'There is NO we. You don't live with me!': 15+ public meltdowns from entitled IKEA customers

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Apr 4, 2024 4:00 PM EDT

Going to an IKEA is the kind of experience where if you yourself don't get into an argument with your roommate, partner, or family member, then someone else is bound to do it. 

With this in mind, let's all take a moment to acknowledge the amount of nonsensical garbage that IKEA employees around the world have to put up with when it comes to disgruntled couples, entitled Karens, and misbehaving kids. If the following list of anecdotes from this r/AskReddit thread serve as any indication, then it's clear that IKEA employees have pretty much seen it all. 

I've only had the overwhelming IKEA experience once as a freshman in college and distinctly remember being surrounded by at least 15 other embarrassed and temperamental freshmen who were arguing with their parents. Many would find the setting to be tense and unbearable, whereas I couldn't help but see the humor in it. After all, rarely in public settings do you see so many people lose their minds and undergo an existential crisis the minute they walk through the door. 

Keep scrolling below for these stories. For more content like this, check out this list of top mildly infuriating moments.

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  • 01
    "They started arguing and one of them called the other woman a cow" 05-03-20
    via Tommao Wang
  • 02
    r/AskReddit - Posted by u/shroudedlynx Employees of IKEA, what are some of the worst family meltdowns you have seen?
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 03
    IMeanIDontEvenKnow. This was my Ikea family meltdown. My then boyfriend and I were getting our own place just after college. Until then, we had both been using twin beds thanks to student living spaces and sharing a single twin was proving uncomfortable for two adult humans subjected to California summer temperatures. To fix this issue, off to Ikea we went.
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 04
    Things start off ok. We start with lunch, admire the living room couches, move into kitchen wares. All so far enjoyable fantasy. And then we reach our destination, bedrooms. A sea of beds in a variety of price points greet us with brightly colored duvets. An experienced furniture purchaser I start scanning the price tags to narrow the options. I bring him to an attractive affordable model I think matches some of our bookcases. And this is where the trouble starts.
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 05
    See up until now, I didn't realize exactly how bad this man's fear of decision making was. He stares at the bed incomprehensibly for literal minutes, refusing to talk about it. Eventually it is discovered that buying a bed means committing to delaying graduate school, never moving to the east coast, and having children with me. I don't understand that logic and request explanation which is slowly and tearfully given.
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 06
    We spent three hours in that Ikea and left with nothing. About a month later we went back and again after several hours bought that exact bed. He never went to grad school or moved to the east coast. We also did not have children and broke up a few years later. He took the bed. 31.9k Share
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 07
    SuzQP Overheard two young women trying to agree on a dining table. One of them said, "This table screams, 'I just got out of prison and I need a table.'" 23.4k Share
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 08
    Adamant_Scimitar · I work in Ikea food. I had one guy claim that he was a "big guy" and wanted me to put extra food on his plate after I made the plate. I explained that I can't as we have to stick to a portion size and that he could add a side plate for 1.99. He then yelled that we are all cheapskates, stormed off to his family, brought all the plates of food that we made for them and told us that he is going to bring his family somewhere good. 18.1k Share
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 09
    kiki112 I'm a cashier! There was a bratty teenager and her mom about to pay for their over $1000 transaction and the mom suddenly said "You know what? This girl here doesn't deserve any of this. Put it all back." I've never seen a teenager completely lose it until that shift. I feel bad for my co worker who had to do my go backs. 17.9k Share
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 10
    luckyvb I was once shopping at Ikea and noticed a couple with the guy just having the complete look of apathy and distraction while being berated by his wife. The volume was fairly low until they got to the bedroom department and she specifically said
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 11
    'I'm thinking of buying new sheets but I might as well not cause I don't wanna buy sheets just so you can that HR in them. I hope you realize I'm just staying with your cheating until the kids are grown up.' I was so distraught I went for Köttbullar to calm myself. Edit: Put fancy symbols on the O of Köttbullar. Now gimme my complementary Swedish bride. I earned it! Edit: fine, I'll take nudes as a consolation prize in my inbox too... *sigh* 16.6k Share ...
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 12
    [deleted] not a meltdown but I saw a mother let her child take a in the display toilet in one of the display washrooms. 14.6k Share
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 13
    Columbusy Seen a dude in the car park of the Newcastle IKEA Cram a load of furniture into his Ford Focus, wife stood next to him SCREAMING at how much of an idiot he is for buying so much, how they aren't going to fit in the car now, and how he is putting all this furniture together alone because it's his " stupid we don't need" Husband replies, "no you won't fit in the car now" and drives off 13.4k Share
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 14
