IKEA is a Happy Place for Adults

You probably know about the strange and wonderful things that happen at Walmart — but have you heard about what goes on at Ikea? If not, you’re in for a treat; IKEA sees just as many strange things as your local Walmart does. They just happen to fly a bit more under the radar!

Luckily, IKEA-goers aren’t shy about their antics and have been known to post their shenanigans on the Internet. You can find them on Reddit forums, social media like Facebook, and, of course, on Instagram.

Have we caught your attention yet? Great! Here are a few of the craziest things that have happened at one of the world’s most popular furniture stores.

Temporary Co-Worker

Being a temporary employee at a new place can be a daunting experience. Not only are you likely clueless about how things work, but you might also be suffering from a lack of motivation to learn the ways of the place simply because you know you won’t be sticking around forever. At a store as big as IKEA, there are thousands of things to learn.

Luckily, this temporary employee’s IKEA manager has a good sense of humor — and an understanding of how the mind of a temporary employee works. He doesn’t know how to handle hard questions, and the message is loud and clear.

Getting Cozy

For many families, a trip to IKEA is classified as a fun family outing. With so many regular visitors, a trip to the ever-popular furniture store can quickly become something that feels like returning to your second home. While Ikea employees want you to feel comfortable at their store, this probably isn’t exactly what they meant.

Regardless, this IKEA shopper has gotten nice and comfy within the store’s bedroom section. We can understand how this happened — the aesthetic of this section is super inviting and cozy – but we probably wouldn’t have gotten quite this comfortable.

Purely Functional

IKEA bags are known for how sturdy they are. They can carry surprisingly large amounts of heavy items – which is a good thing seeing as most shoppers don’t leave with less than two or three things! – but they also come in handy for a variety of other purposes both inside and outside of the store.

For example, this adorable doggie raincoat/leash combination! This dog’s crafty IKEA-shopping owner has transformed a basic shopping bag into an item to protect their pet from the elements. Honestly, the idea is genius! We wish we would have thought of it.

Return Stickers

IKEA employees have tough jobs. After all, it’s hard work containing all those bed-hopping, couch surfing, getting-too-comfy shoppers. That’s why the employees of this IKEA have come up with a great way to entertain themselves during the year.

At this store, employees save stickers from returned items and stick them onto a dedicated “Return It” ball. By the end of the year, the ball is covered in a year’s worth of return stickers. By the looks of it, this activity is more of a competition than a friendly act of team-work; the employee who sticks the most stickers gets unlimited bragging rights.

Casually Reading

It’s not uncommon to see IKEA shoppers stopping to take a break on one of the many beds, sofas, and chairs found within the store. It is, however, a bit rarer to find a pair of sharks kicking back and relaxing in the middle of the furniture section.

These sharks look right at home on this IKEA bed. They’ve gotten comfy enough to snuggle up and read a good book and have no cares in the world even though the rest of the store is probably a bit disturbed by their sudden appearance.

Watching The Game

When you pair an ultra-comfy IKEA bedroom setup with a high definition television and an exciting channel, what do you get? You get an entire family of sports fans catching the latest game highlights from the comfort of the IKEA furniture section.

If managers don’t approve of this scenario, they sure aren’t doing much to correct it. In fact, it seems like they’re making it as inviting as possible and then expecting passersby to have enough self-control to refrain from using the free TV coverage. Crazy, right?!

Who’s Hungry?

After a long day of browsing the aisles of IKEA, shoppers are bound to get hungry. Luckily, the store is accommodating, offering everything from kitchen tables to high chairs for guests to use at their leisure! This lion dad has taken full advantage of the available highchairs.

All jokes aside, this photo is pretty funny. The man here looks thrilled with his joke, and the general good vibe coming from his full-face grin is truly a contagious one. Looking at him, we’re almost convinced that he’s a real lion dad — almost.

Had Enough

This young man has obviously had enough. There’s only so much furniture building fun one can have the patience for in a single day and, with IKEA furniture, this limit is often reached rather quickly. We don’t know how long he’s been going at it, but we feel for him regardless.

