Ikea has definitely lost their way – their selection is much more expensive and more knotty pine and cinder block looking everyday now … but there latest attempt at being green is an amazing and cheap symbolism scam on their part. They are now charging a nickel for every bag you use – so what if you the customer are inconvenienced – apparently they make so little that you have to pay a nickel for every bag we use. We decided it’s best for everyone so we’re charging you for every bag.

Sure, it’s a just a nickel but how many nickels does IKEA collect and earn interest on before “planting trees” with it? A couple million? They don’t say what the timetable is for passing the “savings” along? Ten years from now? And who is taking that tax deduction for that nickel or millions of nickels? Shouldn’t WE be getting a tax receipt? No, of course, they pocket the interest AND the tax deduction … why not turn out the lights and charge us to buy a flashlight with batteries that lasts for 50 minutes and as we leave, charge us a battery disposal fee also?

They not only annoy us by making it more inconvenient and a disincentive to buy anything, they have to gall to pin the planet not having enough trees on US! Not like they haven’t cut down a million trees to wrap their knot wood pine “furniture?” Or the fact the bags are plastic and not paper? Or that they try to sell us another larger plastic bag with their IKEA branding on it? It would also help if the cashier didn’t gleefully ask, “Would you like a bag?” And if say “yes” like most customers would thinking – why would I want to cradle 10 items in my arm – DING DING DING goes the cash register – what’s Swedish for greedy mofo?

Conversely, the company that people love to hate has instituted a pretty cool feature. many large items they sell at Walmart.com has a FREE SHIPPING TO STORE feature so if you buy a swing set for $200 bucks, you’re not paying $105 to ship it to your house but for free, you can go to your neighborhood Walmart and pick it up. SMART.

Ikea, you should learn a little something about customer service from Wal-Mart instead of thinking of new tax deductions to foist on “customers” … or as you might see us, nickel carrying intruders …

So, for want of a nickel, I’ll be buying elsewhere … perhaps at FinnStyle, Uncommon Goods, iLuren, Urban Peel, Unica, Nambe, Plastica, Conran is still around, Fly-Bird, or stores with service like Crate & Barrel and their hip offshoot – CB2, or great design and great value – Designs Within Reach, DWR and EQ3. Or if you’re looking something different … Jellio, 2Modern, or Big Pagoda. Or does your studio apartment radiator look like this?