Snowstorm keeps people overnight at Ikea

Category: Business

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. on show / ɑn ʃoʊ / (idiom) – displayed somewhere for people to see
    Example:

    There are several interesting paintings on show in the lobby.


  2. tabloid / ˈtæb lɔɪd / (n.) – a newspaper that’s half the size of a regular newspaper and contains short news reports
    Example:

    The tabloid I bought is mostly about celebrities.


  3. exact / ɪgˈzækt / (adj.) – used to say that one is referring to a particular thing and not anything else
    Example:

    I bought the exact pair of shoes that my mom wants.


  4. broadcaster / ˈbrɔdˌkæs tər / (n.) – a person who speaks on television shows or radio programs
    Example:

    The broadcasters in the morning news show are talking about the protests in the city.


  5. next door / nɛks dɔr / (adv.) – located very near to another place, such as the next room, house, apartment, etc.
    Example:

    Let me know if you need anything. I just live next door.


Article

Read the text below.

In northern Denmark, an Ikea showroom turned into a vast bedroom. Six customers and about two dozen employees were stranded by a snowstorm and spent the night in the store, sleeping on beds that are usually on show.


Up to 30 centimeters of snow fell, trapping the customers and employees when the department store in Aalborg closed on the evening of Dec. 1.


“We slept in the furniture exhibitions and our showroom on the first floor, where we have beds, mattresses and sofa beds,” store manager Peter Elmose told the Ekstra Bladet tabloid. People could “pick the exact bed they always have wanted to try.”


Elmose said they spent the evening watching television and eating, adding it went “super well. It’s been a good night. All fun.”


Denmark’s public broadcaster DR said people working in a toy shop that is next door to Ikea also spent the night in the department store.


“It’s much better than sleeping in one’s car. It has been nice and warm and we are just happy that they would let us in,” Michelle Barrett, one of the toy shop staff members, told DR. (AP)


This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • During the customers’ and staff members’ stay in Ikea, the store manager said that they could pick the exact bed they’ve always wanted to try. Do you think the manager made the right decision to let the staff and customers use the furniture/beds? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • If you were allowed to stay in a store during a snowstorm, where would you like to be in (ex. Ikea, a grocery store)? Why? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Do you think stores should continue their operations if there’s a snowstorm coming? Why or why not? What kinds of stores, if any, do you think should remain open? Discuss.
  • What do you think stores should prepare in case of a snowstorm (ex. beds and blankets, heater)? Why? Discuss.