Shanghai’s elderly continues to use IKEA as an unexpected dating venue – gathering weekly in the cafeteria. In Shanghai, 25 percent of people over 60 years old are single. These seniors navigate loneliness by turning the Swedish furniture store into a matchmaking site.
“There’s nothing embarrassing about saying it. It’s not only young people who need love, elderly people also need love,” says Qingqing, a retired nursing home director.
The store’s many attempts to get rid of them have been widely reported in Chinese and foreign media since 2011. Though, Initially met with resistance, IKEA now embraces the gatherings as a way to address the social needs of the elderly.
“IKEA has been aware of the loneliness of the elderly in its neighborhood, so the store would like to provide a place where they can feel at home and meet with friends,” a representative from the Swedish retailer told AFP.
Source: Yahoo
