IKEA Bans Hide And Seek In Its Stores, Thousands Outraged

Tens of thousands of hide and seek fans are outraged at IKEA for banning games of hide and seek within their stores. The ban of hide and seek comes after a Facebook event called for the game to be played in a store located in the Netherlands. Unbeknownst to the store, nearly 500 people showed up and took part in the game. Players shoved themselves into appliances, under beds, behind stuffed animals, and anywhere else they could hide. Needless to say, the game of hide and seek was a hit.

A Facebook event recently manifested, according to Gizmodo, that attempted to relive the original hide and seek game. However, instead of 500 attendees, nearly 32,000 people stated that they would join in the fun.

Representatives from IKEA decided to take matters into their own hands, strictly prohibiting games of hide and seek from their stores, realizing 32,000 people playing the game could essentially destroy the stores and create a loss in sales as legitimate shoppers could be frightened. IKEA was also worried about the number of participants that might show up intoxicated to such an event, possibly leading to injuries.

Martina Smedberg, a spokeswoman for IKEA, shared that it is not always easy to control the crowds within their stores and the games they might play.

“We need to make sure people are safe in our stores and that’s hard to do if we don’t even know where they are.”

The organizer of the event is Elise De Rijik. She stated that she gained permission from IKEA in July for the original event and was unaware it would be such a hit, according to Sky News.

“Sometimes it’s fun just to do some childish things. IKEA is like an extremely large living room. We played hide-and-seek the whole day. It was really exhausting, but so much fun.”

Although the first event of IKEA hide and seek was considered a success with only 500 participants, 32,000 may be a bit much. However, De Rijik is not giving up. Instead, she is looking for a new location, or locations, for her massive game of hide and seek. She hopes to find a place as fun as IKEA, but also a place that is safe for all the decide to attend.

The idea was born from a concept that De Rijik grasped, called “30 things to do before turning 30.” Since she was already 29, she decided to go for it. Although the 32,000 expected attendees are outraged that IKEA will not allow the event to take place, they are still hoping De Rijik can find a new venue.

[Photo Courtesy: Sky News]