1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: Guess what, mangos, that will all right. So this is 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:04,920 Speaker 1: just a tip in case you ever find yourself in 3 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:07,720 Speaker 1: the Netherlands, do not try to play Hide and Seek 4 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: an Ikea stores there. It's totally banned. What but Ikea 5 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: seems like the best place in the world to play 6 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 1: hidn't see a click with all those beds and closets 7 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:17,919 Speaker 1: and house plants, I know. And I've got to say 8 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: ike has been cool with so many things over the years. 9 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:23,960 Speaker 1: I mean, they've accommodated giants sleepovers. One time they allowed 10 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: a hundred cats to be released in the store just 11 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: for the fun of it. And in Shanghai, when seven 12 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: year old widows and widowers started using the free coffee 13 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: as an excuse to pick up singles, Ikia actually blocked 14 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: off corners of the store for them, you know, just 15 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:39,480 Speaker 1: so they could flirt a little bit. Kind of cute 16 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:42,600 Speaker 1: to think about. But when over thirty thousand Hide and 17 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 1: Seek fans signed up on Facebook to play a massive game, 18 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: that's where the company drew the line. In fact, here's 19 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: the official statement let me find it here. Martinez Smedberg 20 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: gave this to Bloomberg. It says we need to make 21 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: sure people are safe in our stores, and that's hard 22 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: to do if we don't know where they are. I mean, 23 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: she's on it sounds like she's anti hide and seek, 24 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,320 Speaker 1: but she's really just, you know, against these thirty thousand 25 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 1: fully grown humans hiding in her But reading about that 26 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,040 Speaker 1: policy made me curious about all the non human things 27 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: hiding out in Ikea, and that's what today's show is 28 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: all about. Yeah, Heather podcast listeners, Welcome to Part Time Genius. 29 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: I'm Will Pearson and as always I'm joined by my 30 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: good friend Man Gueshot Ticketer, and today we're talking about Ikea, 31 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: how the company got its start, the secrets hiding in 32 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: those flat pack boxes, and a whole lot more. But 33 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:44,400 Speaker 1: before we begin, we just wanted to say a big 34 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:45,959 Speaker 1: thank you to all the people who have taken the 35 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: time to write such nice reviews about our show, and 36 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: all the people who have taken the time to email us. Seriously, 37 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: thank you so much for listening. I know it's funny, like, 38 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: especially in contrast to what we talked about last week, 39 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: all those one star reviews of the Vatican right, it's 40 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 1: so heartwarming to see all these like notes pouring and 41 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: it's a little tricky because we can't just respond to 42 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: the reviewers and right right, so, um, I know you 43 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: were talking about this, and I was talking about this, 44 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: and we were thinking maybe we should get people to 45 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: write into the email account part time genius at how 46 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com and send in their favorite furniture 47 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: or meatball related facts because of Ikea, right of course, 48 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:27,520 Speaker 1: and uh, and send their address and their T shirt 49 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: size and we will pick the best twenty um facts 50 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: and send you a T shirt. Alright, alright, so the 51 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: best twenty that come in that can be about furniture 52 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:37,919 Speaker 1: or meatballs, or maybe bonus points because somebody who comes 53 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: up with a fact that incorporates furniture and meatballs. Now, also, 54 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 1: remember we talked about in the last episode, we have 55 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: a new fact hot line because we're here for you. 56 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: We know how many interesting things you guys have to share. 57 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 1: That's one eight four four pt genius, all right, so 58 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: we look forward to hearing from you. And again it's 59 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: part time genius at how stuff works dot com, So 60 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,680 Speaker 1: looking forward to hearing those facts. All right, enough with 61 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 1: this happiness, mango, I think we should tell people the 62 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 1: most surprising fact we found out about Ikea to determine 63 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:08,000 Speaker 1: who gets to kick off the show. So that's how 64 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: we're going to start this home. Yeah, yeah, I think so. 65 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: I'm game off, But why don't you start? All right? 66 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,519 Speaker 1: The thing I'm always going to think about every time 67 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: I go into an Ikea store from now on is 68 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: that Hailey Joel Osmond was discovered in an Ikea. What. Yeah, 69 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 1: Apparently the Burbank Ikea is a celebrity destination and casting directors. 70 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: They used to use this to set up tables in 71 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: the front. They take polaroids of every kid who came 72 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: into the store. I don't know if they ask permission 73 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: or not, but that's where Haley Joel was discovered. That's 74 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: pretty wild. I mean I just figured his parents for 75 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: you know, typical stage parents and forcing him to go 76 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: to auditions. But I really love that there's a Hollywood Ikea. 77 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: It actually reminds me of this time my friend went 78 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 1: to a home depot and this guy cut him off 79 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: in the parking lot and uh and then the driver 80 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: waved this sort of nice apology and smiled, and it 81 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: turned out to be Justice Scalia. Be Justice like Supreme 82 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: Court justices shop at home depot. They're just like us. 83 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: Not not not like Justice Gary Scalio the State Court there. Wow, 84 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: that's amazing. Okay, I know I'm getting off track here, 85 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: but my favorite Supreme Court justice fact is that third 86 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: Good Marshall loved so proper I remember this, or at 87 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: least he loved days of our lives and he watched 88 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,039 Speaker 1: it every single day. That that fact honestly makes me 89 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:22,160 Speaker 1: so happy. I think we got a little track here, 90 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:27,040 Speaker 1: back back here. So I read this U super weird 91 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: press release that I can put out that they are 92 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: now the biggest provider of certified seafood in the world, 93 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: the biggest. I mean, that's just unfathomable to me. Wow, 94 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: that's okay. I think you beat me with your facts. 95 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: And I know we don't want to keep talking about 96 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:42,600 Speaker 1: food forever, but we should talk about it here for 97 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: a bit because I found some crazy facts on this topic. 98 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:46,720 Speaker 1: Two and I know that's where you wanted to start 99 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: the discussion anyway. So before that, that sounds good. So actually, 100 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:52,039 Speaker 1: before I get to that, I just wanted to tell 101 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:54,840 Speaker 1: this quick story from when an Ikea moved into my 102 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: old neighborhood a few years ago, and it kind of 103 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 1: illustrates how savvy the company is so a lot of 104 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: people didn't want this big box store to come in, 105 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: and there was all this uproar about it. Right, But 106 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:07,880 Speaker 1: then I Kea did a number of really smart things, 107 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 1: and one of them was that the bus service to 108 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: the neighborhood had always been really spotty, and I have 109 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 1: paid for a more frequent bus line with new buses, 110 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 1: and that led people to the store, but also better 111 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:20,800 Speaker 1: serve the neighborhood. And then they did a whole thing 112 00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: of hiring within the local community, which again made people 113 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:26,279 Speaker 1: so much more accepting of it. They built the cafe 114 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: with this beautiful view of the harbor, and once the 115 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 1: store was actually in, people had few complaints and in fact, 116 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:35,600 Speaker 1: it kind of became this popular cheap date night day, 117 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 1: like for married people. Know, it was like this ironic 118 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: first date, like you take someone on the bus and uh, 119 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: eat the super cheap meal at the cafe which had 120 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,479 Speaker 1: this incredible view of the Statue of Liberty, and then 121 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 1: I guess a joke about your potential life together. But 122 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 1: the thing that really made the whole thing work and 123 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:55,920 Speaker 1: appealing was how cheap the food was. It's definitely a deal. 124 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: I mean I remember saying that you can get too 125 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: hot dogs ana soda for two bucks, or you know 126 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 1: this really filling plate of pasta and meatballs for not 127 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:06,039 Speaker 1: much more than that. Yeah, so I actually looked up 128 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 1: the menu for this episode to refresh myself, and the 129 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:12,279 Speaker 1: prices are outrageous. So that play of pasta and meatballs 130 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 1: it's three dollars, And for a stuffed chicken with artichoke 131 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:18,760 Speaker 1: and parmesan and two sides of vegetables, it's just a 132 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,039 Speaker 1: dollar more. And going back to the seafood thing, you 133 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 1: can get a nice kind of salmon for around six 134 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: or seven dollars, like they want you to be able 135 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:29,040 Speaker 1: to feed your entire family for under twenty dollars. Are 136 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,159 Speaker 1: we getting paid for this because this is a commercial 137 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:33,840 Speaker 1: for Ikea? But but I'm guessing there's more to it 138 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: than this. I'm guessing Ikea is treating the food like 139 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:37,919 Speaker 1: a lost leader, you know, kind of the way the 140 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: grocery stores treat milk. You get, you know, you keep 141 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: the costs low, You're willing to lose a little bit 142 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: of money on it to bring the customers in the door, 143 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:47,599 Speaker 1: and then you make your profits elsewhere. Sure, and that's 144 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: what I thought, too, right, But the reason I was 145 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:52,160 Speaker 1: giving you those prices is that it's so much more 146 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:54,919 Speaker 1: clever than that. Right, So everything in Ikea has a 147 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 1: story that ties back to its folksy origin. Part of 148 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 1: it is that the founder var Compra had this philosophy 149 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: back from when he started selling goods to farmers and 150 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 1: he realized that no one wanted to do business hungry. 151 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:08,760 Speaker 1: So the foods sort of this down home way of 152 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: making you feel welcome. Also their I hear workers who 153 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: swear that the cafeteria is just a great place for 154 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 1: indecisive couples to like figure out what they really want. 155 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 1: They've seen these families come in and you and I 156 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 1: have seen this too, right where you just see them 157 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:25,840 Speaker 1: like testing a couch and sitting and testing and discussing 158 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 1: and and then the couple goes to get a bite, 159 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 1: and during that conversation away from the showroom, that's where 160 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 1: they can really focus on their decision and decide whether 161 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: or not to make a purchase. Right, right, And it 162 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 1: makes sense. And having a cafeteria in the building keeps 163 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 1: you in the store, right, So having the food there, 164 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: it gives you one less reason to leave. And remember 165 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: I keas are often in remote destinations, so families have 166 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:50,440 Speaker 1: to travel to get there. But here's the real kicker 167 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 1: and why the low priced food is so genius. And 168 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: I never would have figured this out on my own, 169 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: but I read this interview in the New York Post 170 00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: with a former Ikea chef and he said, the food, 171 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 1: it is basically a framing device. The point is, you 172 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: don't actually know five dollars is a good value for 173 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: an Ikea couch. It could be a hundred dollars over 174 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: the worth or a hundred dollars under, and most shoppers 175 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 1: wouldn't have a clue. But you do know hot dogs 176 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 1: right and exactly, and you know the fifty cents for 177 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: a tasty hot dog is a great deal. Or three 178 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 1: dollars for a plate of pasta. I mean, it's kind 179 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 1: of the best deal you're gonna get outside of cooking 180 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: the food yourself. So shoppers think, if Ikea is giving 181 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: me this hot dog at cost, they've got to be 182 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: doing the same for the furniture. That is really smart. 183 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 1: I mean. But although I have to say it's kind 184 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: of funny to think about food being at cost because 185 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,160 Speaker 1: the whole store, I mean, it's built on customers constructing 186 00:08:41,160 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: the furniture for themselves. Yeah, I had thought about that. Actually. 187 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:48,560 Speaker 1: You know, there's so many meanings online about the assembly 188 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 1: required furniture, Like there was one that made me laugh. 189 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: It was just a picture. It said happy birthday, Ikea, 190 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: we made you a cake, and then underneath there was 191 00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:00,160 Speaker 1: a bag of sugar, some flour, butter if you candles, 192 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: and under it said some assembly required, which isn't exactly fair, 193 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:07,560 Speaker 1: but the way they use the cafe prices as a 194 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:10,679 Speaker 1: framing device, it totally works. Yeah. Yeah, and it's actually brilliant. 195 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: I mean, we should probably tell the listeners not to 196 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:14,640 Speaker 1: worry because we'll move off food in a minute. But 197 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:18,080 Speaker 1: before we do, there's one thing we have to talk about, meatballs, 198 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 1: So I was hoping you'd bring those up. I mean, 199 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:25,199 Speaker 1: meatballs are definitely a Kia's best selling product. It's insane 200 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:27,680 Speaker 1: how much money the cafe actually brings in. I found 201 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:31,439 Speaker 1: this figure from two thousand thirteen. The Ikea cafeteria was 202 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:34,920 Speaker 1: already doing one point five billion dollars of business back then. 203 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:37,720 Speaker 1: But the meatballs are the lynchpin to the menu, and 204 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 1: internally they're actually referred to as the best sofa seller. 205 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:44,000 Speaker 1: That's true. I mean what's amazing to me is that 206 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 1: the meatball actually kind of encapsulates the Ikea philosophy. And 207 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:50,920 Speaker 1: why's that Well, Oliver Rohtor did this great article for 208 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: five thirty eight and he showed the economics of Ikea 209 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:57,439 Speaker 1: and that Ikea products follow this strange kind of survival 210 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: of the fittest model. So basically, any furn sure that's 211 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 1: lasted for a while. I mean, you think about the 212 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: Billy bookcase or the lack table, or you know, any 213 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:08,680 Speaker 1: of the all stars from their catalog, and they've lasted 214 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 1: because i Kea has consistently been able to tweak the 215 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 1: product to shave cost. You know, year after year they 216 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:16,679 Speaker 1: do this, and so what this means is that they 217 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: can keep offering it a lower and lower price to 218 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 1: the customer. So when Ikia can't do that, you know, 219 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:24,800 Speaker 1: for a product can't evolve to be made cheaper, that's 220 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:28,160 Speaker 1: when they just kill it off. And the meatballs well, 221 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:31,080 Speaker 1: actually they're the epitome of that. So not only has 222 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 1: the company figured out how to make more profitable meatballs 223 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: year after year, but you you've heard of Space tell right, yeah, 224 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:41,280 Speaker 1: it's h he has secret innovation lab. They're pretty amazing Yeah. 225 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: So Space Tent is constantly eyeing the future, and one 226 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: of their projects is meatball focus that it's actually called 227 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:52,440 Speaker 1: Tomorrow's Meatball. I'm not making I really want to. I 228 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:54,920 Speaker 1: want to be on that team, that Tomorrow's meatball team. 229 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:57,800 