Shelving Books

I have a lot of books. A LOT. Right now they're lined against the wall in paper grocery bags, taunting me. I know they used to take up at least five shelves of a roughly 5' tall bookcase. But, as that bookshelf itself was the ex's (he was accommodating enough to keep all of his books in the closet), I now need a new bookshelf.

Most of my furniture is Ikea and it's all black-brown wood. A ha, thought I! A Billy bookcase in black-brown is just the thing I need to complement my decor AND store my books! And a bargain at $50! But look closer at the picture.

Does it ... really only come with 2 shelves? REALLY? Who the heck wants a bookcase with two shelves!?

Not to worry! says Ikea. You can buy more shelves! As many shelves as you need! You can CRAM that sucker with shelves!

Well, I'd really just like five shelves. You know, like a normal bookcase. I'd even settle for four, if I had to, going by the height of it. And you know what? At $15 a pop, three more shelves are going to cost me nearly as much as getting a whole bookcase. WTF. Granted, it's a $50 bookcase, and getting it for $95 total isn't THAT much in the grand scheme of things but c'mon. AND you have to take the chance the shelves are in stock, adding another layer of annoyance to the sometimes less-than-ideal Ikea experience. I'm STILL waiting for my additional Benno shelves to come in.

Why you gotta nickel and dime me, Ikea? It's like telling me you have a stove for $50, but it only comes with one burner and I'm welcome to buy the other three for an additional $20 each! No one wants a one-burner stove and no one wants a ridiculous-looking two-shelf bookcase. Be reasonable here and sell the damn thing with enough shelves to make it usable and price it accordingly. Then, if I really want to store 2"-tall books, the onus is on me to buy some more, which I would happily do.