    [deleted] ⚫ My bf and I overheard while browsing in Ikea a couple having some sort of miscommunication in their "relationship". I guess they were deciding on things to buy. The girl says "we should get that rug" in which the guy replies to her super loud - "there is NO we, you don't live with me!" I didn't catch the rest of it as we had to walk away so they wouldn't hear us laughing so hard. 11.6k Share ...
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 15
    shizzlingmanizzling I used to work in IKEA in my student days, the Glasgow, Scotland store. When it was newly opened an elderly Irish guy and his wife stopped me and asked where IKEA was, I explained that they were in IKEA and they couldn't understand. They had arrived at the ferry port in Ireland that morning and decided that they'd go on a day trip to somewhere they hadn't been before. When they arrived at the port in Scotland there was a dedicated 'IKEA' bus. They thought IKEA was an actual p
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 16
    TA704. I used to work at IKEA and have so many stories from there. I think a memorable one wasn't a family fighting, but it was 2 women fighting over my service. I was helping one customer and it was a super busy weekend, so I'm sure all the employees were pretty busy. As I was helping her, another woman came up and interrupted us. They started arguing and one of them called the other woman a cow. 10.2k Share
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 17
    balexig I work at a massive IKEA store in Australia. For a lot of people it's their first time in Ikea, so by the time they get to my section they start to panic because they aren't used to the maze-like layout. There are a lot of breakdowns. Usually small children who want to go home (seriously theres so many parent wondering around with their 5 year olds at 9pm on a school night. Go home!!)
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 18
    Anyway, the most memorable breakdown I dealt with was when I was working in Home Organisation. This man marched up to me, phone in hand and family in tow. He wants to buy a certain clothes rack but he can't find it ANYWHERE in this STUPID STORE. Alright mate, I'm happy to help you out. (although I'm not liking the attitude) he shows me a picture on his phone. A screenshot from a website with no context. I haven't seen that clothes rack before. Either it's very new, very old, or not something tha
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 19
    I ask if he knows the name of it. "no that's YOUR job." He's getting even more worked up now. But I can't search with just an image. I check our store's website and I can't find the clothes rack anywhere. I ask if he was sure he looked at (store location) 's website specifically (not all Ikea's stock the same stuff. Shocking I know.) immediately I can tell he feels insulted. OF COURSE HE LOOKED AT THE RIGHT WEBSITE. I activate dumb salesgirl mode and ask him to show me.
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 20
    He pulls up the website, and there is the clothes rack. Quite clearly on Target.com.au. He notices and storms off wordlessly. I got immense pleasure watching him get lost and do a couple loops through the store before finding the exit. 10.0k Share
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 21
    Minden Machine ⚫ Two words. Black Friday. It was 9:55, we open at 10. We were almost done, all that we had left to do was put out some children's kitchen set. What we didn't realize was that it was 50% off. I only had two pallets left to put out when the store opens and the horde came.
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 22
    They were crazy. Sprinting, pushing and shoving. They fought to get to these kitchens and when they noticed my pallets, they tore them open and took it. Eventually one woman started screaming and attacked the guy who took the last one off of the pallet, not noticing the the two full pallets. I had to pull her off him and security came. After about 10 minutes the chaos ended, and I cleaned up.
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 23
    At the point an elderly couple came and asked if there were any kitchens left and I put one in their cart as my coworkers laughed at what had just occurred. 8.9k Share
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 24
    ikeathrowaway168151. I worked at IKEA for 5 years selling sofas. One of my coworkers, let's call him Jim, worked evenings and weekends in returns while his day job was teaching math at a local high school. One day a woman comes to the counter trying to return some pillows. Generally speaking, they didn't take returns on pillows for sanitary reasons. She also didn't have a receipt and the pillows were clearly used and absolutely disgusting. Jim tells the customer that he's sorry, but our return p
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 25
    This did not sit well with her and she began to scream at Jim. She was spiteful and cruel. Jim had come to the US from another country years ago and while he spoke perfect English, still had an accent. She mocked his accent and told him to speak English. She repeatedly shouted that he was stupid and would never amount to anything. He was too dumb to get a real job, etc.
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 26
    Meanwhile, her teenage son is in the background. He's pleading with his mother to stop shouting at Jim. He's begging her to give it up so they can go home. Eventually she turns around to shout at her son and ask him why he cares so much. "That's my calculus teacher..." There had already been a parent- teacher night scheduled for a few weeks later, his father went alone. 8.2k Share
    via u/shroudedlynx
  • 27
    XIGRIMXREAPERIX Last time I was In ikea I watched a middle eastern family have an argument in the couch section. Family walked away to go sit in one of the demo living rooms. Dude proceeded to pick up a futon like couch, walk over, and chuck it at them. He proceeded to scream in what I assume was Arabic all while literally flipping every table he saw. I quickly fast walked to the nearest "shortcut" possible. 7.6k Share
    via u/shroudedlynx

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entitled parents public work askreddit ikea employees Meltdown family reddit thread Reddit karen entitled people
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