In a bizarre yet oddly impressive story going viral, a 31-year-old man in Sweden claims he secretly lived inside an IKEA store for over **two years** without ever being noticed by staff or customers.
According to the man—who posted anonymously under the username “FlatpackPhantom”—he found clever ways to sleep in model bedrooms, cook using display kitchens, and even use employee-only tunnels to move around at night. “I knew every staff routine. I had alarms set for shift changes. I was like a Swedish Batman,” he wrote in a now-deleted Reddit post that was screenshotted thousands of times before being removed.
In a follow-up interview with a local blog, the man explained that after losing his job during the 2021 economic slump, he was evicted and found himself homeless. “One night I fell asleep on an IKEA bed and no one noticed. I realized then—I could stay here. And I did.”
He reportedly lived off IKEA cafeteria leftovers and snacks from display kitchens. “You’d be surprised how much food is left out or discarded. I never went hungry,” he said. He even claims to have rigged a hidden charging station behind a display shelf to keep his phone powered.
An IKEA spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the claim but issued a general statement: “While we appreciate creativity, we do not condone any behavior that involves unauthorized residency within our stores.” No legal action has been announced so far.
Social media exploded with mixed reactions. Some praised the man as a “modern legend,” while others questioned whether the story is even real. A few people claimed they’ve also “crashed” in IKEA stores overnight, calling it “weirdly peaceful.”
The man says he’s writing a book about his IKEA life, tentatively titled: “Aisles of My Life: How I Slept, Ate, and Hid in IKEA.” Whether this story is fact or fiction, one thing’s for sure—it’s peak internet weirdness.
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