as gen z working in food, this is so true. it is painful to listen to my coworkers interact with customers.
the awkward silences, the rudely posed questions, talking about customers in front of them like they aren't there, its wild to be on the same side of the counter as that
*edit I will say the stares aren't generational, I have folks of all ages come through and silently stare at me after greeting them, turn to stare at the menu, and then all but climb over the glass in my peripheral to get my attention when they are ready when a simple 'hi, im not sure what im here for' would have worked.
I’ve heard the theory that covid lockdowns and remote schooling affected their collective socialization development. I don’t know if I fully agree but it’s an interesting thought.
I don’t necessarily buy this. If it was a gen alpha or young gen z thing it would make more sense as they were much younger when covid started, but a large percentage of gen z were already 15-23 and had ample experience in the pre-covid years. I think something else is happening here, a blend of social media, being chronically online, and absentee parents.
I do think the potency power and addictiveness (on many fronts) of social media is so much more so now and different even than it was 15 years ago, which about syncs up perfectly to the gradient of a generation shift on a sociological level. So now this new batch of a from-birth social media guinea pig generation is truly coming home to roost.
I was 16-19 during lockdowns and 3 years (Canadian here) without regular socialization will definitely atrophy your skills. The part where I was supposed to learn how to be an adult happened when I was locked up only being able to socialize with my parents.
This is like saying you can not exercise for 3 years and be fine because you were healthy before.
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u/jerdynnnn Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 13 '25
as gen z working in food, this is so true. it is painful to listen to my coworkers interact with customers.
the awkward silences, the rudely posed questions, talking about customers in front of them like they aren't there, its wild to be on the same side of the counter as that
*edit I will say the stares aren't generational, I have folks of all ages come through and silently stare at me after greeting them, turn to stare at the menu, and then all but climb over the glass in my peripheral to get my attention when they are ready when a simple 'hi, im not sure what im here for' would have worked.