I have a friend who questioned how someone could love Ikea but hate Wal-Mart. To me, these stores have so little in common they can’t be compared, but if she needs an explanation, I accept the challenge.

1.) It is not appropriate to wear pajamas to Ikea. Showering is also preferred.

2.) Ikea has a concept about maximizing the space in a room or house. Wal-Mart’s concept is to fill said space with random cheap crap.

3.) Two words: Swedish Meatballs.

4.) Two more words: Free Coffee.

5.) Ikea’s items are unique and have Swedish names that sound like sneezes. Wal-Mart has the same items you can find anywhere, only you probably have to buy them in bulk.

6.) The front of Ikea has a little grocery area and cafe with yummy food. Wal-Mart has a nail salon that stinks up the front 1/3 of the store.

Courtesy of peopleofwalmart.com. If you’ve ever been there, you know this particular outfit is tame.

7.) There isn’t a site called “The People of Ikea”. Okay, so I googled it, and there actually is a site. It appears to get updated about twice a year, with a total of 7 pages of material. The people of Wal-Mart site has 882 pages to date.

8.)  Ikea furniture says “Modern European”. Wal-Mart furniture says “College Dorm”.

9.) I’m pretty sure no one has produced meth in an Ikea.

10.) Ikea has a kids area that will keep the little tykes occupied while you shop. This alone is like 1,000 bonus points for Ikea.

I get that my friend was suggesting that the products are mass-produced and assembly required at both stores. This brings me to bonus #11.

11.) Ikea workers know what the products are and how to assemble them.

Done and done.