Experts Confirm That Ikea Will Put Your Relationship To The Ultimate Test

Relationship Experts Finally Confirm That Ikea Is Bad For Couples
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In a surprise to absolutely no one, Ikea, the furniture company that jokingly refers to certain products as "husband killers," is bad for relationships.

According to a recent report from the Wall Street Journal, relationship experts say that a trip to Ikea will lead to an argument. And, obviously, assembling Ikea furniture generally ensures a blow up.

As soon as you walk into Ikea, "The store literally becomes a map of a relationship nightmare," said clinical psychologist and professor Dr. Ramani Durvasula in the Wall Street Journal.

That's because underlying relationship issues bubble to the surface as couples attempt to choose furniture. “I’ve had couples go to the mat over a couch that neither of them even liked,” said marriage counselor and radio host Dr. Jane Greer to the WSJ. “Underneath, every discussion is really about how important am I to you?"

After the torture of picking out furniture, things continue downhill at home when assembly time rolls around. Durvasula said she often "tasks couples with putting together a large piece of furniture at home and reporting back on how it went."

Ikea does have a solution for the assembly fights (although picking out the furniture you'll have to do on your own). The furniture company offers assembly services starting at $79 for all in-store purchases. Based on zip code and the "value of merchandise," customers -- and couples -- can pay a store member to help with sofa and mattress assembly, as well as wall mounting.

And even though Ikea won't comment on which products they refer to as "husband killers," Janice Simonsen, IKEA U.S. design spokesperson, told the Huffington Post that "a new living room storage series called REGISSÖR" is great for "easier furniture assembly."

For everything else, may the odds be ever in your favor.

UPDATE: Mona Liss, US Corporate Public Relations Director for Ikea, told The Huffington Post:

"At IKEA, our goal is to create a better everyday life at home. To make shopping at IKEA stress free and enjoyable, we offer a number of options. Customers can easily prepare pre-visit by going to our website and viewing the IKEA catalog and catalog app. Then when in our store, couples, can have a bite to eat or a drink in our restaurant and talk through their choices. When they’ve made their decision, they can choose from several service options to make the final process easy. This includes IKEA picking the choice items, picking and delivering or a combo of three; picking, delivering and assembling. All these choices attribute to having a great IKEA shopping experience."

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Before You Go

Best Ikea Moments Of 2014
That time the retailer turned its China store into a giant nap room...(01 of08)
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If you've ever been to a furniture store, you might have experienced that laying down to "test" out a mattress or sofa could result in dozing off for a bit. But at one store store in China, IKEA put out signs encouraging people to take a rest. (credit:Getty Images)
That time IKEA confirmed the coming of vegetarian meatballs(02 of08)
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It's no secret that one of the big draws of going to IKEA is the delicious meatballs (about 150 million are sold each year). In 2014, the retailer made sure that everyone could enjoy its meatballs by saying a vegetarian version would be on its way. (credit:Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com/Flickr)
That time IKEA made a mirror that just complimented people all day...(03 of08)
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After finding out that most people need a good compliment or two in the morning to start their days off right, IKEA decided to "reinvent the mirror" by commissioning a real life "mirror, mirror on the wall" that doled out compliments at one store in the UK. We're not sure how much it costs, but this "motivational mirror" seems worth every penny. (credit:IKEA UK/YouTube)
That time the retailer held a sleepover at its Australia store...(04 of08)
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Yep, this happened. For one night only, IKEA Australia allowed patrons to sleep over in the store, get a free breakfast and even keep the sheets they slept on. The best part? IKEA announced the offer in an AirBnB listing. (credit:Associated Press)
That time IKEA helped rescue dogs find owners...(05 of08)
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Adorable pooches AND pretty furniture? Say no more. In select stores, the retailer posted cardboard cutouts of adoptable dogs among its furniture. The dogs' info was stored on QR codes so customers could scan the codes for more information. (credit:Compassionate Eye Foundation/David Leahy via Getty Images)
That time IKEA recreated "The Shining" to promote late night shopping...(06 of08)
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It's nice to know that IKEA Singapore has a good sense of humor, even if it's a tad creepy. The store recreated a scene from The Shining to freak out customers, introduce late-night shopping hours and wow us with yet another "so IKEA" moment. (credit:IKEA)
That time the retailer fed customers free meals on Black Friday...(07 of08)
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Black Friday shopping is always terrible, but IKEA found a way to make the experience way better by offering free meals if customers spent more than $100 on home furnishings. (credit:isriya/Flickr)
That time IKEA finally started selling stationary and gift-wrapping...(08 of08)
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IKEA announced earlier this year that stationary will be sold at its new Paper Shop, making the Swedish retailer essentially a one-stop shop for everything furniture and fun. Meatballs, nap rooms and now colorful stationary -- what more could a person want? (credit:IKEA)

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