Beijing Ikea No Longer Willing to Serve as Napping Hot Spot

Looking to take a midday snooze? If you live in China, your first instinct may be to pop into your local Ikea! The Swedish furniture retailer's store in Beijing has become a go-to spot for tired shoppers who want to catch some shut-eye on cozy beds and plush sofa displays.

While the Chinese are known for napping in unexpected places (the pastime is well documented), napping at Ikea has become so popular in recent times that a Getty photographer devoted an entire photo essay to the trend!

The Ikea store in Beijing embraced the trend at first, telling The Wall Street Journal last year, "Ikea in China does nothing to prevent nor anything to attract sleepers. But we don't see it as a problem, we're happy people feel at home in our stores."

Recently, however, it's being reported that the Swedish retail giant has changed its tune, banning in-store napping in its Beijing store as it has become an unsightly nuisance and is making it difficult for serious shoppers to browse. The store's policy change seems to be falling on deaf ears, as sleeping shoppers can still be seen scattered throughout the store, napping with abandon. It seems like Ikea's furniture is even more irresistible than we originally thought!