IKEA to charge £1 parking fee at its new Edmonton store

[Mary Fisher]

Do you think it's different in all the other countries Ikea has stores in? There are very many ...

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHOP THERE ...

This is a DIY ng. Make your own stuff.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

[Mary Fisher]

You seem to want to shop at Ikea.

At the moment one store is planning parking charges.

If more do it youll hve to go somewhere else.

Problem solved.

I suspect that enough people will be prepared to pay the small price for parking to shop there and you'll be in a minority. It's not comparble with M&S, they don't, as far as I know, charge anywhere to park. Even if when they have car parks.

Mary

[T i m]

No, (IMHO) not under the 'Mimzer' heading. These would probably be considered 'Chavs', along with those with strip lights underneath their car, LED's in the washer jets and a 6KW amp in the boot. One prime example couldn't work out how to get a heavy duty (un-fused) cable from the battery to the amp so rather than going through the bulkhead he came out the side of the bonnet and back in through the front door jam? He's obviously never seen a car battery shorted out?

LOL! I think you could be right!

I think they must have developed subtle an 'urgency' sensor. If it reads 10 (because you have a deadline) they all jump into action. If only a 1 or 2 (because you have left an hour earlier than needed to avoid them) they stay put?

All the best ..

T i m

p.s. Mind you, I find similar as a pedestrian .. because at 6'2" with legs to match I cover ground fairly quickly I am rarely holding anyone up. As a driver / motorcyclist I check over my shoulder before I change direction. I also look before I pull out of a shop onto the pavement (unlike many folk who walk straight in front of me, often to their cost ..) ;-(

[T i m]

Indeed, but, most drivers exhibit 'body language' with their vehicles with speed, positioning, indicators, eye contact etc. These 'tools' are missing from the Mimzers toolbox removing from their fellow road users any warning re their intention. In fact they often throw in misleading information to put us off our guard. Luckily this in itself can be sufficient a clue to the wize to keep away!

One tried that in our 20 zone .. got it all wrong flipped the car and slid 200 yards up the high street on their roof before coming to a halt through two glass telephone boxes. Luckily no-one was hurt!

I'm not surprised .. I bet you see them all outside smoking as well ?

I should?

You're not forced to do

I am .. to endure their incompetence and total lack of consideration?

Better to be late than dead.

Isn't that the same thing .. As in 'the Late Arthur Dent' ?

I've stopped being frustrated on the

It is indeed .. however, if someone wants to get past me, firstly .

1) I am quickly aware they are there.

2) Allow them past at the first safe opportunity (I demonstrate the passive offer by my road positioning / speed).

Neither are offered to other drivers by 'Mimzers'.

Also I follow the guidelines offered by the Highway Code re lane discipline etc .. not sure Mimzers have even seen the book ..

All the best ..

T i m

[Mary Fisher]

You think they do it deliberately rather than from a sense of self preservation?

No, I do see them smoking in their cars - and/or using mobile phones ... the office doors aren't in sight, not that I'd bother looking.

No, tim, I expect more of you :-)

Ha ha.

If you're given a chance.

I'm getting another idea of mimzers ...

How many non-mimzers have?

I have them going back to when signals were made by a whip ... but few people seem to know what's meant by any version of the Highway Code :-(

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

I'm becoming suspicious that you're all paranoid!

Mary

[Frank Erskine]

Hear hear Mary! Surely no DIYers would ever consider shopping at IKEA as "d-i-y", unless "d-i-y" nowadays means TV-style "makeovers".

Regards -

[T i m]

Maybe we are ... ;-)

Funny though, although I generally do what's right for me I also am aware I share this world with many others who also have rights / needs etc.

I wonder just how many mimsers out there actually *think* "oh he's kindly let me out so now I will get on with it and not hold him up" ?

If anyone shows me any common courtesy on the road I make sure I thank them for their consideration with a quick flick of the headlights (not to code I know but in the right circumstances) or nod or wave etc.

For some, the task of 'driving' takes up 100% of their concentration, leaving nothing spare for awareness / observation etc.

Others (and equally dangerous) are those who only apply 20% concentration on the actual driving and give higher priority to tuning the radio or chatting to their passenger ..

IMO the process of 'driving' for the two clesses above is merely a means to an end (I don't mean transport as that's all vehicles are for but the act of driving itself).

Luckily the majority of us still demonstrate the skills needed to exist on todays busy highways and stay 'engaged' with the driver / vehicle thing and make it something we do with due consideration?

I'm no advancer driver or whatever but being pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist, car, car-trailer driver am at least aware of the needs of other road users. Some seem to turn on their cars and turn off their brains (although some may question if they had their brains on in the first place)?

All the best ..

T i m

[T i m]

No, not deliberatly as in 'I'll get in his way' (and that is part of the problem) but more 'I'm not aware of anyone around me or the written (and unwritten) rules the rest of the world applies" ?

Bless ;-) The point is I generally 'engure' it. You wil rarely find me using the car, horn, lights or gestures agressivly .. I may mutter to myself like the "wtf are you doing now" sort of thing but now that onece I have got past one I'll quickly come up against another. Like dropping litter it only works because enough of us *don't* do it?

Good .. they are a distinct breed, never seem to learn, adapt or improve (because of their insular attitude) and shouldn't be allowed on the public highway during rush hours and the weekend. (Why do retired folk go to garden centers on a Sunday when they could go when it's quiet during the week and the rest of the world is at work?)

Em, None ;-)

Classic examples of this can be seen every day on a couple of roundabouts near us. Folk entering the roundabout on the outside lane to take the first exit, cutting across traffic in the left hand lane going straight ahead. Nice ;-(

All the best ..

