Singapore has implemented a circuit breaker to curb the transmission of Covid-19 here.
Except for essential services, every other business has to close their doors temporarily for one month.
The idea is to make everybody stay at home as much as they possibly can.
Mad Rush Before 7 Apr 2020
But if you were to look at the weekend that just passed, you’ll be forgiven for thinking that Covid-19 is a thing of the past.
Many went to salons to get their monthly TLC in before the services are suspended for the month.
Supermarkets were also crowded with people trying to stock up on as much stuff as they need.
And IKEA is no different.
40,000 Visitors Within 2 Days
According to 8 World, IKEA revealed that they have 40,000 visitors within the past two days.
That sounds like a lot of people but the Swedish furniture giant says that’s lesser than usual, considering they had to employ safe distancing measures as ordered to by the authorities.
They had set up a waiting area.
However, when droves of people arrived and started queueing up, IKEA found it hard to control the crowd.
So they went onto their social media platforms to ask people not to go to their outlets and increased the number of security guards at the entrance.
They also sought help from Enterprise Singapore and the Police and some officers were deployed to help with crowd control.
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Items Bought Were Related To Working From Home
The government would probably feel happy to hear this: Singaporeans were at IKEA to buy items to work from home.
Yup, it’s not just businesses that have to suffer, employees have to fork money out of their own diminishing pocket to continue working from home.
IKEA reported that the items that mostly flew off the shelves were related to home office spaces such as tables and chairs increased by 66%.
Pots and kitchenware were also popular items at IKEA.
Charging accessories also soared by 150% in terms of sales when compared to the same period last year.
A Reminder: IKEA Is Still Open
Now, if you’re not able to get what you need from IKEA, don’t worry.
The Swedish furniture giant emphasised that while their retail outlets are closed for the month, customers are still able to order the furniture they want through their online website, which will remain operational.
They promise to restock some of the popular items so that people who need them urgently will be able to get them in time.
Guess it’s time to get used to shopping at IKEA without finishing it off with a meatball break, huh?