IKEA Welcomes Freeloading Parents

If simply getting customers in the door is the key to creating a successful business, then IKEA just might have developed the winning formula. The NY Daily News visits the Swedish retailer at their location in Red Hook, Brooklyn to examine the growing trend among people who are visiting the store several times a week to take advantage of the free daycare. The service will watch children between 36 and 50 inches in height for 45 minutes on weekdays and 30 minutes on weekends, providing a much needed respite for overworked parents and guardians – enough time to catch a break, but not enough to leave the store.

And while IKEA is well aware that this crowd of regulars aren’t actually buying anything during most visits, they recognize the power of familiarity. As one IKEA spokeswoman says, “The parents who come back over and over again know what’s on sale,” and that will eventually translate into future purchases.

[via Gothamist]