Speaker 1: But they have all these prototypes, from a meatball made 230 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: from artificial meat grown in a lab, to a three 231 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 1: D printed ball to a crispy bug ball, and while 232 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:06,320 Speaker 1: none of those are hitting the menu anytime soon, it 233 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:08,960 Speaker 1: does show how the company is looking at the simplest 234 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,079 Speaker 1: things they can do in the simplest ways they can 235 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:14,079 Speaker 1: produce these things, and even with that, they're trying to 236 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:16,640 Speaker 1: figure out how to tweak the design and serve, you know, 237 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 1: a changing world while they're increasing their profits of course, 238 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:22,800 Speaker 1: of course. Yeah. But but let's shift gears for a second, 239 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: because I want to talk about Jonathan Colton and his 240 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: song Ikea. Do you know the song? Why? I know 241 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:30,960 Speaker 1: Jonathan Colton, I don't know the song. Yeah, he's hilarious, 242 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:33,240 Speaker 1: but his song Ikea has this one lyric I love 243 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:36,480 Speaker 1: it goes Ikea just some oak and some pine and 244 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:40,800 Speaker 1: a handful of norsemen. Ikea selling furniture to college kids 245 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:46,080 Speaker 1: and divorcement nice sounds about right. So as I was researching, 246 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:48,960 Speaker 1: I kept thinking about that line, which is obviously funny, 247 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:52,200 Speaker 1: but it occurred to me. I've always thought of Ikea 248 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:54,839 Speaker 1: is kind of a starter brand, like it's the thing 249 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,360 Speaker 1: people are drawn to in their first apartments or as 250 00:11:57,400 --> 00:12:01,439 Speaker 1: they're embarking on new stages, because it's reliable and stylish 251 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:04,400 Speaker 1: without bringing the bank. It's almost like the signifier that 252 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:07,319 Speaker 1: you're on the road to responsibility. But what's funny is 253 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 1: that I read this, uh the story in the New Yorker, 254 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 1: the one by Lauren Collins. Yeah, and and it's really good. 255 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 1: But one of the many lines that struck me in 256 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 1: it was that she referred to Ikea as the chief 257 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:21,599 Speaker 1: anthropologist of homes, and she mentions how much research the 258 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:24,880 Speaker 1: brand actually compiles to understand and then hook customers at 259 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:28,480 Speaker 1: different stages of life, like they know the ideal size 260 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:31,560 Speaker 1: of modern bathroom storage and what the split should be 261 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 1: between spouses because more and more men have been buying 262 00:12:34,679 --> 00:12:38,439 Speaker 1: more and more grooming products reasonally, or how the Ikea 263 00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 1: tupperware and they referenced this in the catalogs, how it's 264 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 1: meant to accommodate the half can of tomatoes and an 265 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:46,600 Speaker 1: ounce of Coast Coast recipe you just found, Like it's 266 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: really specific. It's say, that's pretty precise. How do they 267 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: know I like Coast Coast and they're actually designing for 268 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:55,600 Speaker 1: like every momentous change in your life. Yeah, the amount 269 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 1: of information they've collected is really amazing. I actually have 270 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:01,560 Speaker 1: the eight stages of life they target. I printed it 271 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:06,360 Speaker 1: out here and here the categories. It's babies, toddlers, starting school, 272 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:11,719 Speaker 1: tweens and teens, single slash, starting out, single slash established, 273 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: living together slash starting out and living together slash established. 274 00:13:16,559 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 1: It's crazy just to read these things, you know. So 275 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: they're looking at your life stages, and you know the 276 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:23,360 Speaker 1: crib you suddenly have to buy as you plan to 277 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 1: have a baby, or the couch you'll want when you 278 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:28,480 Speaker 1: have your first job, and then all the easy upgrades 279 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:31,040 Speaker 1: from there, so the crib turns into a toddler bed, 280 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:33,720 Speaker 1: the bookshelf you can stack next to the bookshelf when 281 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:37,480 Speaker 1: your partner moves in. But the targeting definitely starts early. 282 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:40,800 Speaker 1: There was this internal memo I saw that said, infant 283 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:43,920 Speaker 1: cots are our ticket to building a lifelong relationship with 284 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:47,360 Speaker 1: our core customers. You know. Um. One of the things 285 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,160 Speaker 1: I found fascinating was that all the design actually starts 286 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 1: with the price. What do you mean by that, Well, 287 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: if you look at the design briefs, the I sends 288 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:56,080 Speaker 1: around to their team and will be like, we need 289 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: a better looking spatula for a buck fifty in gray 290 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,559 Speaker 1: and white. But the price I Kea wants for it 291 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,920 Speaker 1: is actually in the specifications from the start. And that's 292 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: because cost and design their linked from conception. If one 293 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:11,080 Speaker 1: of them isn't there, the product never gets off the ground. 294 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 1: I mean that that's pretty fascinating. What's also interesting to 295 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:17,320 Speaker 1: me is that they're studying and designing for the whole globe, 296 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:20,200 Speaker 1: so not just for one location. Like they figured out 297 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 1: the elements that cut across cultures and how to sell 298 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:26,400 Speaker 1: a bed or a bookshelf that's plain enough but also 299 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:29,360 Speaker 1: stylish enough to appeal the deal seekers in every market. 300 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:31,480 Speaker 1: So you see this even in their catalog. So the 301 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 1: catalog and US might have a Golden retriever on the 302 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,680 Speaker 1: couch and they'll photoshop that out if if you know, 303 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:39,400 Speaker 1: if it's for like the Saudi catalog, Well they also 304 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:42,160 Speaker 1: photo shop the women out of the Saudi catalog cut 305 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 1: them a little flak, but put your points absolutely right. 306 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: They found a couch that they can hawk across multiple markets, 307 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 1: right right, and that's what keeps, you know, the cost 308 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 1: going lower and lower those economies of scale. Speaking of 309 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:57,640 Speaker 1: across the globe, Bloomberg used to run a Billy bookcase index, 310 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:01,680 Speaker 1: where economists listed the price to the bookcase in various cultures. 311 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 1: And it's pretty fascinating, or was fascinating to look at. 312 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,000 Speaker 1: It would help him understand the value of currency in 313 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 1: different markets. But it's so bizarre to me that the 314 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: cost was so wildly different between the markets. Like in 315 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:16,120 Speaker 1: the UAE, for example, the billy used to cost about 316 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: forty six dollars, and then in Israel it was more 317 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:21,600 Speaker 1: than twice that much. It was at a hundred and 318 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:25,200 Speaker 1: three dollars, which is just crazy. That's crazy. By the way. 319 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:27,320 Speaker 1: One thing I found really funny when I was looking 320 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 1: at this like cross culture stuff, was that people in 321 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:33,760 Speaker 1: England really seemed to hate building the furniture themselves. And 322 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 1: maybe this happens in other countries too, but I found 323 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 1: a number of mom and pop shops that were specifically 324 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 1: dedicated to like building your ikea furniture free. I could 325 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 1: use that. I could use that. All right, We're definitely 326 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:45,920 Speaker 1: gonna talk flat packs and the cult of ike as 327 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 1: billionaire founder. But before we do that, how about we 328 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:54,040 Speaker 1: break for a little quiz? Sounds good. Our guest today 329 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:57,480 Speaker 1: is Grady Hendricks, author of My Best Friends Exorcism, and 330 00:15:57,520 --> 00:15:59,840 Speaker 1: also the reason we have him on today's show is 331 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:03,200 Speaker 1: because he's the author of the wonderful book Horror Store, 332 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 1: which looks like a beautifully designed Ikea catalog but takes 333 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:11,760 Speaker 1: place in a totally different setting, the Orsk Superstore in Cleveland. 