IKEA also has the wonderful trait of naming their products. This can lead to both ease of ordering and
unintentional hilarity. Case in point: immediately after graduating college, my roommate and I (who were going to live together in
New York City) left campus, did not pass Go, did not collect first paycheck, but went straight to IKEA. Using a
modicum of good taste (his) and
overeager exuberance (mine and his) we managed to furnish our bachelorpad-cum-dormroom for a modest sum.
However, upon reaching home, the silliness of the names became apparent as we shouted them out to each other down the short hallway of our apartment while unpacking our purchases. The Ivar computer desk was worth a giggle or two, but the carving knife was named...
Smeltpunt. I kid you not.
Took us like two hours to stop laughing hysterically at the mere mention of the word.
Update: Roninspoon informs me that in fact the products at Ikea are named for their designers. I'm not sure (in typical boorish American fashion) whether this makes them any less funny. I am comforted by the thought that it is quite likely that a Scandinavian would find a ladle named Joe or Richad amusing as well.
Update update: ascorbic says that they are not named for designers but with general words in Swedish. I give up. :-)