IKEA Customers Trapped in Store Overnight During Snowstorm

Staff and customers have taken shelter in a Danish branch of Ikea after dense snowstorms and drastic weather meant they were prevented from leaving.

Six customers and 24 employees became trapped in Ikea Aalborg, a branch in the north of the country, on Wednesday after a snowstorm forced traffic to a standstill. 

“This is certainly a new situation for us,” store manager Peter Elmose told Danish publication Nordjyske. “It’s certainly not how I thought my day would end when I drove to work this morning.”

Staff and customers took shelter in the shop’s cafeteria and watched a football match together to pass the evening. For coronavirus reasons, the customers slept in the living room section, while the staff will be bedded up in other showrooms. 

“Our kitchen staff have made sure there is hot chocolate, risalamande [a Danish rice pudding], pastries, soft drinks, coffee and the odd beer for us in light of the occasion. So we’ll be able to keep warm,” said Elmose.

“​​For us, the most important thing has been that we take care of each other and that everyone can feel safe,” he said. “I have been in Ikea for 16 years

and I have never experienced anything like it.”

But it’s not the first time this year unsuspecting customers have been trapped somewhere overnight because of severe weather. This weekend, over 60 guests were trapped in Britain’s highest pub as snow blocked the roads. In this case, punters had an Oasis tribute band to keep them company rather than Swedish meatballs.