T i m

[T i m]

I think it often does Frank .. I have heard many folk saying 'he built the kitchen' when they mean they assembled a few flatpacks? I dug the floor and put a new one in, removed a chimney breast and made good, ran new wiring, plumbing, gas (this was a few years ago now), replaced the L&P ceiling *then* assembled the cupboards from flat pack because they were cheaper to buy than build even then?

But many things are going this way today .. many RC models are only available now "Ready to Run", electronics mags / projects are few and far between and who builds their own Hi-Fi amps or speaker enclosures any more (it's simply not cost effective for non 'custom' stuff any more) ;-(

Brewing beer, making candles or even prepairing dinner from basic ingredients are becoming things of the past in this fast pace consumer world.

Fixing your own car is getting more and more difficult with all the complicated electronics involved in vehicles these days (and regulations). Unles you maintain older simpler vehicles and / or don't do many miles (as we do) ;-)

I (hope) I've saved £250 by repairing my washing machine yesterday (with help from the good folk of this list), I'm going to have a go at a 5yr old 28" Wide screen TV that has an intermittent fault that a mate was about to throw away and our video needs a quick plastic worm drive change to get that running again.. If I manage to get these things working I will have easily saved the equivalent of a months (or more) wages for many folk? (but that's not what it's all about).

Do it / repair it yourself .. 'yes', where practical .. ;-)

All the best ..

T i m

[Roger]

The message from T i m contains these words:

I'm not sure I distinguish between mimsers as such and anyone else who drives painfully slowly. What is instructive is watching from behind how slow drivers behave at junctions. They won't go at the first opportunity or even the second and when they do go they will have let several seconds (or more) pass before pulling out almost under the nose of the poor sod who has the right of way. I am inclined to think that their basic problem is not so much lack of attention as an incredibly slow reaction time. This ties in with another observation I have made over the years - noone ever admits to driving slower than what they consider a safe speed. This turns anyone faster into a dangerous criminal who must be obstructed at all costs even if it means shutting the door on them and condemning the slow driver at the head of the queue coming the other way to as certain a fate as the dastardly overtaker for whom there can be no mercy. And endless government propaganda in the form of - speed kills (anything else but drink driving is acceptable) - does nothing to raise driving standards.

[MM]

What, pray, am I doing if not DIY by assembling flatpacks? The flatpack in its cardboard box is utterly useless. But if I get the bits out and screw them together, voila! A unit, a table, a bookcase, a bed! NOT doing DIY would be to fetch the flatpack, then employ a minion to assemble it.

MM

[MM]

Of course! Time was once when those new to the craft of making things would first make their jackplane. I think we've moved on from that era. DIY nowadays is *very largely* installing stuff that has already been made in a factory. Think of those vertical shelf support rails that take the arms which hook into the slots: Imagine if you had to replicate that little lot in metal or wood! What about readymixed concrete? So much easier than mixing it yourself. How about the decking kits you can get from B&Q? If we lived on a desert island, not an awful lot of DIY would get done, as we would have neither the tools, nor the materials to buy.

MM

[MM]

Quoi?

MM

[MM]

I was talking about the general attitude towards customers. M&S used to have this holier-than-thou attitude which, they thought, guaranteed them massive profits no matter what. The customer was kind of a subservient 'extra'. Who did not up their received pronounciation when shopping in M&S? But you'd never have done it at Woolworth's.

IKEA now believe they have cornered the market in well-designed, cheap furniture, even though their stores are so few and far between that it is impossible for many to shop there. But the very worst thing they could do is (a) charge for credit cards when practically no other outlet does so, or (b) charge for parking (and a whole pound into the bargain!) when no other IKEA store does so. You must have seen elsewhere the story about the IKEA customer who paid £800 in cash. Many people ARE willing to make a point.

Sooner or later, a rival chain will set up shop, simply copying the IKEA principle. MFI could do it. They have stores everywhere. Their designs are, mainly, crap, but with a few new people in their design department they could easily increase their quality and design. You can bet that right now there are venture capitalists out there seeing just how much IKEA makes with so few stores and thinking, we could get a slice of that pie. All you'd need is an IKEA look-a-like that sold stuff on line. That's for starters. Why should I be required to drive miles and miles to buy a bookcase? I can order a book from Amazon and have it delivered the next day.

MM

[Steve Firth]

Not true, there's a huge Ikea by the side of the A14. Sadly of course it's not a store.

[Mary Fisher]

WHAT? Are you saying that's what you did?

No, because I never shopped at Woolworth. Nor M&S. If I did I wouldn't have changed the way I speak. That's not being true to ones self. It reminds me of people who don't bother checking spelling and grammar in informal e-mails when they would in a job application.

Would you rather it was 99p?

The poster who paid cash didn't leave and go elsewhere ... he told us the story because it was amusing, I thought. You're using a lot of energy and time tilting against the Ikea windmill ...

Hmm, I've seen it said here that not enough people complain ...

They didn't when they had the opportunity ... well, they didn't succeed like Ikea has done.

And those designers would have to be paid more and prices would rise perhaps.

You don't. You could buy the timber and make it yourself. The reason you drive to the store (or go on public transport) is so that you can see and feel and touch the assembled item. You can't do that on-line.

Or perhaps you can. Are there any such websites?

I don't think that's comparable. If you do it means that the look and feel of your bookcase isn't so important, in which case you can use piles of bricks with planks between to hold your Amazon purchases. It was very trendy in the '60s, perhaps it will become fashionable again. You could be a trendsetter - retro is in, isn't it?

:-)

Mary

[T i m]

Yep, you can never tell what the thing is supposed to be from the box or instructions can you! ;-)

All the best ..

T i m