[jasode]

>, but the IKEA catalog is perfect for casual browsing and getting new ideas for stuff I would've never bought otherwise.

Understand the advantage of serendipity by flipping through pages instead of entering product search queries.

Fyi, the latest 2022 catalogs are available online with the typical "print book" layout and also downloadable as pdf:

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/customer-service/catalogues/

With pdf catalogs, you get the undirected window shopping without killing trees and adding to landfills.

EDIT reply to: >Those PDFs really don't work well on mobile devices.

Sorry for not being clear. The initial UI is not a pdf. They are web browser "digital catalogs" with page layouts similar to a printed book. There's also an option to download to pdf file.

I just tried it on my smartphone and the pages look fine. No pdf download necessary.

[cj]

> without killing trees and adding to landfills.

I wonder what leads to worse pollution. A world where all information is printed and there are are no computers, or a world where no one uses paper and computers, cell phones, Kindles, etc proliferate.

[johanneskanybal]

Those are not the options though since personal electronics aren't going anywhere. It's either computers and papers or a similar amount of computers but at least less paper.

[cj]

I realize that. It's more of a thought experiment.

[arcbyte]

Paper actually reduces pollution because trees are farmed and replanted in managed forests like crops with decades long seasons.

The more paper we use, the more trees we plant.

[dividedbyzero]

Nowadays most people will probably use their phones for this sort of thing. Those PDFs really don't work well on mobile devices.