334 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:14,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to the show, Grady, Thanks for having me here. 335 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:17,920 Speaker 1: So Grady, I've read that you do an insane amount 336 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:19,640 Speaker 1: of research for your books. Like I heard that you 337 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,760 Speaker 1: mapped out all the weather for each day for where 338 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:26,479 Speaker 1: My Best Friends Exorcism, so so it was accurate and um. 339 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:28,080 Speaker 1: And then I read that you interviewed a ton of 340 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 1: people at Ikea to learn more about the stories, and 341 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 1: I was curious, how did that inform your writing? You know, 342 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:36,080 Speaker 1: it's actually the reason I wound up calling it worse. 343 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:38,840 Speaker 1: It wasn't just because my publisher was scared we get 344 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:42,840 Speaker 1: sued by idea, but also because everyone I talked to 345 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:44,840 Speaker 1: from my key and probably I talked about it about 346 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:48,960 Speaker 1: a dozen folks who worked there unprompted. They all said 347 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:52,200 Speaker 1: really nice things about Ikea, and that's really rare for 348 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 1: people who work in retail. But you know, as far 349 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 1: as it goes, it's a pretty decent employer. Um. You know, 350 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 1: no one has murdered uh to like protein bars for 351 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: the other other employees. No one turned into meat ball 352 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:06,560 Speaker 1: for the cafeteria. They all go home with all their 353 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:08,439 Speaker 1: body parts at the end of the day. And I 354 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:10,920 Speaker 1: think as far as big box retail goes in the US, 355 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:14,560 Speaker 1: that's that's pretty good. Yeah. I do have to ask, though, 356 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:17,000 Speaker 1: having having done this book, are are you banned from 357 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,760 Speaker 1: my keas? No? But I sort of self banned myself. 358 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:22,879 Speaker 1: I spent so much time in them while I was 359 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:25,080 Speaker 1: writing it, and then I didn't go in one for 360 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:26,760 Speaker 1: about a year and a half. And I went in 361 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:29,119 Speaker 1: and one in New York to do an interview with 362 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:31,320 Speaker 1: someone right when the book was coming out, and they're 363 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:34,640 Speaker 1: all made out the same, and I suddenly started doing 364 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,160 Speaker 1: this real panic reaction, like, oh my god, where am 365 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:39,120 Speaker 1: I Am I in my book? Am I in somewhere room? 366 00:17:39,119 --> 00:17:43,159 Speaker 1: I I mean in Florida, I really was disorienting. So um, 367 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:46,240 Speaker 1: I only order i Kea online. Now that's very great. 368 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,400 Speaker 1: And what about the idea to design this as a catalog. 369 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:52,119 Speaker 1: It's it's so inventive. Did you did you come up 370 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:53,600 Speaker 1: with that from the starter or was that something you 371 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 1: imposed on it later? No, that was actually Jason, my 372 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:00,439 Speaker 1: editor's idea, and he that was that was his baby 373 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:02,800 Speaker 1: from the beginning in terms of this will look like 374 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 1: an IKEA catalog. And then the nice thing about work 375 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:08,600 Speaker 1: is because it's so small, they actually listen to the 376 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:10,679 Speaker 1: author when you talk about design, and they let you 377 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:14,200 Speaker 1: be involved with that conversation. And so Jason and Andy 378 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,320 Speaker 1: read the designer and myself we just started to feed 379 00:18:16,359 --> 00:18:17,720 Speaker 1: off of each other. You know, well what if we 380 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:20,119 Speaker 1: had a furniture description beginning to each chapter? Well what 381 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:22,639 Speaker 1: if they change, you know? And then I have written 382 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:25,480 Speaker 1: catalog copy and stuff in the past, so you know 383 00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:27,760 Speaker 1: everything in there, right down to the small print on 384 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 1: the order form. I insisted on sort of doing myself, 385 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,879 Speaker 1: which was a really poor idea. I'm gonna say I 386 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:37,560 Speaker 1: love Quirk like, I really think that they play so 387 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:40,640 Speaker 1: well with authors and and and so so much attention 388 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:43,400 Speaker 1: goes to all the details. I really love that. So 389 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:45,560 Speaker 1: so it is will will your next project be with 390 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:48,880 Speaker 1: Quirk And if so, what are you working on next? Yeah? 391 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:51,680 Speaker 1: The next book I have coming out from them is UM. 392 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:55,040 Speaker 1: It's called Paperbacks from Hell, and it's actually a nonfiction 393 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:59,120 Speaker 1: book coming out this September. It's about UM, the history 394 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 1: of horror paid for backs in the seventies and eighties. 395 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:04,120 Speaker 1: I think everyone who was a live around them remembers 396 00:19:04,119 --> 00:19:07,640 Speaker 1: those really lurid covers of the foil and the embossing 397 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: and the die cuts that showed, you know, the girl's 398 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:12,480 Speaker 1: face and then you open it up and it's like, oh, 399 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:15,320 Speaker 1: the beings on the end of the bear and board 400 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 1: like you know it's UM and and those sort of 401 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 1: disappeared in the early nineties and I read those and 402 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 1: write about them a little online just for kicks, and 403 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:25,720 Speaker 1: Jason was like, do you want to do a book 404 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:28,280 Speaker 1: of these? So the result is Paperbacks from Hell. It's 405 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:29,760 Speaker 1: got a ton of art in it, and it really 406 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:32,560 Speaker 1: goes a lot about the artists and who did the covers, 407 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:35,320 Speaker 1: and how this sort of lived and died and why 408 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:37,720 Speaker 1: you should be scared of Nazi leprecons and why not 409 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:41,480 Speaker 1: LEPrecon the Nazis in the first place. I can't wait? 410 00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:44,760 Speaker 1: All right, So, so what game are we playing the 411 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:47,000 Speaker 1: day with Grady Mango. We're gonna play a little game 412 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:51,160 Speaker 1: called kitchen good from Ikea or word. The Swedish chef says, okay, well, 413 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:54,200 Speaker 1: if we speak whatever language the Swedish chef does, this 414 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:56,600 Speaker 1: should be easy and we'll give you a word and 415 00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 1: you just tell us whether it's an Ikea kitchen good 416 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:02,639 Speaker 1: or something. The Swedish chef says, so are you ready, Grady? 417 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 1: You should know my palms are already sweaty. Okay, I 418 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:09,360 Speaker 1: think you'll do better than you expect. All right, here 419 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:14,359 Speaker 1: we go. Number one elver damn Ikea product or something. 420 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:19,160 Speaker 1: The Swedish chef says, I'm gonna go with Ikea products. Yeah, 421 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:25,320 Speaker 1: one for one beautiful faucet. Al right, okay, maybe maybe 422 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:28,240 Speaker 1: maybe we'll help him out with some some pronunciation as well. 423 00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:33,920 Speaker 1: And the next one is Guerndee. You know I'm gonna 424 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:42,080 Speaker 1: go with the Swedish chef. You're absolutely right. I think 425 00:20:42,119 --> 00:20:44,840 Speaker 1: I remember this from the Senates Gersh Gerndi, Morndy Burn 426 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,159 Speaker 1: burn d if I'm not mistaken right, Okay, two for two. 427 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:55,920 Speaker 1: Number three Baganas. I believe that's an Ikea product for three? 428 00:20:56,200 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 1: What what? What? What are baganas? They're a fancy nob 429 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:02,120 Speaker 1: for your drawer. Okay, I fancy not free doors two more. 430 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:07,479 Speaker 1: Here we go. Number four, Farney, You know I'm gonna guess, 431 00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:10,120 Speaker 1: but I'm going to use the tried tradition of one 432 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:12,239 Speaker 1: for wheel one one way, one the other, and I'm 433 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 1: gonna say sweetish chef. You might recognize it from the 434 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:19,000 Speaker 1: sentence sure to chicken into Farney hug So quotes from 435 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:21,800 Speaker 1: a Muppets movie. Yes, they are all right for the 436 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 1: perfect score, let's go for number five. Bean C, bean C. Okay, 437 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,119 Speaker 1: I'm gonna stick with my with my guesting pattern and 438 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 1: go with Ikea. Oh it's the only one you missed. 439 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:37,879 Speaker 1: But that that this was the so de beancy bouncy Burger. 440 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:41,520 Speaker 1: So I'm so good at this. All right? Well, how 441 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:44,640 Speaker 1: has Grady done today? Grady did an amazing four for five, 442 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 1: which is enough to earn him our Grand Prize. Total admiration. 