Bengaluru: In a shocking incident, a customer at an IKEA store in Karnataka's Bengaluru had a horrifying experience when a mouse fell onto her table from the ceiling while she was having food at the popular furniture retailer's food court. The incident took place on July 16 and was brought to public attention through a tweet by Twitter user Sharanya Shetty.
Shetty took to Twitter to share her ordeal, expressing her disbelief at the bizarre incident. She wrote, "...Guess what fell in our food table at ikea. I can't even. We were eating and this rat just dropped dead...Most bizarre moment ever!" The tweet quickly gained traction, with many users expressing their shock and concern over the incident.
Shetty narrated her ordeal
Speaking to a news website, Shetty narrated the events leading up to the incident. She revealed that after reaching the store in the morning along with two of her friends and one friend's son, they engaged in some shopping before deciding to grab desserts from the IKEA food court.
As Shetty's friend went to collect the food, she went to keep the trolley in the parking area. When she returned to join her friend at the food court, the shocking incident occurred. A mouse suddenly fell from the ceiling and landed on their table, leaving them horrified. Despite their attempts to seek assistance, the response from the store was far from satisfactory.
"We called two cleaners and then another guy. That guy called another lady from IKEA, who then went on to call somebody else," Shetty explained. However, while they waited for help, the area was not cordoned off, and the rat's dead body remained uncovered. Surprisingly, customers at neighbouring tables continued eating without any intervention from the store staff. Moreover, Shetty pointed out that no efforts were made to sanitize the area adequately.
Questions raised over IKEA's general maintenance & hygiene standards
The occurrence at the food court at IKEA Bengaluru raises questions about the retailer's general maintenance and hygiene standards. IKEA is recognized for its furniture and home items, but its food court also attracts a lot of visitors. About 30% of customers, according to IKEA's own data, go to the store expressly for the food. One of the leading food sellers in the world, the firm made a stunning USD 2.24 billion in food sales alone in 2017.
Responding to the incident, IKEA issued a statement, "We apologize for the unpleasant incident at IKEA Nagasandra. We're currently investigating the situation & ensuring to take all precautionary efforts. Food safety and hygiene is our top priority, and we want our customers to always have the best shopping experience at IKEA".
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here.  To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
