I don't see it that way. Long vehicles at IKEA, Lowe's, hell even Michael's -- I don't care. Their parking lots are built for that. And the stuff they get.
Long vehicles in a fucking Trader Joes, definitely asshole material.
It really depends on WHERE you park if you are going to park this way. Parking it in the boonies, way way out at the end of the parking lot? Saintly.
Parking it as close to the entrance as possible? Dungeon. 1000 years dungeon.
But generally I agree. This is the purpose of a truck. To haul heavy items that would not fit in a standard or small vehicle. But don't buy a fucking truck for status or for your office job.
How about backing up the truck bed into the entrance doors, so when you get done, you just load it straight into the back of your truck, THEN exit the building, and drive off?
So the people carrying less items of smaller size have an easier time, and the person carrying the larger items to go in the larger truck have to go further away?
Ah yes, logic.
Why not have large parking spaces near the front to accommodate this, not expect people to just park somewhere else.
If you're buying things that necessitate the truck, you won't be carrying them. You'll be rolling your order out on carts. It's a non-issue to have to roll it a bit further.
IKEA and home depot both have loading zones typically where after you're done shopping you can go get your truck, bring it to the front, load up, then be on your way. Costco and Best Buy will let you do it too for big TVs or furniture, and I'm sure other places don't care either. I've definitely parked in the fire lane in front of a Harbor Freight to load up a super heavy hydraulic press and no one cares.
Sam's Club (a warehouse store similar to Costco that's owned by the same company as Walmart) does the same thing. They have a small loading zone in front of the store for people with big purchases.
Yeah, God forbid he wants to actually take stuff home.
That said, if you've got a huge truck (and I live in the country and work blue collar so I get it, sometimes you need one), have a small car too. Trucks aren't cheap, you can afford a Civic for the city.
When I bought my Miata, it came with a small utility trailer. I've used that trailer to transport home an 8' tall, 4' wide, solid wood pantry cabinet -- not flat-pack; a custom-built, very heavy antique. Now, I'm sad to say I didn't actually use the Miata to tow it in that instance (I think I used my old 4Runner instead), but the point is I could have, and it would've worked.
What happened to them? I remember back in the day, they were the place where employees from other unionized supermarkets aspired to work, and when they got there, they were happy as clams and in it for the long haul.
IKEA started as a furniture shipping company (thus the flat packages and the warehouse aesthetic) and many furniture companies like IKEA still ship to your doorstep or beyond often for a similar or better price compared to what individual transport costs.
yes, the sane way to buy furniture from Ikea is to visit the showroom to look at everything in-person, and then give them your address for delivery of anything very large.
Except for the part where they charge extra for delivery. If I'm driving there planning to buy large items I might as well make sure to bring a vehicle that can bring my purchases home with me. Usually that means a trailer - and unlike delivery, renting a trailer at IKEA is free where I live (provided you've bought something).
Bad faith: "Are you really transporting those products back and forth to test?"
Good Better faith: Seeing and testing furniture doesn't imply not using shipping.
Speculation: For many, use value of products seem less important compared to short-term novelty value, i.e. owning over using. Celebrating ownership might require immediate access regardless of location, showing ability to HAUL the products then displays further power.
If it weren't for insurance I'd be doing exactly that. My truck was in bad shape, but would still get from A to B. I would have loved to replace it with a small, efficient vehicle. But you have to have liability insurance on every vehicle, which is idiotic because liability insurance doesn't cover the vehicle being driven.
That’s why they have loading areas. Park your land yacht way in the back of the lot or on the street until you’re ready to put your flat pack couch in it.
Fantastic. I couldn't make out what was in between the couches at first and then realized it's a crt/plasma big screen that probably weighs 400lbs. The couches are held at the bottom though by one rope so looks good. Can't imagine anything going wrong.
If you have a 22 foot long truck, you should understand that normal infrastructure is not built for you. Either park way at the back of the lot where you’re not inconveniencing people, or on the street.
Ikeas have super large parking spots, they have parking spots for big vehicles and buses. If your car can't fit there, you bought the biggest asshole car in the universe
I don't think ikea even sells furniture that requires such gigantic vehicles in the first place.
That said, furniture is an excellent example of why you could just drive a normal vehicle, a bicycle or a bus to go windowshopping and later have the new furniture delivered to your doorstep by a specialised company and/or vehicle or rent a specialised vehicle for the odd occasion. The cost for society will actually be a damn lot lower.
You think taking a large bedded vehicle to a furniture store is asshole behavior? Well shit, I hope I can fit this entire bedroom set in my car... 🤦♂️
I hate trucks and SUVs with a passion, but I don't really get the hate here. I could barely fit two Billys in my 2015 Volvo V70, or our new kitchen table and chairs because it was too wide.
I'll be installing a trailer hitch ASAP when we move because a trailer is always superior to trucks.
