Ikea Shoppers: Big Purchases, Small Item Payments

Published Oct 29, 2025 at 11:15 p.m

They paid 29 kroner for a scented candle at Ikea – but took home outdoor furniture worth thousands of kroner.

When the Ikea staff passed by the couple’s home, they saw the furniture on their patio.

Now they are being prosecuted for the brazen thefts.

A couple in Uppsala has been prosecuted for having filled the shopping cart on several occasions but only scanned and paid for small items, something Uppsala Nya Tidning has written about.

The couple is suspected of having gone to Ikea on seven occasions and paid for significantly fewer goods than they brought home.

In the self-scanning checkouts, according to the indictment, they neglected to scan several goods, to a value of over SEK 41,000.

In questioning, Ikea’s security manager calls the couple unscrupulous and says that it is remarkable that they had children with them on occasions when they were suspected of stealing.

Suspicions after the check

Suspicions against the couple were raised when an employee at the self-scanning checkouts was supposed to help them at the exit last spring, when the gates were not opened.

The staff reacted that the amount on the receipt was low considering that the man had an entire shopping cart full of goods, while the couple did not want to show the receipt.

The staff then asked if they would not have what was in the trolley. The couple answered no, and the man backed the shopping cart out of the checkout area and left it in the store. He took another exit, while the woman was helped out through the gate.

The staff alerted Ikea’s security department about the incident, which began investigating the couple’s purchase history. By going through camera surveillance and comparing with receipts, several cases where the couple are believed to have stolen goods were discovered.

When an Ikea employee passed by the couple’s home, the employee saw items the company suspects the couple stole, including outdoor furniture and a grill.

According to the report, the couple must have stolen goods worth between SEK 1,745 and SEK 9,380 on each occasion.

The man admits: “Ashamed”

The pair are charged with seven counts of theft and one count of attempted theft.

When the man during questioning gets to see surveillance footage from the thefts, he admits everything and says he regrets it. “It’s so embarrassing, I’m ashamed,” he says, among other things.

The woman denies the accusations and states that she did not understand that the man stole. “I don’t need to check every single thing he does,” she says in questioning.

Ikea is claiming damages of over SEK 50,000, of which roughly SEK 41,000 applies to the stolen goods. The company also claims compensation for the time spent mapping the suspected crime.