IKEA knows who you are and what you want

On my first visit to the Atlanta IKEA, I escaped having only bought a dish-drying rack and and a kitchen rail.

I've visited Atlanta, Ga, multiple times in the past 2 months and I've been fascinated with visiting all of the great tourist attractions, the Zoo, the World of Coke and the closest IKEA to Mississippi. I received a catalog for the Swedish housing stuff place and was fascinated by the tons of stuff for decorating and home outfitting as well as the ridiculously low prices (apparently off-set by having everything made in China, but advertising things as being designed and inspired in Scandinavia).
I noticed a few things:
-IKEA is popular. I mean seriously, and popular with everyone there were people of all types and backgrounds. Most had kids, and this is probably due to the natural appeal of the store to upper to middle class parents who want cool stuff in their house, but have kids and can't afford the same things from a place like say, Crate & Barrel.
-IKEA is packed (with people and stuff). From the minute we took the escalator to the main floor we were literally shoulder to shoulder with humans, shelves, and colorful clean sans-serif signs pointing where we should go.
-IKEA is smart (probably smarter than you or me). They've got a perfect system, which is basically the same that cattle stockyards use. The customers are corralled on a path of least resistance, while they stick to stuff on the way down the path. Sure, there are signs with shortcuts, but every single sign says "EXIT" on it. Using this, you can comfort these frugal shoppers that there is an easy escape, but it will only take them through more merchandise.
-IKEA is like Oz. Just like Dorothy in the book/movie "The Wizard of Oz" the customer is on a journey and you have to basically go through the entire store to get anywhere. If you're looking for an IKEA spatula ($4.99) you have to go through all the chairs and bedding and office furniture, etc. And finally once you've collected armloads of goods, the line bottleneck's into a huge warehouse where you pick up the boxes of furniture which they reassure you will keep the cost of them down. The line bottlenecks a second time where customers are urged it is their "last chance" and how they can always go back and get more. The environment encourages buyers to interact and fight for a seemingly short supply of goods (even thought in the warehouse there is a possibly limitless supply of checkered black and orange rugs).

The IKEA experience is almost more of a thrill-ride shopping adventure where the customers soak in the experience, like waiting in line at Disney World, except instead of entertainment, the goal is consumerism and oddly it is fun. It's surprisingly entertaining, but it's frustrating too knowing you're being herded around like a mindless buyer, and if anything this may be the reason neoliberal socialist Scandinavian countries are having the last laugh, they know that as Americans we're both competitive and hungry to buy stuff, and honestly despite knowing and seeing all of this, I'm already counting the minutes till I can go back.