And before anyone says the Vito isn't available in the US - it is, it's just called the Metris. And if you get the passenger variant, you can get 8 people in there.
So you volunteer to be behind him on the freeway as he brings home an entertainment center, a quadruple order of meatballs, and a set of bunk beds piled out the back of his Honda Civic? Ikea is one of the most logical places to drive the big truck.
You can fit that in a normal pickup. I don’t think IKEA sells anything that requires a 22 foot long pickup. Also, who buys entertainment centers and bunk beds on the reg?
I would confidently bet a good amount of money that this truck is their main go everywhere truck and most probably has never been used to haul anything besides shopping.
It's Ikea, king of the flat-pack. You could fit literally an entire room's worth of Ikea furniture in a subcompact hatchback, depending on which pieces you buy.
(Okay so that's on top of a tiny car, not in it, but you get the idea.)
Not that everyone doesn't do it (I definitely have on my Subaru Outback), but cars typically have really low weight allowances on top since they're usually not designed for hauling on the roof. Even my Outback, a car that comes with a rack and all kinds of accoutrements for it, has a 150 pound limit. So you really don't wanna put much IKEA furniture out there to risk damaging your roof, especially if you hit a bump. Also, damaging your roof or the frame can sometimes total your car, because it is a main safety feature for accidents in which you roll over.
First of all, that's an important safety tip, so thank you for mentioning it.
That said, I wasn't really intending to suggest carrying stuff on a roof rack. The text of my comment was about hauling stuff "in" -- as in, inside of -- a small hatchback. I just included that Beetle pic because I wanted something showing the amount of stuff you could fit in a small car and couldn't find anything better.
Yeah no prob. I think most people just...don't read their owners manuals. Not just sedan owners either. You see it with big trucks too where people haul stuff that's WAY too heavy for their brakes, or load trailers with the weight all towards the back (asking for fishtailing). Sometimes I think it's a miracle any of us survive day to day.
Yeah, I learned from experience that my old Ford Ranger can fit more compost in the bed than the suspension can handle. I made it home safely, but that was definitely an uncomfortably sketchy drive.
That looks very similar to how I got a bunch of flatpak furniture home on my Subaru Forester with the roof rack. I can haul tons of stuff in my Subi without much trouble. I just remember to bring some ropes and bungie cords if it's going on top and we're good.
If it's too much (I'm looking at you, 12' firewall sheetrock - that project was a removed) I did the sane thing and got it delivered.
Look, I couldn't find a good picture of a bunch of Ikea flat-pack boxes inside a hatchback. Consider the pic I used "representative," not literal.
The point I was trying to make is that that volume of stuff would easily fit in, for example, a Hyundai Accent subcompact hatchback with the rear seats folded down. (I know this for a fact because I used to own one.)
The only reason it needs to be on the roof of an old air-cooled Beetle is that the engine is in the back.
I’ve bought tons of furniture and had no problem at all with my 16 foot long truck that fits in one parking space. I don’t think IKEA sells anything that wouldn’t fit in my truck.
I'm sure they've got parking spots far enough of that no one will complain. I've been to 5 Ikea's, none have had full lots. This seems like a call to attention and drama. (Not sure on whose part.)
My F-250 is right at 20' long, with the 6½' box. With an 8' box it would be banging on 22 feet.
Fortunately, it's not about "need." I wanted one of these behemoths since I first saw them back in the early 2000s. Now that I have one, the cost of diesel keeps it in the driveway, or I'd be taking it everywhere.
BTW, it gets used. I've hauled 3,000 pounds of tile in the bed, and still has 250 pounds of payload to spare. On another trip, 1,500 pounds of dog food. A freezer. A full-sized couch and loveseat. Bookshelves. A bed. A king-sized mattress. A 6'x6' desk. 2 powered recliners. If we'd had ramps, a Harley Road King. I almost had to haul a buddy's 350 Chevy V8 and transmission, but the sale fell through at the last minute.
I'd like to see your Honda Civic/Miata/Volvo do any of that.
I've hauled in the 1500-2000 lbs ballpark in my Benz wagons. I know a guy who has done ~4000 on a trailer attached to a 90s Civic (no, that was not all that legal or safe).
Big trucks are kinda cool (as long as you don't drive and park like a douche), but they're far from the only way to transport goods. A diesel wagon will get better mpg hauling than your truck will running empty. Plus if you rent a trailer, you can't scratch the bed of your truck (or spill anything in your trunk)
Who down voted you? Now technically given the rarity of drunk drivers actually getting caught, you're probably wrong but only for the wrong reason.
Statistically, though, pickup trucks are more likely to get into accidents. They have a higher per capita accident rate even in many rural areas where there aren't even as many people to hit.
I don’t see them often, but they are almost always used as actual work vehicles. Very few people who want a “big” truck want a long truck. It’s just a total pain.