IKEA: We Know It’s Tempting, But Please Stop Having Sleepovers In Stores

Now matter how cool your inner child may be, you’ve almost certainly gazed upon IKEA’s vast array of demo rooms and beds and pondered some sort of Night at the Museum overnight adventure in the store. While IKEA understands this temptation, the Swedish retailer still considers it trespassing.

There have been a slew of “non-sponsored” sleepovers at IKEA locations around the world this year, BBC News notes, reported in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, Japan, Australia, and Poland.

This all apparently started when two Belgians posted a video on YouTube in August of their overnight stay at an IKEA.

The duo even performed traditional sleepover activities like jumping on beds, and hid in a wardrobe for three hours to escape detection. They eventually walked out without getting into trouble.

Not everyone avoids getting caught, however: Two teenagers were recently reported for trespassing after they were found hanging around in a store in Jonkoping, Sweden, Sydsvenskan reports.

The two girls were reportedly scared of setting off the alarm to leave the cupboards they’d hidden themselves in. Workers discovered them in the morning and called the police.

IKEA is totally aware of the appeal of in-store sleepovers, but it just doesn’t want people treating stores like their own personal party pads.

“We appreciate that people are interested in IKEA and want to create fun experiences, however the safety and security of our co-workers and customers is our highest priority and that’s why we do not allow sleepovers in our stores,” a UK company spokesman told the BBC.

His Swedish counterpart agrees, adding, “Maybe needless to say that the fun in it is overrated. A long night of sitting still, only to then risk getting into trouble with the law.”

While it’s against the law to hold an unauthorized sleepover at your local IKEA, the retailer paired up with Airbnb in 2014 to list an Australian store for overnight stays.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist