When D-I-Y gets annoying

One of the earliest Facebook status message that I posted soon after reaching the US went something like this -

How to buy furniture in the US
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1. Make note of the product code of the furniture you liked at the display area
2. Go to the warehouse and locate the various parts of the furniture from the hundreds of bins there
3. Load them on the trolley, however heavy they are
4. Make the payment & check out
5. Load them on to your vehicle
6. Assemble the various parts of... the furniture at home, all by yourself

How to die in the US
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1. Book your coffin (check online for any deals or early bird offers)
2. Assemble the various parts of the coffin
3. Walk/drive down to the graveyard. Make sure you carry the coffin along
4. Do the needful

 

In a place like India, buying a piece of furniture for me was all about placing the order and getting it delivered at home the same day (mostly at no extra cost) or in some cases having the carpenter come to your house and make the cupboard or table according to your specifications. Some of the privileges of being a developing economy with a burgeoning middle class, I presume.

 

For people like me, so used to buying ready-to-use stuff this Do-It-Yourself (DIY) phenomenon can be really irritating. The long winding task of reading through the fat user manuals, identifying which spanner to use to fix which part, and assembling all the parts kills the joy of buying the new stuff, whether it is a sofa, bicycle or a toy.

 

I should however add that after spending hours fixing the cot or the furniture, one does attain a sense of accomplishment.