I went to IKEA over the weekend for the time in a few years (Jennifer was looking for a TV stand. There's one in Emeryville right near where I am working. The last time I was there I almost got into a fight in the parking lot over a spot. It's a long story that I don't want to get into, but suffice it to say that the IKEA is very popular.

They've built a new parking structure to handle the crowds, but the inside of the massive store is a still a scrum of people looking for quality Scando-design at bargain basement prices. And that's the problem, at least from where I'm standing.

IKEA stuff looks great, from a distant. But the closer you get, the facade of quality falls away. Their hole showroom reminds me of a Hollywood set that looks great on camera, but up close looks like it fall over in a rain storm and if you go through a door, there's nothing but air. It's all style and no substance.

A chest of drawers might look nice, but when you open any of the drawers, it feels rickety, like the thing is going to fall apart. And these floors models are put together by trained IKEA folks. What happens when you take your box home and assemble your new desk or cabinet in your living? I'm sure you know.

I saw some nice things that I might go back to get some day like a colander or a goose down comforter, only things that require no assembly or engineering. The only thing I left with was a bottle of Swedish mustard.