B&Q

Indeed. Now, if we're talking truly dreadful, how about Ikea houseplants? Beautiful, glossy and healthy looking plants in the shop...dead or dying a few weeks later. Ever, single time, no matter what type of plant it is.

I now walk past the plant section, on those rare times we have to go to Ikea repeating the mantra, ignore, ignore...

 

A friend calls it 'ick-i-er' and I think that's about right. Every time I end up in that ghastly canteen eating something with a name like 'wormsvrodal' I wonder what on earth has possessed me. Not at all sure the names are really Swedish. I think the staff get high and giggly and then take bets on whether stupid foreigners will buy a duvet cover called 'Fartfull'.

Everyone looks so miserable - I'm sure couples who go to Ikea regularly have a higher than average chance of splitting up for good.

As for the plants ... well perhaps, like everything else, they're missing essential components. Like roots.

 

We quite like Ikea, but then only go once in a blue moon and usually for something specific. What I dislike is sitting in the traffic on the A23, inching through the dreary suburbs of Purley to get there.

Never, ever go on a weekend. Ever.

 

We went to Ikea once.....

I think that says it all.

 

Never been to Ikea so that must be why we have been married nearly thirty years:hehe:

We used to have one of their books pushed through the letterbox once in a while and it would take me all of a minute to flick through it and then it went straight into the recycling bin because all the stuff advertised inside the book looked like it had been designed by two year olds:p

 

I get really upset when I go into Wilkinson's etc. and the plants on the shelves are so dry they are dying off. The policy seems to be to put them on the shelves and if they are not bought and die off they get binned.

Don't get me wrong I have had one or two good plants which have thrived but I bought a purple climbing rose which died off and an Acer which was just about dead and I got it for £1. Unfotunately, it was too far gone and I am just waiting to see if it will recover.

It is a sin to treat plants this way

Sally

 

I love a trip to Ikea, but I find all these places eat time. You think you've just popped in for an hour before lunch, but when you come out it's gone dark. B&Q is just as bad so I avoid it, especially as it has now turned into quite an expensive DIY store instead of a relatively cheap one. They've obviously struck a deal with Ronseal (or the other one, can't remember) so now stock only Ronseal products at sky-high prices and B&Q products (obviously made by Ronseal) at sky-high prices minus 50p.

I go to Homebase more as it's just down the end of the road, so handy for last minute compost dashes etc. I've been amazed at how they waste stock by not watering it. However, I bought a tray of gasping lobelia reduced to £1 from £3.50 (What? Who?) and it perked up lovely once it got a bit of food and water, so every cloud has a silver lining.

I don't need to buy plants there as we have a legendary independent nursery in Leicester that sells superbly healthy plants at rock-bottom prices - and still makes a profit, so it just shows what the Sheds must be making. They must need lots of cash to fund their massively non-green logistics, however.

Their compost policy gets my goat every time. All the branded peat-heavy stuff is in full view with special-offer signs everywhere. The peat-free is always hidden in a corner,(if they bother having it in stock) always more expensive, never on a decent offer and usually the price sign has fallen off. Homebase, no doubt, says there's no demand. Mind you, when it can be found it's dreadful quality, so, again, every cloud......

As for the prices at Homebase - they've gone absolutely mad on grow-your-own food, with spectacular price tags. They seem to think the public want mature tomato/pepper/chilli etc plants with the fruit already in place and ripened, in May/June. Whatever next - 12" pots filled with mature carrots at £19.99 a throw? Either the public have money to burn or they are unbelievably stupid and ill-informed, or Homebase will have it all left on the shelves.

 

I must admit that the last time I went to B&Q I managed to get some lovely mini dahlias reduced from 3.49 down to 1.50. They were dry but not even wilted so I bought 4 of them and they are doing brilliantly! Sometimes you have to nose around a bit and be in the right place at the right time.