Ikea gives all of its U.S. employees new bikes

[Newsjock]

Source: Sacramento Bee

The American arm of Scandinavian-style furniture giant Ikea surprised its 12,400 of U.S. workers this week with new bikes for the holidays.

... "It's been a good year for Ikea, so what better way to celebrate our success than to thank our Ikea co-workers who made this happen?," said Mike Ward, president of Ikea US. "This is our way of saying: 'Thanks IKEA co-workers for being strongly committed to working together.'

"We hope this bike will be taken in the spirit of the season while supporting a healthy lifestyle and everyday sustainable transport."

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/08/3243017/ikea-gives-all-of-its-us-employees.html

[Drale]

1. What if they didn't want a bike

I wouldn't, I already have a really nice bike, why would I want a bike made in Sweden out of inferior wood? lol

[realisticphish]

3. what if they wanted a hula-hoop? nt

[valerief]

9. Sweden is made of inferior wood? I've known men from Swedish descent and their wood was...

[muriel_volestrangler]

37. Lennon would have written "isn't it good, Swedish wood"

but it wouldn't have scanned. :D

[TBF]

50. They've got great wood - they make boats in Sweden.

And I can certainly recommend their furniture. We've got a lovely Beech bedroom set from Ikea that has lasted 10 years, along with other bookcases and tables.

[realisticphish]

2. Just in time to be placed in storage until summer lol

still, an interesting idea.

[HuckleB]

23. In much of the country the weather is better for bikes now than in summer.

Besides, even in the northwest, many cyclists continue to go all winter.

[realisticphish]

34. psh

those people aren't REAL muricans ;)

[HuckleB]

35. Well, that is true.

:hi:

[JVS]

32. Or given away to kids for Xmas.

[realisticphish]

33. very true nt

[rucky]

57. With the SWEN Modular garage storage system.

Very clever, IKEA

[Brother Buzz]

4. Assembly Instructions included

[pinboy3niner]

6. ...along with most of the hardware :)

[Brother Buzz]

11. If you run short of hardware, just look in the vacuum for stuff lost from the last assembly project

[DainBramaged]

10. They may be made of wood, that's a unique thought

[csziggy]

18. And an Allen wrench!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

5. I don't know if I'd want to ride a bike that...

...you put together with one of these:

[Crazy Dave]

7. Screw bikes and hams

Give me the cash instead and let me get what I want.

Worst Christmas gift/bonus from a company I once worked at. The men all got cheap ties and the women all got cheap scarves. That was it. The boss confessed that his wife told him everyone would love them, picked them out and bought them herself.

Even a "Jelly Of The Month Club" membership would have been more preferable.

[IMATB]

12. I think it's nice

They don't have to give anything really. You can always sell the bike.

This year I got 2 hams, 2 turkeys, 3 $50 gift cards from various places.

I kept a ham and gave the rest away.

[DainBramaged]

8. And Ikea stores in the US are located on major highways

making it fatal to ride a bike to them.....or not even be allowed to ride one there like the one off the NJ Turnpike.


great thinking!!!

[taterguy]

14. Where's your spirit of adventure?

I actually agree with you on this.

It's just a meaningless way of a corporation trying to look good.

I'm pretty hard-core about cycling but I'd never consider biking to an IKEA. Even if you can avoid the Interstate they're all on major traffic arteries.

OTOH, a company like Mast General Store provides perks to employees who bike and it's located in the middle of one of the best road cycling areas in the country.

[K8-EEE]

16. LOL....my local IKEA is very bike-able!

In beautiful downtown Burbank.

You're right though the rest of the L.A. area stores are in the middle of a freeway!

[DainBramaged]

19. How are you getting ANYTHING from them home on a bike?

:rofl:

[K8-EEE]

20. Ha....well believe it or not I go there for

COFFEE!

[Brother Buzz]

22. !

[DainBramaged]

24. Try and drive from Morris county NJ to the Ikea store on the NJ turnpike

with one of those, you'll be home oh January....

[Brother Buzz]

27. Plan your flight to Denmark in July and make a real adventure out of the ordeal

I don't think those IKEA trailers have made it to the USA yet.

[smokey nj]

30. If you make it home at all.

Roadkill, party of one, your table is ready.

[HuckleB]

25. Moving by bike!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tn5cEKKtLI

[HuckleB]

26. Portland shop offers mattress deliveries by bike

http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2010/05/portland_shop_offers_mattress.html

[name not needed]

46. I always thought it was funny that there's signs pointing out that it is illegal to ride a horse

on the Turnpike.