Once he’s done, he’ll need a long nap but is likely to recover from his ordeal. With any luck, his dresser is worth all of the time and effort. It would be a shame to have to take it all apart after spending hours trying to put it together…

The Best Profile Picture

IKEA is good for more than buying expensive Swedish furniture and random kitchen utensils that you don’t really need and won’t use. As demonstrated here, the store is also a prime location for taking attractive photos of yourself for your online dating profile.

After a series of failed right swipes, this online dater has realized that a carefully coordinated, well-put-together room is much more attractive than the spare room of his home. So, he posed in front of a classy IKEA setup, snapped a few photos, and stood back to let the matches flow in.

A Mind-Boggling Idea

Looking at this photo, it’s not overly obvious that it was taken in an IKEA. Why? Because the first thing our eyes are drawn to is the brightly colored tentacle-like toilet brushes that have been stuck to this shopper’s head.

The way that they have been arranged reminds us of those funny memes where the character gets a brilliant idea, and a light bulb appears above their head. It also, unsurprisingly, kind of reminds us of every alien movie we’ve ever seen.

Privacy, please!

IKEA stores are set up in such a way that you’d almost be shocked to know that they don’t offer any privacy. This is for a good reason, of course — no one wants to deal with anyone doing anything inappropriate on an IKEA bed or sofa. But the IKEA toilets? Apparently they follow a different set of privacy rules.

This woman seems shocked that her quiet time in the IKEA bathroom section has been disturbed! She’s very unsettled by the looks of things and, even though we know she’s just being funny, the idea of being caught using the toilet in an IKEA store is enough to make us cringe.

Named In True IKEA Fashion

If there’s anything that IKEA is known for aside from its incredibly finicky furniture assembly, it’s its side-splitting product names. The words are Swedish so they would be pronounced differently than most English speakers read them, but that doesn’t stop them from being hilarious.

If you read these IKEA names out loud slowly, you can probably come up with an English name that is, well, not appropriate for all ears. Again, if we took the time to pronounce them correctly, they’d sound entirely different — but then they wouldn’t be as funny, either.

Never A Dull Moment

IKEA employees are, essentially, people employed at a massive playground for adults — and boy do they know how to have a good time! You’ll catch IKEA employees doing a variety of funny things, but this one is one of many that really caught our attention.

When setting up this display, a talented employee created two very distinct scenes with wooden dolls. On the top shelf, an awkward middle school dance and the bottom shelf, a high-speed zombie chase fit for a Rob Zombie movie.

Buying The Display

Have you ever tried to purchase the display shelf at a local Walmart? Or the wooden table at the furniture store so that you don’t have to put it together at home? No? Oh, okay — maybe that’s just us then.

Just kidding! Although, there have definitely been IKEA shoppers who tried to skip the entire process of assembling their new furniture by purchasing the pre-assembled display pieces. While this idea sounds good, the employees just won’t let you get away with it, unfortunately.

Only For Display

There must be something incredibly tempting about display toilets that make shoppers want to use them as their own personal thrones. While we can’t see the appeal and would much rather just make our way to the designated public restroom, some people prefer convenience.

These people are the same people who need to be reminded that display toilets are just that — display toilets. They’re not mean to be used; if you need to use the restroom, please make your way to a functional bathroom and working sink.

Too Big for Comfort

If you’ve ever been to IKEA, you know how easy it is to get carried away. After a few minutes of shopping, you can quickly end up with a cart full of large, bulky furniture items and accessories. No problem — you have just the perfect spot for them.

But how will you get them home? If you drive a truck, you have no worries. If you’re the proud driver of a car, though, you could have a bit of a problem on your hands. These girls know this problem all too well, as you can see by the photo above.

Unhelpful Employees

So, you’re in IKEA. You’re standing in front of a bathroom set, admiring the gorgeous marble sink, and trying to figure out which color of hand towels would go best with it. You’re almost sure that you’ll buy it. But wait — what if you added those funky shower curtains to your purchase, too?

If an employee were to come up to you as you stood there, you’d lose your train of thought. Due to this, it’s possible that you’d end up passing on the curtains you just thought of; this is why employees don’t and won’t approach you, asking if you need help.

Music Video Makeover

Like many chain stores, IKEAs have their fair share of unique customers. With them, they bring very interesting situations; situations that you might say are photo-worthy and not likely to be forgotten by witnesses. A case like this one, perhaps?

