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So.
There is a brand new IKEA that just opened up near my house. My sister loves IKEA. They were giving free chairs to the first 100 people to line up outside the store.
What does this mean?
I got drafted into camping outside the store the day before the Grand Opening in 32 degrees, waiting to get in.
IKEA is nice and had outdoor heaters, port-a-potties, and hot coffee for the people waiting. we were numbers 50 and 51. Due to an amazing sleeping bag, I really wasn't all that cold. I wasn't comfortable enough to sleep in the bright lights and noises of people talking, surrounded by people I didn't really know, but it wasn't that bad.
The free $90 chair is nice. we each got one. I have it at Ariel and John's, since there is no room for it here, or safe place for it from the dogs. I also got a $10 gift card, and used it to buy a $18 lapdesk thing. walking out of a store with $180+ of stuff, having spent only 9 bucks is always a happy thing.
Really, I felt a little like a heretic, since there was like "I <3 IKEA! YEAH! IKEA ROCKS!" and I was sitting there, not quite sure why I should be excited when I don't have a house or apartment, even if I did really like their furniture. Seeing as how I had never been to their store before, I wasn't sure I would even really like the furniture.
The part that seemed to make it most worth it to me was just the fellowship of the campers. We had people from all walks of life here to see a store and get a free chair. It wasn't really about that for most of the night, though. Instead, it was sharing food if someone had extra, sharing hot chocolate, helping people set up tents, and loaning sleeping bags to the people that hadn't quite realized it would be below freezing overnight. In the morning, we all helped each other carry our stuff to our cars, and collected the free stuff for someone if they were in the port-a-loo, and someone was passing it out.
All in all, it was a interesting experience, even if I doubt I would ever do it again.
There is a brand new IKEA that just opened up near my house. My sister loves IKEA. They were giving free chairs to the first 100 people to line up outside the store.
What does this mean?
I got drafted into camping outside the store the day before the Grand Opening in 32 degrees, waiting to get in.
IKEA is nice and had outdoor heaters, port-a-potties, and hot coffee for the people waiting. we were numbers 50 and 51. Due to an amazing sleeping bag, I really wasn't all that cold. I wasn't comfortable enough to sleep in the bright lights and noises of people talking, surrounded by people I didn't really know, but it wasn't that bad.
The free $90 chair is nice. we each got one. I have it at Ariel and John's, since there is no room for it here, or safe place for it from the dogs. I also got a $10 gift card, and used it to buy a $18 lapdesk thing. walking out of a store with $180+ of stuff, having spent only 9 bucks is always a happy thing.
Really, I felt a little like a heretic, since there was like "I <3 IKEA! YEAH! IKEA ROCKS!" and I was sitting there, not quite sure why I should be excited when I don't have a house or apartment, even if I did really like their furniture. Seeing as how I had never been to their store before, I wasn't sure I would even really like the furniture.
The part that seemed to make it most worth it to me was just the fellowship of the campers. We had people from all walks of life here to see a store and get a free chair. It wasn't really about that for most of the night, though. Instead, it was sharing food if someone had extra, sharing hot chocolate, helping people set up tents, and loaning sleeping bags to the people that hadn't quite realized it would be below freezing overnight. In the morning, we all helped each other carry our stuff to our cars, and collected the free stuff for someone if they were in the port-a-loo, and someone was passing it out.
All in all, it was a interesting experience, even if I doubt I would ever do it again.