443 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:50,680 Speaker 1: Well done, Grady. Thank you so much for Johnny. We 444 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:53,400 Speaker 1: can't wait to see your next project, Paperbacks from Hell. 445 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,320 Speaker 1: But thank you again for writing Horror Store and for 446 00:21:55,359 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 1: being on Part Time Genius. Thank you for not letting 447 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 1: me embarrass myself too badly. Welcome back to Part Time Genius. 448 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: And we were about to talk flat packs, all right, 449 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 1: So do you like putting together? I kea furniture Mango, 450 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:20,800 Speaker 1: so I know there are all these things about the furniture, 451 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,440 Speaker 1: like there are some couples therapists who make couples build 452 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 1: a piece of furniture together to work through their communications. 453 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: Sounds terrible. I don't think I could do that with anybody, 454 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:31,679 Speaker 1: But I mean, how many lopsided tables and chairs do 455 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:33,440 Speaker 1: you have to make before you realize you're either right 456 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 1: or wrong for somebody. I also like that the furniture 457 00:22:36,359 --> 00:22:39,359 Speaker 1: is used in robotics, though, like having a robot watch 458 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:42,720 Speaker 1: humans as symbol and ikea piece in different ways and 459 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:45,200 Speaker 1: then they determine the most efficient way, and that that's 460 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 1: kind of become this common exercise in robotics. Yeah, it's 461 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:51,000 Speaker 1: awesome and uh, and to tell you the truth, I 462 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:54,119 Speaker 1: actually love putting together. I kea furniture because I'm not 463 00:22:54,359 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 1: super handy, but it reminds me of those snap tight 464 00:22:57,119 --> 00:22:59,159 Speaker 1: model kits from when I was a kid, like, you 465 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:01,840 Speaker 1: just snap all these parts in place and voila. It's 466 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:05,480 Speaker 1: just so satisfying. Speak for yourself. I'm not a fan, 467 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:07,840 Speaker 1: but it is funny that you mentioned that, because there's 468 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,680 Speaker 1: actually a name for that, and it's called the Ikea effect. 469 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:13,159 Speaker 1: So Harvard Business School has actually done studies on this. 470 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:15,439 Speaker 1: And the weirder part is that you end up with 471 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:18,480 Speaker 1: a bias and I'm quoting here. It says you place 472 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:22,080 Speaker 1: a disproportionately higher value on the Ikea furniture that you 473 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:25,560 Speaker 1: make because your handiwork has gone into it. That's kind 474 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:27,919 Speaker 1: of like those cake mixes from the fifties. You know 475 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:30,479 Speaker 1: about these, right, don't Well, when they used to make 476 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:33,639 Speaker 1: cake mixes, Initially the eggs weren't actually necessary for the 477 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:36,720 Speaker 1: instant cake mixes, but they couldn't get housewives to buy 478 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 1: them because it didn't really feel like cooking. It was 479 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:42,280 Speaker 1: almost like cheating. But when a brand started adding cracking 480 00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 1: a few eggs to make the batter, suddenly the product 481 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:47,520 Speaker 1: took off. It kind of like tricked people into feeling 482 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:49,920 Speaker 1: like they were making more of a cake somehow, right, right, 483 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:51,680 Speaker 1: And and that might be part of why we're a 484 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:54,360 Speaker 1: little more reluctant to get rid of their I Kea furniture, 485 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:55,960 Speaker 1: and then you know, it sticks around a little bit 486 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: longer than it should because of that that pride of 487 00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:00,680 Speaker 1: what they've built. But you know that's not why I 488 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,240 Speaker 1: Kia flat packs their furniture. It actually has a great 489 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 1: origin story. Oh I actually know this, but you should 490 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:07,719 Speaker 1: definitely tell it to the listeners. Okay, Well, our our 491 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:10,600 Speaker 1: story goes back to this guy, Gillis Loundgren, and by 492 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:12,840 Speaker 1: the time he joined i Kea, it was already this 493 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:16,800 Speaker 1: bustling regional furniture business. But the furniture was bulky, and 494 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:19,760 Speaker 1: it came pre assembled and it was pretty expensive to ship. 495 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 1: So London goes on to manage the catalog and design 496 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,880 Speaker 1: a bunch of furniture later. But in the early nineteen fifties, 497 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:28,439 Speaker 1: he was just trying to transport a leaf shaped table 498 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:31,400 Speaker 1: to a photo shoot. It was clunky and couldn't fit 499 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:33,400 Speaker 1: in his car, and so he took the legs off 500 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:36,320 Speaker 1: to make it fit, and that's when inspiration struck. But 501 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:39,199 Speaker 1: flat pack furniture has existed for way longer than that. 502 00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:42,080 Speaker 1: Rye actually, another Swedish designer, would come up with a 503 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 1: flat pack chair a few years before, but it wasn't 504 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:47,080 Speaker 1: all that well known, and this is all part of 505 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:49,720 Speaker 1: the I kea lore now. But according to some versions, 506 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:51,840 Speaker 1: and these are the ones that that I believe, Londgren 507 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:55,439 Speaker 1: had to really lobby the company's founder, Ingvar compre to 508 00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:58,200 Speaker 1: change the flat pack and and there are other less 509 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 1: likely tellings where Ingvar was put sishing the table into 510 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:03,080 Speaker 1: a car with Lundgren and they came up with this 511 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:05,919 Speaker 1: idea together. So who knows the exact story, but it 512 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: was something along these lines. Yeah, so there's a phrasing company. 513 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:11,560 Speaker 1: The language my family speaks that a story has been 514 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:14,120 Speaker 1: told with meeting Massala, and it means like a story 515 00:25:14,119 --> 00:25:16,040 Speaker 1: has been seasoned with salt and spice to make it 516 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:19,040 Speaker 1: more juicy or appealing. We didn't have that phrase in 517 00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:22,119 Speaker 1: Alabama for some reason. But I do love meeting Massala. 518 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:24,880 Speaker 1: But we'll talk about Ingvar and his legend in a bit, 519 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:27,720 Speaker 1: because he's definitely a genius but obviously comes with some 520 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:30,920 Speaker 1: issues too. But what's definitely true is that flat pack 521 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:34,520 Speaker 1: change the business prospects completely. So over the years the 522 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: company started referring to air as their enemy. And when 523 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:40,760 Speaker 1: you pack things that flat not only are you transferring 524 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: the cost of assembly to your buyer, so you know, 525 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:45,800 Speaker 1: so you can lower the price and underbid the competition. 526 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:49,520 Speaker 1: But it basically has all these other advantages and uh, 527 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:51,920 Speaker 1: what what are this? Well, actually, there's this this great 528 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:54,760 Speaker 1: Fast Company piece by John Browley on this and here's 529 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:57,160 Speaker 1: what he points out. All right, So he says, first, 530 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:59,639 Speaker 1: you can keep way more furniture in stock because you 531 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:01,960 Speaker 1: only need you know, a few models, and then you 532 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:05,399 Speaker 1: can keep the rest and volume and back and and 533 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:08,119 Speaker 1: it's also way easier to transport. So i Kea was 534 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:12,000 Speaker 1: shipping ten times as many bookcases or desks or whatever 535 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:14,840 Speaker 1: it was as the competition for basically the same amount 536 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:17,159 Speaker 1: of spend on gas. And this is the point I 537 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,359 Speaker 1: would never have figured out. But Brawley said that the 538 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,919 Speaker 1: boxy aesthetic that's taken over the globe that's also coming 539 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:25,280 Speaker 1: from the flat pack design, and that's kind of amazing. 540 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:28,399 Speaker 1: And clearly i Kea as genius, as you point out earlier, 541 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:31,359 Speaker 1: is by making these products in bulk and then iterating 542 00:26:31,359 --> 00:26:33,520 Speaker 1: on them so they just get cheaper and cheaper. Yeah, 543 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:35,800 Speaker 1: you know the Ikea mugs which are so popular, I mean, 544 00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:38,560 Speaker 1: the reason they've lasted is that they have this really 545 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:41,439 Speaker 1: tiny handle and it's just this little circle on the 546 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:43,840 Speaker 1: top of a conical mug. But that ends up being, 547 00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:46,760 Speaker 1: you know, what allows them to stack a ton more 548 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:48,959 Speaker 1: of these mugs on top of one another. I mean, 549 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:51,800 Speaker 1: they're just geniuses in reducing the amount of air in 550 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,280 Speaker 1: between each of their products. So the thing about Ikea 551 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,480 Speaker 1: is there's really so much to cover. But let's talk 552 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:01,120 Speaker 1: just for a little bit about ing Vibe because he's fascinating. 