Vintage IKEA Ad Says Store Is The "Only Sensible Way To Buy Furniture" (PHOTO)

IKEA stores, to me, tend to be a place where you can't sense time passing -- kind of like a casino. I go in for a simple chair in the early morning, but come out of the maze sometime in the mid-afternoon, smelling of meatballs and wondering how I filled a cart with unnecessary items. Such as: 10 sets of cocktail napkins festooned with flamingos, a collection of food storage containers in whimsical shapes and yards of a fabric featuring a very loud plaid.

The original intention of IKEA, it seems, was one of simplicity, according to this vintage ad.

Flickr photo by jbcurio

My favorite part has to be the understatement that happens after addressing the fact that, yes, shoppers have to assemble their own furniture: "We know you may not think of it as an advantage."

You're telling us.

This vintage ad wouldn't seem out of place today. But the ones below...not so much.

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