Here, we have a man in his local IKEA. He’s in the process of creating a cover of a popular music video by artist Sia. He’s dressed in full glam attire and sporting a spunky pose amidst the pieces of assembled furniture and shelves. Interesting indeed.

Happily Ever After In IKEA

Weddings are an exciting thing. They mean the union of two families, two lives, and a partner for the rest of time. They also mean that it’s time to decide on a wedding venue and a reception location that both parties enjoy — ouch! Talk about the first hurdle.

To make their decision easier, this couple choose to take their reception photos at their local IKEA. This way, they can take their pictures in different locations around the store; they’re sure to find areas that they can agree on with so many different bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens laid out around them.

Letting It All Hang Out

One of the many things you don’t expect to see in a store is a naked woman. So it’s safe to say that the everyday IKEA shopper wouldn’t expect to see a woman, minus her clothes, on the escalator and going about her shopping like nothing was unusual about her lack of clothing.

For the rest of the shoppers around her, though, she sticks out like a sore thumb. Looking at this photo, it’s hard not to imagine parents covering their children’s eyes and general passersby having to do a double-take to make sure that their eyes aren’t playing tricks on them.

Big Bad Wolf Ate Grandma

Everyone knows the story of Little Red Riding Hood: a girl goes out into the woods with a basket of goodies to bring to her grandmother, and while she’s on her journey, the Big Bad Wolf sneaks into Grandma’s home and gets cozy in her bed and nightclothes.

Some versions of the story say that grandma is perfectly safe and sound, simply locked in the hall closet and terrified but otherwise unharmed. Others go along with the scene that has been depicted here, in an IKEA of all places.

Not Your Average Grandpa

This grandpa isn’t your average grandpa — he’s an IKEA grandpa. Classified by his spontaneous laughter and bursts of energy, this type of Grandpa has a love of fun and a zest for life. He’s everyone’s favorite type of customer.

His granddaughter? The ideal sidekick. Together, they make the perfect team for a day of furniture shopping and fun at the local IKEA. Let’s just hope that this iconic duo had a chaperone to keep them both under control and out of mischief!

Adventure Time

Almost every trip to IKEA warrants at least one sighting of grown adults having a blast, goofing around, and channeling their inner child — and this trip was no exception to the rule. These three friends made the most of their shopping trip in the best way, with selfies to prove it.

The group is clearly having the time of their lives, posing in various locations within the store, and playing a game of pretend where one friend is a waiter and the other important diners worthy of being waited on. We have to applaud them for their creativity here. Two thumbs up, guys!

I Spy

I spy with my little eye…something that doesn’t belong in that pile of teddy bears. We wish we could give you a hint, but there’s nothing that wouldn’t give it away. Plus, finding it on your own is better anyways.

Found it yet? If so, you’re well aware that there’s a human being hiding among the teddy bears! It was probably pretty easy to get in there, but getting out of that display is almost certainly going to be another matter altogether.

IKEA Aftermath

If you’ve ever gone home after a trip to IKEA in a position that resembles these, you probably agree that vehicles aren’t made big enough to support the great prices and constant deals. A trip like this might make you want to avoid going to IKEA — in fact, you might even have sworn never to step foot in that store again.

But let’s be real here; we all know that the force is too strong and, alas, you will end up spending too much money on home goods and furniture in the near future. We might as well just accept it at this point.

Stuck

Since IKEA sees so many fun-loving customers and provides them with such great hiding places, it’s probably safe to assume that employees have had to stage rescue missions for customers in more than a few instances. No, you won’t get stuck sitting at the kitchen table set or laying on the beds, but you can get stuck if you’re gutsy enough to climb into the large bins of children’s toys.

This man is one of those gutsy people, and, as we see here, he looks like he’s gotten himself into a bit of a pickle. You might even say that he’s in a bit of a tight spot (both literally and figuratively speaking!).

Challenge Accepted

It’s pretty amazing how strong two-year-olds can be. When they’re angry, it’s like the suddenly transform into a grizzly bear or the Hulk or something else with equally as much strength. It’s also surprising how easily they can break things.