553 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:03,720 Speaker 1: I mean, he was basically an entrepreneur from the time 554 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:06,880 Speaker 1: he was a kid, and by eighteen he'd been given 555 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 1: a little money from his dad, uh mostly for doing 556 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:13,240 Speaker 1: well in school despite his dyslexia, and he turned that 557 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:17,879 Speaker 1: money into a little catalog business that kept growing and growing. Also, 558 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:20,119 Speaker 1: I love that he grew up in Small End, Like 559 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:22,520 Speaker 1: I always thought Small End the kid's babysitting part of 560 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:24,560 Speaker 1: Ikea was just a cute name, but it's a reference 561 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:26,920 Speaker 1: to his hometown. That's true. I saw that as well. 562 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:29,440 Speaker 1: You know, he's kind of a mythic figure at Ikea, 563 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:31,760 Speaker 1: and his farm boy common sense or thrift is a 564 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:34,720 Speaker 1: big part of the company ethos. Like there's this one 565 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:37,080 Speaker 1: story about ingvar looking at a case of geese and 566 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:40,080 Speaker 1: a refrigerator in China and asking, so what happens to 567 00:27:40,119 --> 00:27:43,639 Speaker 1: those feathers? Like he spotted that deal and everyone in 568 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:46,400 Speaker 1: the company knows about it, and he lives that way too. 569 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:49,640 Speaker 1: I mean, his homes are all furnished exclusively in Ikea. 570 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:53,240 Speaker 1: He drives this old Volvo and for his ninetieth birthday 571 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:55,480 Speaker 1: he was interviewed and he was supposedly wearing clothes that 572 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:59,400 Speaker 1: he found at a thrift store, which you know, I mean, 573 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:01,639 Speaker 1: he's he's of the richest billionaires in the world. But 574 00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:04,800 Speaker 1: as we mentioned in the tax episode way back when, 575 00:28:05,240 --> 00:28:07,400 Speaker 1: there's a lot of secrecy at the company, and it's 576 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:10,359 Speaker 1: not without its dark past. But before we get into that, 577 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:19,439 Speaker 1: why don't we pause for quiz? All right, mango, So 578 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:22,320 Speaker 1: our second quiz today, we decided to find a couple 579 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:26,439 Speaker 1: of people who have actually assembled Ikea furniture before. We 580 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:28,479 Speaker 1: didn't have to go very far for this, did we 581 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:30,720 Speaker 1: We place the song wide call out and we walked 582 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:32,600 Speaker 1: a few stuffs from our desk to get to right. 583 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:34,760 Speaker 1: That's right. So we have a few friends from here 584 00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:38,000 Speaker 1: at the How Stuff Works Family, Noel Brown and Ben Boland. 585 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:40,360 Speaker 1: They're the host of one of my favorite shows here 586 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:42,160 Speaker 1: at How Stuff Works called Stuff they Don't Want You 587 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:45,720 Speaker 1: to Know. Welcome, guys, Thank you, thanks for having us right. 588 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:48,239 Speaker 1: I have to tell you actually, just this morning I 589 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:52,440 Speaker 1: was listening to your most recent episode on this continuation 590 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:56,240 Speaker 1: of Government plan and on bunkers and like what happens 591 00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:59,920 Speaker 1: with the government after either a nuclear attack or something 592 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:03,760 Speaker 1: that may happen that causes mass chaos, And it was awesome, guys, 593 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:05,520 Speaker 1: such a great interview. Tell us a little bit about 594 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:09,600 Speaker 1: that one. Oh sure, yeah, so we interviewed Garrett Graff, 595 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:15,480 Speaker 1: who is a pretty prolific author and a favorite of 596 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:20,960 Speaker 1: ours when it comes to credible investigations into stuff They'll 597 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 1: want you to know. It turns out, then the United States, 598 00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:28,240 Speaker 1: for decades, the US government has spent quite a bit 599 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:32,160 Speaker 1: of financial effort, quite a bit of blood, sweat and tears, 600 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:37,000 Speaker 1: in creating top secret bunkers that will allow not everyone 601 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:40,440 Speaker 1: but the people they deem important to the continuation of 602 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:44,160 Speaker 1: the U. S Government to survive anything from a widespread 603 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:47,840 Speaker 1: plague to an act of God to a nuclear disaster. 604 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:50,120 Speaker 1: I was sadly absent for this episode, so I look 605 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 1: forward to consuming it just like you, guys. Did and 606 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:56,640 Speaker 1: it sounds awesome. Yeah. It spoiler. The bunkers are filled 607 00:29:56,640 --> 00:30:00,160 Speaker 1: with ire, right, Yeah, there is a several of the 608 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: bunkers are produced by Ikeas so they can be easily 609 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:07,200 Speaker 1: disassembled and reassembled like those little kind of pre made 610 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:09,960 Speaker 1: rooms that you see in the showroom, you know, like 611 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 1: the double decker bunk beds with the desk underneath. There 612 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:14,520 Speaker 1: was another episode that I love from you guys recently 613 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:17,400 Speaker 1: where you interviewed actually the founder of of How Stuff Works, 614 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:20,440 Speaker 1: Marshall Brain, and it was about life on Mars. You know, 615 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:23,760 Speaker 1: something we don't really think about it. After the efforts 616 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:25,680 Speaker 1: to get to Mars. There's so much talk about like 617 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:27,760 Speaker 1: how do we get to Mars, and then there's not 618 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:30,040 Speaker 1: as much thought from a lot of people about like, okay, 619 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:32,320 Speaker 1: we're here, now, how the heck do we actually live here? 620 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:34,200 Speaker 1: You know. We tried to caveat that one as much 621 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 1: as possible as being a thought experiment, you know. So 622 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:38,960 Speaker 1: we got a lot of a little bit of flak, 623 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,640 Speaker 1: people saying we were kind of like promoting communism because 624 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:43,280 Speaker 1: a lot of the ideas of you know, how do 625 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:45,719 Speaker 1: we start a society from scratch? You end up with 626 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:48,680 Speaker 1: some little nuggets of kind of communism kind of thought 627 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:51,480 Speaker 1: in there, but we we tried to look at both sides, 628 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:54,000 Speaker 1: and Marshall was a very gracious guest and a very 629 00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:56,160 Speaker 1: interesting intelligent guy. Was a lot of fun to talk 630 00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:59,640 Speaker 1: to him about this crazy stuff, and so yeah, he is. 631 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:03,920 Speaker 1: He's also wants us to make sure every time we 632 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:06,479 Speaker 1: mentioned that episode to let people know that you can 633 00:31:06,520 --> 00:31:08,680 Speaker 1: go to Marshall brain dot com and you can write 634 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:13,600 Speaker 1: to him directly with any prayers or feedback. All right, well, 635 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:17,200 Speaker 1: something almost as heavy as the continuation of government plan 636 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,680 Speaker 1: and bunkers. We're going to play a quiz here, Mango, 637 00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:22,440 Speaker 1: What what quiz are we putting these guys up to? 638 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:25,600 Speaker 1: We're playing a little game called Boys of Ikea. All 639 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:29,600 Speaker 1: As it turns out, I'm a proud owner of both 640 00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:33,760 Speaker 1: a mom, a schmool and some yarn. So, Mango, this 641 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:37,480 Speaker 1: is the second Ikea product squiz we're doing today. I know, 642 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:40,160 Speaker 1: but they're so fun, that's true. Well, as you might know, 643 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:43,520 Speaker 1: Ikea has different naming schemes for their furniture, so carpets 644 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:46,680 Speaker 1: are often Danish place names, or the lighting might be 645 00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:50,200 Speaker 1: chemistry terms. But today we're quizzing you on furniture that's 646 00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:53,479 Speaker 1: named after common boys names. Okay, so this is what 647 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:55,800 Speaker 1: we're gonna do. We're gonna show you a picture of 648 00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:58,600 Speaker 1: a piece of furniture and then we'll give you a clue, 649 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:01,760 Speaker 1: and you just have to tell us the boy's name. Okay, 650 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:04,080 Speaker 1: you got this. This is what we're gonna do. Mango 651 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:07,480 Speaker 1: has these very helpful pictures here. I know, just looking 652 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:10,200 Speaker 1: at that chair you immediately away. But we have to 653 00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:13,160 Speaker 1: give clues for the listeners. That's right, could that possibly 654 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:16,800 Speaker 1: be a giveaway? And uh? And because you're competing against 655 