Beijing, April 7 (IANS) Swedish furniture chain Ikea has banned customers from napping on the furniture displayed in a store in Beijing, where hundreds of shoppers come everyday to enjoy the air conditioning and furniture comforts with no intention of buying, Efe news agency reported.
The ban and other measures seek to exclude from the store all but those making purchases and to improve the brand’s local image, reported Chinese media on Tuesday.
In the Beijing Ikea store, people can commonly be found sleeping peacefully and unabashedly on the display sofas and beds, a fact verified by Efe.
In order to expose its products to the Chinese market, Ikea initially opened additional showrooms of furnishings, inviting shoppers to “take a nap” on beds and sofas, reported the news website China.com.
After the workers of Beijing Ikea complained that “nappers” had become a real nuisance, creating an unsightly image for the Swedish company and discouraging potential buyers, the company decided to put an end to the promotion.
The trigger for this measure, noted workers of the establishment, came two years ago when an elderly woman helped her grandson to urinate in a plastic bottle while the child was standing on one of the display beds.
Despite Ikea’s efforts, the Beijing store continues to experience difficulty ensuring customers adhere to the new regulations, according to China.com.
Many nappers allegedly refuse to obey staff or follow regulations and they slyly seek out zones hidden from view to prolong their comfortable siestas.