Today FM DJ Paula MacSweeney has said that she left IKEA crying this week after a "horrible experience."
The radio star who is seven months pregnant with her third child with husband Aidan Donnelly, she told how "multiple members of staff watched her struggle" with heavy items and offered no help.
Paula said: "Yesterday I was in IKEA - new baby, new nursery - a horrible experience!
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"Multiple members of staff watched me struggle to get very heavy boxes onto my trolley in the warehouse. Groups of them laughing, many of them on their phones.
"The lads seemed pretty annoyed when I interrupted the group chat to ask where an item was (it’s been moved, it’s on another aisle).
"Okay. Made my way to where what I wanted was and there were three staff members having the craic in that aisle, not one offered to help.
"One was playing on her phone. Nice!"
It took another customer offering assistance for her to get the help she needed.
She continued: "Managed nine boxes on a trolley (thanks the nice man who helped me with the last one, I couldn’t lift it high enough to stack it and he rushed over to help.
"Because he is decent and has manners! I paid for my stuff and went to deliveries where I had a breakdown.
"One of my items was a three-part, rather than a two-part.
"I was told I’d have to go and get the third box. I asked the staff member if someone could help me - seven months pregnant and totally exhausted by now. No, it’s “self-serve only, get it yourself”.
The mum of two, soon to be three, said she couldn’t understand why she received such treatment and left the shop in tears.
"If I hadn’t already paid, I’d have left. IKEA is bursting with staff from what I saw yesterday but they’re not doing much except standing around.
"They all watched me struggle and then refused to help when I asked. I dragged another box across the warehouse, passing multiple members of staff. Nobody helped!
"I’m heavily pregnant and by this time I was absolutely sobbing (pathetic, I know but did I mention I’m pregnant, I can’t help it!)."
Paula said that the whole experience has left her feeling “embarrassed” even a day after her shopping trip because she's an "ugly crier.”
She said: "I’m still so upset today at how lazy and rude the staff are. I am an extremely ugly crier and still very embarrassed this morning."
Paula told how IKEA staff were "very apologetic" during a phone call today. "No excuses - just plain old 'we got it wrong'. I appreciate that so much! I’m assured that staff ARE trained to help any customer who needs it - whether pregnant, disabled, elderly," she added.
An IKEA spokesperson told the Irish Mirror said: “We were extremely disappointed to hear about Paula’s experience in our Ballymun store yesterday. We pride ourselves on our customer service and this is not the kind of interaction we want anyone shopping with us to have. We have reached out to Paula directly and will be taking steps to ensure all customers receive the service and support they need on any visit to our stores."
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