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:18,800 Speaker 1: each other, and because we don't have busters, we're gonna 656 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:20,800 Speaker 1: ask you to either move or kaka when you know 657 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:27,720 Speaker 1: the answer. So, uh, can we do either one? Okay? Okay, 658 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:31,000 Speaker 1: So would you like to move? Uh? Sure, I'll take 659 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:36,680 Speaker 1: them more. Would I can see you? Eba? No, no 660 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:40,080 Speaker 1: move Benelka. Okay, here we go. All right, you guys 661 00:32:40,080 --> 00:32:43,479 Speaker 1: ready to play. Okay, let's show them picture number one, 662 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:48,000 Speaker 1: number one. Okay, here we go. This folding bar stool 663 00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:50,560 Speaker 1: with back rest doubles as the name of the first 664 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:54,960 Speaker 1: African American character from the Peanuts name that I kea 665 00:32:55,080 --> 00:33:00,960 Speaker 1: boy panic? I don't know? Okay, chairs name with the Roosevelt, 666 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:08,440 Speaker 1: Oh Franklin. Yes, one to nothing. Here we go. Question 667 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:11,480 Speaker 1: question number two. Yeah, let's let's let's work on the 668 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: okay here all right. Although this dining chair was retired, 669 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:19,160 Speaker 1: the tennis player who shares its name just won his 670 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:23,520 Speaker 1: eighth Wimbledon and shows no signs of slowing down. Can 671 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:28,800 Speaker 1: you name that? I kea boy? His last name is Federer? 672 00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:39,800 Speaker 1: Al right, Ben Kevin. I was thinking, I think no 673 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:46,600 Speaker 1: one gets that point by default. Roger. There we go. Yeah, alright, 674 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:48,280 Speaker 1: funny that we were on the same wave like that. 675 00:33:51,720 --> 00:33:55,440 Speaker 1: Here we go, all right. Question number three. These stackable 676 00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:57,920 Speaker 1: chairs were easy to move thanks to the hole in 677 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:01,240 Speaker 1: the back rest. The furniture also shares its name with 678 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:05,560 Speaker 1: the patriarch of the Munster family on television. All right, 679 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:10,560 Speaker 1: who is it? Yes, Arman Munster? Well done, I think 680 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:13,560 Speaker 1: we're okay, it's two to one, nol Is that right? Okay? 681 00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:17,960 Speaker 1: Number four. This leather and steel bar stool shares its 682 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:21,000 Speaker 1: name with a Caesar, the one who was kidnapped by 683 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:24,080 Speaker 1: pirates and then demanded that they up there ransom because 684 00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:27,560 Speaker 1: he was worth much more than what they were asking. Alright, 685 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:30,560 Speaker 1: I'll take the big Okay, let's hear it. It's gonna 686 00:34:30,560 --> 00:34:35,960 Speaker 1: be wrong though, Julius. Yeah, correct yourself, all right, the 687 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:39,120 Speaker 1: big tidebreaker. Here a number five feeling it. Here's the 688 00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:41,680 Speaker 1: here's the photo. Okay, so that's that's that's it looks 689 00:34:41,719 --> 00:34:45,600 Speaker 1: the same as number one and three. This is such 690 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:49,040 Speaker 1: a great, such great audio pictures. All right, here we go. 691 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:52,440 Speaker 1: This modern folding chair shares its first name with an 692 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:56,319 Speaker 1: American writer. After he wrote, the raven children would run 693 00:34:56,400 --> 00:34:59,240 Speaker 1: up to him on the street, let me finish the question, 694 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:04,960 Speaker 1: and then did they? Let's see, after he wrote, the 695 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:06,959 Speaker 1: raven children would run up to him in the street, 696 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:09,960 Speaker 1: flapping their wings and calling nevermore. Let's let you guys 697 00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:13,680 Speaker 1: on the count of three say it together, one to three, Edgar, 698 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:22,000 Speaker 1: So what does that mean? We we'll give him a 699 00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:23,719 Speaker 1: time because we don't want to start an office fight. 700 00:35:23,760 --> 00:35:26,319 Speaker 1: We're gonna give them each of five dollar gift card 701 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:28,600 Speaker 1: to Ikea, the cheapest gift card you can get to Ikea. 702 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:33,759 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, no, no, we're going to the cafeteria. 703 00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:37,320 Speaker 1: Is enough for their Swedish meat at meat balls and 704 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:40,280 Speaker 1: that's a lot of meatballs. Well, I hope everyone well listening. 705 00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:42,160 Speaker 1: We'll check out stuff they don't want you to know. Guys, 706 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:57,839 Speaker 1: thanks so much for joining. Thank you. So I don't 707 00:35:57,840 --> 00:35:59,400 Speaker 1: want to get too deep into this, but we were 708 00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:02,560 Speaker 1: going to talk a little bit about ing bars darker history. Right. So, 709 00:36:02,719 --> 00:36:05,840 Speaker 1: the company definitely makes use of tax shelters, and Ikea 710 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:09,040 Speaker 1: itself is registered as a nonprofit, where for a company 711 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:11,879 Speaker 1: that does thirty billion dollars or more in sales, there's 712 00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:14,920 Speaker 1: not a lot of nonprofit work to show. But I 713 00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:17,440 Speaker 1: think the thing that really shocked me is that ng 714 00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:19,719 Speaker 1: Bar had been part of a far right Swedish party 715 00:36:19,719 --> 00:36:21,759 Speaker 1: when he was younger. He was a fan of this 716 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:25,239 Speaker 1: fascist per eng Doll and at first it sounded to 717 00:36:25,239 --> 00:36:28,080 Speaker 1: the press pretty superficial, and then it became clear he'd 718 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:30,239 Speaker 1: done some heavy recruiting for the party and had a 719 00:36:30,239 --> 00:36:33,719 Speaker 1: police file. Anyway, he's apologized for it, and he's called 720 00:36:33,719 --> 00:36:36,600 Speaker 1: it the silly phase in his life and it's something 721 00:36:36,600 --> 00:36:39,719 Speaker 1: he regrets. But he only does interviews with journalists he 722 00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:42,399 Speaker 1: vets now and he keeps a really tight control over 723 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:45,160 Speaker 1: the narrative. But all that's complicated by the fact that 724 00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:47,680 Speaker 1: there's also been some concern that the company is really 725 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:53,120 Speaker 1: insular and that upper management is almost all from small land. Supposedly, 726 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:54,960 Speaker 1: you can't make it up in the company if you 727 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:57,520 Speaker 1: don't come from that region. Well, on the other hand, 728 00:36:57,560 --> 00:36:59,520 Speaker 1: once those comments came out, the company did make a 729 00:36:59,520 --> 00:37:02,440 Speaker 1: big effort to diversify. Yeah, and by all accounts they 730 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:05,839 Speaker 1: have and the workers have really high satisfaction ratings, like 731 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:08,920 Speaker 1: they get great gifts at the holidays, and um I 732 00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:11,640 Speaker 1: KEA used to use this m I T living wage 733 00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:13,799 Speaker 1: calculator and they did that so that they could make 734 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:16,600 Speaker 1: sure employees and different regions all got paid well or 735 00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:19,040 Speaker 1: well enough to live. And now they're really trying to 736 00:37:19,080 --> 00:37:21,160 Speaker 1: be a force for environmental good too. Yeah. I mean, 737 00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:23,200 Speaker 1: there's there's a lot packed in there. And there this 738 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:25,400 Speaker 1: book from a former employee that I guess got a 739 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:28,120 Speaker 1: lot of press, and it talks about ing var with pride, 740 00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:30,840 Speaker 1: but also describes the end fighting that goes on to 741 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:33,960 Speaker 1: please him, which you know, supposedly he stirs that up. 742 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:37,200 Speaker 1: But whatever else, he's still this pretty beloved figure in Sweden. 743 00:37:37,719 --> 00:37:39,799 Speaker 1: But before we go, let's break from this topic and 744 00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:41,560 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about one of the things I 745 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:44,680 Speaker 1: think is just genius, and that's how the store flows. 746 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:46,960 Speaker 1: I mean, it kind of reminds me of the you know, 747 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,680 Speaker 1: the gentle way of grocery store guides you along. And 748 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:52,040 Speaker 1: how's that? Well, you know how grocery stores try to 749 00:37:52,120 --> 00:37:55,400 Speaker 1: lead you counterclockwise, and and that's because most people are 750 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:58,920 Speaker 1: right handed, which I know that sounds like fake marketing advice, 751 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:01,880 Speaker 1: but because those people are closer to the shelves with 752 00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:04,360 Speaker 1: their right hand, there's actually a seven or eight percent 753 00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:07,719 Speaker 1: increase in sales when stores switched to that direction. Yeah. 754 00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:09,600 Speaker 1: I remember reading that if you walk the store in 755 00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:13,120 Speaker 1: the opposite direction, you'll actually spend less. And even though 756 00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:15,560 Speaker 1: I know that, like I can't fight the current, I 757 00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:18,480 Speaker 1: always have to go with the flood. I get it, 758 00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:21,000 Speaker 1: I get it, and I key has even more like that. 759 00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:23,520 Speaker 1: The whole store is intended to be this lazy river 760 00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:26,560 Speaker 1: that pulls you along. And every fifty feet or so, 761 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:29,520 Speaker 1: there's a curve in the path because there's always