We have IKEA in HK. I don’t understand how anybody can claim that its layout is maze-like. It is, to the contrary, expressly linear, with some shortcuts if you really want to skip some sections. Every section is also clearly labeled and you know exactly where you are at.
I think IKEA in Hong Kong has a completely different business model from most of the world since their stores are located in prime shopping malls and shopping districts instead of out-of-town which is more common elsewhere. It's quite common for people to just visit the bistro to grab a snack and teenage couples tend to hang out on the sofas after school which I think is quite unique to the HK branches. In general the experience is very localised, for example, the showrooms tend to focus on how efficiently you can furnish your 250 square foot shoebox and there is a bigger focus on ancillaries because most people don't have cars.
It's a labyrinth, not a maze. There is a single path, but it's circuitous.
I never understood that comparison either. I think the thing authors are usually trying to get at is that you can't see the exit from the entrance.
It’s in comparison to Home Depot or similar - the difference between navigating a grid city layout and a random organic one.
Maybe the difference is cultural/environmental? I live in Europe in a city with organic street layout and I find Ikea easy to navigate. Unlike typical grid layout store, I can remember location of every section because they are more distinct. Also shortcuts feel natural just like when driving in the city. I always use them to skip 70% of the store. In a grid layout store I'm always lost, because I can't remember the aisles despite visiting them much more often.
That may be the case for multiple visits - I have no real problem with the Ikea layout but a friend of mine will never ever step foot in one again, so there's no chance he'll learn the layout.