The IKEA Fallacy

We all love IKEA ... right? The bright colors, the cheap products, the innovative Swedish design. People make a big deal when a new store opens (myself included), and go nuts waiting for days to be the first one in the door. But I find that the more I go to IKEA, the less exciting it is. Time and time again, I've gone to the store, excited to buy things, and I've walked out empty handed because when it came down to it, the stuff wasn't nice enough or worth buying. It's functional, but it's not the kind of stuff I need. So it was on Monday, when I made the ill-fated decision again to journey on down to Stoughton and look for (among other things) a TV stand for my new TV. An hour and a half later, I left empty handed. Again. When will I learn that it's not even worth the trip? Alright, fine. That's not entirely true. It was worth it if only for the Swedish meatballs. Yum. And I have to say, IKEA makes some very good garlic toast (two pieces for only 50 cents!) and cinnamon buns too. But even though I had nothing better to do, did I really need to drive a half hour out of the city to have (a not-so-healthy) lunch? Probably not. Why am I still powerless after all this time to the charms and tastes of the IKEA experience?