going to put a cover between me and that luscious quilt, I want it to feel like the quilt. 

I plan on getting a second one soon for the other down quilt so I can make the bed up "Scandanavian' style. So if you come and visit me next year you know what the two down quilts will look like. ;-)