The Swedish furniture giant IKEA has [binned / banned] old people from dating at its store in Shanghai, China. Store managers decided to clamp [down / up] on what they described as '[illegal / illegally] date clubs'. Since the store opened several years ago, [hundreds / hundred] of lonely, divorced or widowed elderly people have [rescinded / descended] on the cafeteria in search of love and [one-upmanship / companionship] . Many of them [simply / simple] used the café as a meeting place and did not buy [nothing / anything] . Management said they occupied seats for 'extended periods,' 'spoke loudly,' '[spat / splat] on the floor,' 'flirted' and had 'quarrels and fights'. The store posted a [notice / notable] saying: "From today, the restaurant will only be for people who purchase their food first."
The older clientele are up in [legs / arms] over the ban. They say they have nowhere else to go. An 88-year-old IKEA [regularly / regular] said: "We've been to McDonald's and KFC, but there are [barely / barley] any of our [pears / peers] there. We feel like aliens there - surrounded [by / at] youngsters." Another frequent [visit / visitor] to the restaurant said: "I guess [several / few] people know just how lonely old people are. Our kids are not around, and some visit only on weekends. I feel quite good when I come here. I talk with friends, but some elderly do meet people who become [loves / lovers] ." Some customers have little [sympathy / sympathetic] for those in search of love. They have [complained / complainants] that there is nowhere to sit because of the matchmaking groups.
