text: Ikea is not just a store as my fellow Yelper indicated It is a phenomenonnnMuch has been written here and elsewhere about this international megachain which specializes in moderatelypriced welldesigned contemporary modular ieassembleityourself furniture and home accessories Ikea is exactly what it purports to be so there is not much I can add to its description nnAs I write this post February I am having a hard time believing my first experience at the Charlotte location of this Scandinavian retail giant It opened only ten days ago and apparently the circusattraction atmosphere has not worn off yet Picture this today was wet windy and foggy It rained incessantly Yet when we approached the Ikea campus via North Tryon Street there were blockaded traffic lanes a half dozen patrol cars and not less than a mile of bumpertobumper traffic waiting to get into the parking lot Incredible It was as if the economic crisis never happened I was amazednnThe giant store apparently has only one main entrance and exit much like its big box cousins That was particularly inconvenient on a day like today where staying dry was a challenge Once inside guests were funneled upstairs via escalator to begin their march around the massive showroom Everyone was encouraged to grab a courtesy tape measure pencil and store map on which to make those allimportant prepurchase notations nnThe displays were massive impressive and incessant I thought the furnished recreations of a living space that indicated its square footage an especially effective way to illustrate how Ikea furnishings heavily oriented toward efficiency work well in small tight spaces I had to chuckle ironically however since many of the living spaces I have seen since moving to Charlotte are anything but small or tight quite the contrary But given the current economy maybe more folks will be downsizing I am thinking of multiplefamily McMansions with kids using closets as bedrooms hee hee At any rate Ikea certainly knows how to present its information clearly and effectively and I am sure they would gladly do McMansions as well as small urban spacesnnMy biggest beef with Ikea however is purely personal For one thing any store with arrows on the floor indicating the direction I should walk gives me the creeps regardless of the crowd size I do not enjoy being herded into a space and then being compelled to move through it in any direction except the one I choose Second I am just not a big fan of the whole box store shopping experience where the sheer space and quantity of stuff outweighs my eyes ability to focus on detail I feel certain judging by the size of the crowd that my opinion represents the minority but that is just me nnI will give Ikea props in the kitchen and bath design department where the concept of modularity and spaceconsciousness works well It also appears the Ikea staff are welltrained and prepared to help customers with both the design and planning in those areas nnI am sure I will return to Ikea if for no other reason than I would like to spend more time trying to focus on the design aspect of its furnishings and accessories But until the massive crowds and homeland securitylike police presence calm down I will continue to delay my next Ikea shopping experience Todays tightlycontrolled visit reminded me more of a trip to the CharlotteDouglas International Airport than say my last outdoor concert where I saw Radiohead I will follow the direction of the crowdpolice for Radiohead but not for kitchen cabinets Not yet anyway