The feelings of love that a young person has for somebody else and that adults do not think is very serious is called "puppy love". Is there an equivalent noun for the elderly? For example, in Greece, when an old person falls in love, in which case this love is not taken seriously by the majority, this love is called "old-age love".
Learn English – n equivalent noun to “puppy love” for the elderly
word-request
Related Solutions
In agreement with talrnu’s comment, I think “window shopper” is in fact appropriate here. In usage (which might be better represented on Urban Dictionary and Yahoo Answers), this term is commonly employed to refer to people who walk around both inside and outside of shops, and is used to differentiate such people from those who have more of an inclination to make a purchase.
From Urban Dictionary:
Someone who looks at stuff they can’t buy.
When one visits a store or mall to admire goods rather than to purchase them.
From Yahoo Answers:
It implies [. . .] someone who is not serious (a shopper who has no real intention of buying [. . .])
“Browser” does not sound right to my ear as it seems like an awkward nounification. Most people will think of something they use to view websites. I have not heard the word used this way. It would probably require explanation, which would defeat the purpose of having a single word for it.
That said, I have heard people say that they are “just browsing” to indicate that they are not actively pursuing a purchase at that moment. For your case, I could certainly see someone saying “he’s just browsing.” As far as saying “he’s not a customer”, you have another problem.
Anyone visiting the store is, potentially speaking, a customer. so it’s not ideal to say “he’s not a customer” unless you are pointing to an employee, security guard, pomeranian, etc. You might be clearer if you qualify the word “customer” before you establish this comparison, for example: “he’s not a serious customer, he’s _____________.”
Lastly, another term I know for such a person is to describe them as a looky-loo.
looky-loo
(also lookie-loo)
NOUN
INFORMAL1.1 A person who seems interested in making a purchase, but whose actual intention is only to browse:
a treat for all the North Shore’s looky-loos: the popular Spring Designer Kitchen Tour
A good business broker will separate the real buyers from the looky-loos, bring in more qualified prospects, and usually can garner a better price for the business.
Best Answer
I don't know of any terms that deliver specifically what you've requested. You might consider:
Honestly, it's quite acceptable to use puppy love the way you want, as long as you give enough context to make it clear who's experiencing the feeling. Though it's most commonly used with youth, the definition isn't restricted to them. Describing an elderly person or couple with it even gives the phrase some extra weight, by implying they were so stricken that they behaved as if they were teenagers again.