That’s why IKEA has apparently made their adorable panda bears “tougher than your two-year-old.” These cute bears, which can be found in the kid’s section, can stand up to the brute force of an angry toddler with ease. No more heads flying off or stuffing coming out — whew! What a relief.

Hide and Seek

It’s unclear whether this man was engaged in an epic game of hide and seek or whether he was trying to hide from someone for some other reason. Maybe he was hoping to hide from his girlfriend, who, yet again, wanted his opinion on a shelf that they didn’t need? It would be a good idea to avoid that conversation if we were him.

Either way, his hiding spot was clearly foiled by whoever took this picture. It would have been a good spot had he not decided to stick his head out to check if the coast was clear, but curiosity got the better of him as it often does.

Will It Fit?

“Will it fit?” is always the first question IKEA shoppers ask after making a purchase. Why? It’s simple — because most of the items in IKEA come in extremely large boxes, or are very large in general. Packing the car after an IKEA haul has been compared to playing Tetris more than once.

As long as the item fits, someway and somehow, you’re good to go, right? Pretty much! Like these shoppers, many of us take pride in how we stuff our vehicles with our finds. Comfort be damned for the purpose of gaining a brand new bedside table!

Hedgehog Hunting

Walking through IKEA, it’s unlikely that you’ve ever noticed the small animals stuck on the walls. If you look, you’ll find cats, mice, and other cute creatures — including hedgehogs! One of the best things to do in IKEA, as shown in the photo below, is hunting for hedgehogs.

You can spend hours looking at the bottom of the walls in search of these prickly animals, only to realize that you’ve managed to miss some along the way. Do you start over? We wouldn’t! That’s way too much work.

A Little Bit Crowded

Here we have another excellent example of what happens when you go shopping at IKEA. The intention behind this photo was never to wind up enduring the ride home hunched over and squished by the front seat, but, of course, that’s what happened.

Luckily, the passenger is the one squished. We’d hate to see what would happen if the driver had been forced to sit like this. Imagine how hard it would be to stay focused! Not to mention how dangerous the entire ordeal would be.

Big A*s Fans

The running joke behind the donkey is that it can be called by another name. We won’t say the name here for the sake of keeping this list item family-friendly, but if you’re an adult, you know what we’re talking about.

IKEA, like this post, is a family-friendly area. So, why on earth are the ceiling fans that are used called “Big A*s Fans”? We’re just as curious as you are! We must admit, though, we’ve never noticed this small detail, so maybe that’s why the store hasn’t bothered to hide it. It’s essentially hiding in plain sight.

Sit Tight

IKEA is a maze, and when you need to go to the bathroom, trying to round up your children can be the thing that very nearly makes you have to change your pants. Then, when you’re in there, keeping your child from making a massive mess with toilet paper is yet another bathroom-related challenge.

How to combat this problem? This handy dandy IKEA bathroom seat! It’s almost like IKEA knows how hard it is to contain children while you use the bathroom — and maybe they do. After all, there are bound to be a handful of employees with children of their own.

Work of Art

Feeling tired? A bit uninspired? No worries! IKEA has you covered. You can always take a break in the kid’s section. This woman must have been hit with the classic IKEA fatigue and decided that exploring her creative side was an excellent way to get the energy flowing again.

It’s great that she’s getting creative, but it’s hard not to wonder why she decided that she should draw Jigsaw from the popular Saw movies. Maybe she’s a horror fan, or perhaps she’s just trying to terrify the other adult-aged children roaming around the children’s section? Who knows.

Multipurpose Tools

Swedish home goods designers know how to make the most of products. IKEA, in particular, is known for its collection of simple, highly-efficient homewares. If there’s a way that an item can be made simpler, IKEA will find it.

That fact is evident when you look at this photo. Is it a plunger, or is it a toilet brush? Thanks to IKEA, it’s both! The idea is definitely creative, but the execution could use some work — we can see some pretty messy bathroom disasters happening while using this thing.

Unhelpful Arrows

One of the best things about IKEA is its helpful arrows. They are there to direct confused shoppers around the store and to ensure that no one gets lost among the stacks of products and various store sections. We’ve all used the arrows at least once.