supposed 762 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:32,840 Speaker 1: to be something enticing hiding right around the corner, you know. 763 00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:35,439 Speaker 1: In fact, according to Lauren Collins piece, she says, any 764 00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:38,359 Speaker 1: long stretch that doesn't make a turn is referred to 765 00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:41,480 Speaker 1: as an audubon, which is code for, as she says, 766 00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:45,400 Speaker 1: a big boring mistake. I love that so Um, I 767 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:47,320 Speaker 1: actually know what you mean. Like, when I've been in 768 00:38:47,360 --> 00:38:49,720 Speaker 1: the stores, it really does feel like a giant maze 769 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:51,960 Speaker 1: moving in one direction, and it's kind of all pulling 770 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:54,719 Speaker 1: you towards the register. I'm not sure if you remember this, 771 00:38:54,840 --> 00:38:57,000 Speaker 1: but Jess Hollinger did this piece for a Metal Last 772 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:58,799 Speaker 1: some years ago. I do remember that, Yeah, yeah, And 773 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:01,040 Speaker 1: and she talked to a bunch of Akia employees and 774 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:02,719 Speaker 1: one of the things she discovered was that there are 775 00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:06,440 Speaker 1: actually all these hidden shortcuts in every idea, Like there 776 00:39:06,440 --> 00:39:09,400 Speaker 1: are unmarked doors that will take you upstairs or downstairs, 777 00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:12,120 Speaker 1: or little entrances between a bedroom department that will take 778 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:14,439 Speaker 1: you to the carpet section and you can skip through 779 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:16,759 Speaker 1: four or five sections. It's it actually feels to me 780 00:39:16,880 --> 00:39:19,239 Speaker 1: like one of those pipes and Super Mario Brothers that 781 00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:21,439 Speaker 1: lets you skip to the end of a level or something. 782 00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:23,880 Speaker 1: But I've got to tell you, the last time I 783 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:26,960 Speaker 1: got stuck in Ikea for way too long, I started 784 00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:29,560 Speaker 1: scouting for the secret passageways and using them, and it 785 00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:31,799 Speaker 1: made my trip so much more fun. Way you can 786 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:34,879 Speaker 1: do this that nobody tried to stop you from doing that. Yeah, 787 00:39:34,920 --> 00:39:37,280 Speaker 1: that's the best part. I mean, those passageways are mostly 788 00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:40,120 Speaker 1: there to be helpful for workers, but they're also there 789 00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:42,520 Speaker 1: in case of emergencies. And as long as the door 790 00:39:42,560 --> 00:39:46,000 Speaker 1: doesn't say employees only, Ikia won't really hassle you about 791 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:48,279 Speaker 1: poking around. I mean, this is the same store that 792 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:52,840 Speaker 1: lets customers in China sleep on their beds for hours. Actually, 793 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:55,560 Speaker 1: speaking of those, I love those photos of people test driving, 794 00:39:55,560 --> 00:39:58,960 Speaker 1: you know, the merchandise there. The other thing, an employee 795 00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:00,920 Speaker 1: to the Metal Floss was that the stores will actually 796 00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:03,600 Speaker 1: change the pathways every once in a while, So maybe 797 00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:05,880 Speaker 1: that the hide and Sea enthusiasts you've talked about in 798 00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:09,240 Speaker 1: the beginning don't get too familiar with. It's also interesting 799 00:40:09,239 --> 00:40:12,879 Speaker 1: how much business Ikea doesn't impulse buys, Like once you're 800 00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:15,720 Speaker 1: past the furniture and all the things you came to buy, 801 00:40:15,880 --> 00:40:18,160 Speaker 1: the last part of the i Kea store is actually 802 00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:21,759 Speaker 1: called the open the Wallets section, and that's where all 803 00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:23,480 Speaker 1: the things you need but would never come to an 804 00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:26,839 Speaker 1: i Kea specifically for they're waiting for you right there. 805 00:40:27,120 --> 00:40:29,759 Speaker 1: It could be anything from a plastic picnic plate to 806 00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:33,320 Speaker 1: a two dollar vase, but it's at such steep discounts 807 00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:36,200 Speaker 1: that you just can't resist. Well, that's the magic of 808 00:40:36,239 --> 00:40:38,560 Speaker 1: the bullah bullah, that's right. I don't know if you 809 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:40,680 Speaker 1: said this. For like, every single article I read about 810 00:40:40,680 --> 00:40:43,200 Speaker 1: I can't mentioned how they have this special way of 811 00:40:43,239 --> 00:40:45,680 Speaker 1: stacking a hundred different items into a bin just to 812 00:40:45,719 --> 00:40:48,759 Speaker 1: accentuate how affordable all this stuff is. That and the 813 00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:51,440 Speaker 1: fact that they always keep like shopping bags every fifty 814 00:40:51,480 --> 00:40:53,160 Speaker 1: feet so you never have an excuse not to pick 815 00:40:53,239 --> 00:40:55,359 Speaker 1: up more stuff, Well then it clearly works. I mean, 816 00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:57,759 Speaker 1: on the one hand, I TA feels so folksy, and 817 00:40:57,840 --> 00:41:00,719 Speaker 1: yet the brand is so big it's just izzy. I mean, 818 00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:03,440 Speaker 1: like people always mentioned how one out of every ten 819 00:41:03,520 --> 00:41:06,799 Speaker 1: Europeans was conceived on an Ikea bed. Yeah, that's such 820 00:41:06,800 --> 00:41:09,080 Speaker 1: a crazy stat and I actually read a funny line 821 00:41:09,080 --> 00:41:11,759 Speaker 1: in The Atlantic about it. They called Ikea beds the 822 00:41:11,840 --> 00:41:15,360 Speaker 1: literal cradle of humanity. But you also hear that sad 823 00:41:15,360 --> 00:41:17,640 Speaker 1: a lot about how i Kea uses one percent of 824 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:20,120 Speaker 1: the world's would to make its furniture. Yeah, I mean, 825 00:41:20,120 --> 00:41:21,880 Speaker 1: that's that's right. But the thing that really brought it 826 00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:23,800 Speaker 1: home for me was this line from the New Yorker 827 00:41:23,840 --> 00:41:25,960 Speaker 1: piece let me let me just read it here. It says, uh, 828 00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:30,360 Speaker 1: when Ikia stopped selling incandescent lightbulbs. Last year, six hundred 829 00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:33,960 Speaker 1: and twenty six million people became environmentalists. I mean it's 830 00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:36,400 Speaker 1: just stunning. Yeah, it's crazy how big they are. But um, 831 00:41:36,920 --> 00:41:38,959 Speaker 1: speaking of stunning, why don't we do a little fact 832 00:41:38,960 --> 00:41:41,480 Speaker 1: off while we're while we're on the subject, all right, 833 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:54,360 Speaker 1: m okay, here's one to kick it off. So in 834 00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:57,360 Speaker 1: the Netherlands, Ikea had to stop offering a one euro 835 00:41:57,480 --> 00:42:01,680 Speaker 1: breakfast on weekends because the country's road couldn't accommodate the traffic. 836 00:42:02,280 --> 00:42:06,920 Speaker 1: That's insane. So here's something I didn't realize about the 837 00:42:06,960 --> 00:42:09,640 Speaker 1: IKEA catalog is c G I now, no way. Yeah. 838 00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:12,840 Speaker 1: Not only is the computer generated catalog cheaper for the company, 839 00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:15,000 Speaker 1: but it makes it easier to tweak the catalog for 840 00:42:15,040 --> 00:42:17,880 Speaker 1: different markets. That's impressive. All right, here's the crazy thing 841 00:42:17,960 --> 00:42:21,319 Speaker 1: I learned. So we pronounced Ikea wrong. In America, we 842 00:42:21,440 --> 00:42:26,600 Speaker 1: call it i Kea, but it's actually e ka. So 843 00:42:26,719 --> 00:42:28,799 Speaker 1: we talked a little about the naming system in the 844 00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:31,480 Speaker 1: quiz earlier. But the reason all the bookcases are boys 845 00:42:31,560 --> 00:42:34,400 Speaker 1: names or professions or the betting is all named for 846 00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:37,840 Speaker 1: flowers and plants. It's because ing bar is dyslexic. It 847 00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:40,160 Speaker 1: was an easier taxonomy than numbers for him to keep 848 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:42,560 Speaker 1: track of everything. All I kind of love that. Al Right, 849 00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:45,719 Speaker 1: here's something that's totally bonkers. So in nineteen seventy three, 850 00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:49,359 Speaker 1: the company was growing so fast it accidentally opened an 851 00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:53,200 Speaker 1: Ikea and the wrong Town in Germany. Apparently it was 852 00:42:53,239 --> 00:42:56,600 Speaker 1: supposed to go up in constands, but it went up 853 00:42:56,640 --> 00:42:59,759 Speaker 1: in Kobe Lens instead. I mean, anybody can make that 854 00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:02,719 Speaker 1: a thing, though. Yeah, even though that fact makes no 855 00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:05,479 Speaker 1: sense to me, I I love it. So I'm gonna 856 00:43:05,560 --> 00:43:07,640 Speaker 1: let you walk away with the belt this week. And 857 00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:10,279 Speaker 1: for those of you listening at home, don't forget to 858 00:43:10,320 --> 00:43:12,520 Speaker 1: write us at part Time Genius at how stuff Works 859 00:43:12,520 --> 00:43:15,600 Speaker 1: dot com and please send in your favorite meatball and 860 00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:18,080 Speaker 1: furniture facts. A lot of you are gonna walk away 861 00:43:18,120 --> 00:43:30,880 Speaker 1: with t shirts. Thank you so much for listening. Okay, 862 00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:37,400 Speaker 1: thanks again for listening. Part Time Genius is a production 863 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:39,880 Speaker 1: of How Stuff Works and wouldn't be possible without several 864 00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:42,399 Speaker 1: brilliant people who do the important things. We couldn't even 865 00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:45,759 Speaker 1: begin to understand. CHRISTA McNeil does the editing thing. Noel 866 00:43:45,800 --> 00:43:47,799 Speaker 1: Brown made the theme song and does the mixy mixy 867 00:43:47,880 --> 00:43:51,399 Speaker 1: sound thing. Garry Rowland does the exact producer thing. Gay 868 00:43:51,440 --> 00:43:54,000 Speaker 1: Bluesier is our lead researcher, with support from the Research 869 00:43:54,080 --> 00:43:57,279 Speaker 1: Army including Austin Thompson, Nolan Brown and Lucas Adams and Eves. 870 00:43:57,320 --> 00:43:59,720 Speaker 1: Jeff Cook gets the show to your ears. Good job, Eves. 871 00:44:00,040 --> 00:44:01,920 Speaker 1: If you like what you heard, we hope you'll subscribe, 872 00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:03,799 Speaker 1: And if you really really like what you've heard, maybe 873 00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:05,800 Speaker 1: you could leave a good review for us. Do we do? 874 00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:07,640 Speaker 1: We forget Jason? Jason who