Oh come on, Ikea allows you to go directly to the warehouse, use a computer to locate the thing you're after and get lost. It also has maps and shortcuts to get you directly to the department you're after. Costco, on the other hand...
Oh, com on, IKEA"s are deliberately designed as a maze. Yes, there are 'semi-hidden shortcut passages' and maps, both required by the fire department, but they also are deliberately obfuscated. The name of the maze game seems to be maximizing impulse buying, not just by forced exposure, but also gamed to the psychological effect that when on the threshold you will grab it 'now' anyway as you will never find your way back, and once in the cart 'dumping' it again in an 'inappropriate' place is something most people don't do.
IKEA has an almost Disney-esque level of "magic" and ability to become an expert in negotiating their space while pleasurably manipulating casual shoppers. IKEA can be a super efficient experience if you're in the know but it takes a bit of work - I suspect this actually endears them to both types of shopper, and anyone who sees through it and hates it stays away.
The shortcuts are signposted, and maps are available to take with you at the entrance - no other big box store does that, so I doubt it has anything to do with fire departments. Impulse buys greatly benefit from immediate commitment, so Ikea does a good job of not having pesky sales assistants everywhere. You have plenty of time to cool off about that silly table till you get to the warehouse.
Costco's warehouses are mainly laid out for efficiency. There's an open area in the middle and tall racking around the edges. They make no special effort to make their stores easy to navigate, but they aren't trying to confuse either - their stores are laid out primarily for the benefit of forklift drivers, not customers.
Ikea's showroom has a deliberately serpentine layout. There are direct routes from A to B, but those routes are through hidden doorways. Some of those doorways are marked on the store plan, but they're not clearly signposted. There are navigational markings on the floor, but they only denote one route through - the route that Ikea want you to take.
Costco's lack of "in this aisle" placards at the ends of the aisles is where I think they step over the line from "efficiency" to "deliberate confusion".
Most Costco’s I go to have food stuffs on one aisle and appliances/non-food related consumables on the opposite side. I never even bother to go to the appliance side.
I still thinks it’s setup for efficiency purposes, or at least their perceived efficiency, rather than psychological queues towards the customer.
Even the stuff when you walk in is based on the monthly rebates.
They do, but psychologically they design the shops so that you get lost and see a lot of 'impulse-buy' sensitive items before you even get to the place you want to be.
