Exactly. I suspect most of the IKEA hate comes from people living in a wealth bubble who've never had to rent and assume the broken bookshelf they see on the s

Exactly. I suspect most of the IKEA hate comes from people living in a wealth bubble who've never had to rent and assume the broken bookshelf they see on the side of the road is a genuine IKEA Billy that has somehow been unscavenged. For people in that bubble, with a few exceptions (Lack!) IKEA furniture is designed to be disassembled and reassembled multiple times while lasting decades. It's an absolute godsend for people who are moving houses every few years. Most of the garbage flat-pack you see smashed to bits on the side of the road is a knock-off made by another brand with ridiculously shoddy materials. I've personally cracked open an Amart bookshelf before to find honeycombed cardboard providing most of the structural integrity.