[lpbk2713]

13. Does Ikea have any paraplegic employees?

That could prove a little embarrassing for Ward.

[mimitabby]

15. this is really neat!

a nice green christmas present!

[K8-EEE]

17. I think so too and great for re-gifting to those in need

A LOT of people can't afford cars or gas these days not to mention all the kids who want bikes!

[ddeclue]

21. unless they are building them bike trails too i predict a rash of ikea employee deaths

Also will they have to assemble their own bikes? :rofl:

[Subdivisions]

28. Jesus Christ! IKEA makes a nice gesture to reward it's employers and almost

every response so far in this thread is negative.

As much as I hate corporations that prey on society and infiltrate our government, I do like to give one credit for doing a good thing.

Those employees who can't use the bike can gift it (or sell it) to someone who can.

[K8-EEE]

29. The overall tone of GD is ultra-mega-crazy negative due to

people being unhappy with current events....everybody who's sick of the whining takes off for a bit and only the grumpy people are left!

[Motown_Johnny]

36. +1

[HuckleB]

39. +1

[stuntcat]

51. I know right?

Unhappy sourpusses, it's just boring.

[JVS]

31. I've never seen an Ikea in a bike friendly location. They've always been out at shopping centers...

on big highways out near airports.

[muriel_volestrangler]

38. I picked one at random - Philadelphia - and it looks quite bikeable

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/store/philadelphia

Just next to a large built-up central area. Looking at the link to Google Maps, I think you can get to it without using the divided highway.

[HuckleB]

40. IKEA is near the airport in Portland, and it's very bike friendly.

I ride by it frequently, though, admittedly, I've never stopped in...

[Stevenmarc]

42. Ikea in Brooklyn is very bike friendly

[BlueIris]

41. I actually really like Ikea. They sell safe, afordable and stylish

baby cribs. In a babyware market chock full of nasty, overpriced choking hazards, I like that one major company is offering alternatives.

[walldude]

43. Was this in lieu of a bonus?

Sounds good, but I had a boss who bought us all Company jackets one year, and after he gave them out mentioned that that was the bonus for that year.

[AnnieBW]

44. And they have to put them together using Ikea instructions

They'll be there until June...

[Sabriel]

45. I think the bike is called "Skruud"

Or maybe that's the employees.

(Seriously, I think it's a great idea. I've never gotten a bonus, so a bike would be much appreciated.)

[martymar64]

47. You would never see an American company do this

Nowadays, the most you get from American companies is maybe an extra 5 minutes on your break when you are forced to work on Christmas morning.

American CEOs are utter cheapskates when it comes to their workers. They make Monty Burns look like Santa Claus.

[mdmc]

48. ..

[bushmeister0]

49. All Hail the Dear Leader!!!

So, Ingvar Kampred (The I and K in IKEA) is a drunken Nazi sympathizer, he makes great cheap furniture.

http://thedearleader.blogspot.com/

[bushmeister0]

53. From the IKEA employee handbook, with some additions.

This is what we got handed to us during our indoctrination sessions in the "Concentration Room." (That's what they call the training room, really!) The bits in quotations are actually Ingvar's words.

Profit is a wonderful word!

Wages distract from a better everyday life for the majority of people, they get in the way of our objective, which is, "we must have resources---not least in the financial area!" Some might call it financial Lebensraum. "Profit gives us Resources!"

"Let us take the drama out of the word profit. Politicians often use and abuse this word. All government subsidies come about by means of state profit on some activity or by means of taxes in some from which you and I pay. Let us rely on ourselves when it comes to creating the financial resources."

Our Dear Leader believes that Unions wipe out the individual in "the gray gloominess of collective agreements." "It was easier to keep alive in earlier times when we weren’t so many," when our blood was pure, when iron ruled.


Our Dear Leader says, "A job must never be just a meal ticket." The body of the nation, or the corporation, must not be weakened. We must have willingness to "to assume responsibility and to help, on our humility before the task and on the simplicity of our behavior."

[Hannah Bell]

52. oooh, isn't that nice. what a nice billionaire! nice, nice!

[hulka38]

54. That's unamerican.

[Skidmore]

55. Only on DU could you find an effort made by a company to help

employees achieve something in the area of the environment get pissed on and dissed. Only on DU where people supposedly encourage this type of thinking.

[tammywammy]

56. +1 n/t

[taterguy]

58. If you worked at an Ikea, would you bike there?

Tell the truth.