Ikea officially launches TaskRabbit assembly service

You can now buy your flat-pack furniture and not have to assemble it too. After acquiring the on-demand handy-person company TaskRabbit in September of 2017, Ikea has officially rolled out the assembly service online wherever TaskRabbit is available. Visitors to six U.S. stores in the New York and San Francisco metro areas, will also be able to book a “tasker” in-store (the service is expected to roll out in additional stores in LA, Miami, Houston, Boston, Washington D.C. and more in 2018).

The service is a natural salve for the notoriously frustrating experience of putting together one’s newly purchased Ikea furniture—an act often elevated by its participants into a herculean feat of intellect. The company has tried their best to simplify the assembly experience with cute, straightforward instructions and fancy snap-together joints, but some people maybe just don’t want to put their egos on the line, and would be happy to pay a flat rate (starting at $36 depending on type of item) for a tasker to do it for them.

The TaskRabbit launch comes after a slew of changes Ikea has implemented to improve customer service. In January, the company began rolling out a lower shipping and delivery option starting at $29 for all items, with final rates variable based on demand and distance, as well as a new flat parcel rate of $9 for a small item regardless of location.

Ikea will also expand its “Click & Collect” program—which lets shoppers buy products online and pick up in in stores for a fee of $5 (and an in-store gift card of $5 in return)—to more locations this year. A store-branded rewards credit card, the Ikea Projekt Card, is on the way this spring as well.