But, hopefully, you never used the arrows in this store. Here, someone thought they’d be funny and place fake arrows that took visitors to random places and intentionally got them lost. Don’t worry — police promptly arrested this man.

A Classic Event At IKEA

Ah, to be coupled up — what a beautiful thing! You have someone to cook with, relax with, and to take shopping for home furnishings. What could be better? Well, as it turns out, there are many things better than IKEA shopping with your partner.

As noted here, many fights happen between couples while wandering the aisles of IKEA. Usually, it’s just a matter of differing opinions on color or price, but there are also the occasional ” yes, but do we really need that?” fights.

I’m A Dishwasher

Who said that shopping at IKEA can’t be funny? Certainly not us! Because, in our opinion, this IKEA photo is pretty darn amusing. The woman pictured here works as a dishwasher, and the cabinetry she’s posing in front of has space for a dishwasher.

What makes it even better, though, is the statement written across the front of the dishwasher: “I’m a dishwasher.” “No way, me too!” thought the woman as she posed to take a photo for her Instagram feed. Talk about a match made in heaven!

Tired Tots

It’s not unusual to see entire families shopping the day away at IKEA. Most of the family can handle all the excitement, but for the littlest members, the array of options can be utterly exhausting. The good thing is that kids can fall asleep almost anywhere.

This tiny shopper reached her limit and, as kids do, fell asleep sitting up. Thankfully, the IKEA shopping cart has wide handlebars that are perfect for forehead resting. All she needs is a quick power nap, and she’ll be good as new. By the way, where is her other shoe?

Pony Ride

This pony has taken residence in IKEA. Why? We don’t know. How it got there? We still don’t know. In fact, no one knows anything about this massive pony other than it looks like a fantastic prop for this woman’s Instagram photos.

Although her photo is definitely great, the most impressive thing about this is how she somehow managed to climb onto the horse. It looks to be taller than 6-feet and would have been nearly impossible to scale — not to mention get down from!

Subscribe

When it comes to self-promotion, YouTubers aren’t shy. They’ll do just about anything to get people to subscribe to their channel, which, of course, includes blatant self-promotion. But what if they had subscribers who would do the promoting for them?

Apparently, some YouTubers already do! Here, we have a promotion for popular YouTube celebrity PewdiePie. Using what looks like blocks, someone has created a PewdiePie promotion worthy of a place on our list of crazy things that happen in IKEA. Here’s hoping that he appreciates this fan’s effort!

Giant Cinnamon Buns

Yum! Check out those cinnamon buns. Seriously, how could you miss them when this IKEA has them hanging above your head and so large that they look like they could swallow you? We’d prefer to be swallowing them instead.

What makes this cinnamon bun ad funny is that whoever made it felt the need to specify that no, the cinnamon buns aren’t actually that big. This, while unfortunate, is something that could be figured out using a bit of common sense.

Monkey Business

Yes — IKEA has launched a line of animal beds and cozy hiding places. However, bringing your furry friends with you to choose their beds is still highly frowned upon by managers. If you do decide to bring them, they should probably just wait in the car.

As much as managers want you to bring the whole family, there are certain rules that need to be followed. One of them being that pets -furry, scaled, or aquatic – are not allowed in the store. Unfortunately, that means that this monkey had very quickly outstayed his welcome.

IKEA Fashion

We’re definitely impressed with this photo. The man in it has taken his love for IKEA to the next level, going as far as to create a unique outfit from those classic blue shopping bags that everyone throws away. He has simultaneously managed to save the planet and showcase his creativity.

Since he already had his shirt and a bag, all he needs now is a pair of pants. Who knows — maybe that’ll be his next project! Or perhaps he’s already in the process of creating a pair of plastic IKEA shoes. Either way, we can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

Nap Attack

Even if it’s true that IKEA is the best place on Earth, it’s also true that it’s absolutely exhausting. Cruising the aisles alongside hundreds of other overly-excited furniture lovers is trying for even the most dedicated IKEA fans and, quite frankly? We can’t handle it often.

By the looks of things, this guy had had enough, too. He was overtaken by a mid-shop nap attack that forced him to try out one of the store’s many beds. He looks like he’s having a great sleep, so that bed should get a 5-star review on the website.