IKEA becomes second home

When furniture retailer IKEA promoted its latest US sale by asking customers on its website if they are "ready to take advantage of us", one customer took them up on the offer in a novel way.

Mark Malkoff, 31, moved into the IKEA store in Elizabeth, New Jersey, for a week while his New York City apartment is fumigated because his friends' apartments were too small to accommodate him and hotels were too expensive.

His apartment was full of IKEA furniture, according to his website www.marklivesinikea.com, so living in the store would be no different - although none of the appliances work and he is using an employee bathroom.

"I'm their house guest, so they take care of me," Malkoff said in a telephone interview from the store where he took up residence on Monday in a 65-sq-m bedroom with the approval of the Swedish retailer.

"I don't plan a career of sleeping in stores," said Malkoff.

Last year the New Yorker visited all 171 Starbucks stores in Manhattan in 24 hours and chronicled his experience on the Internet.

If customers want to come into his room, Malkoff said he makes them take their shoes off.

He has received invitations to birthday parties and bar mitzvahs and on Monday night played "laser tag" with the security guards.

On Tuesday night Malkoff, whose wife decided to stay with relatives, threw a housewarming party.

Malakoff said he plans to stay at the store until Saturday.

"People are constantly pointing at me, like I'm an orangutan at the zoo," he said.

Agencies

(China Daily 01/10/2008 page16)