Gen Z’s Holiday Nightmares
Hint: retail shifts, hometown hookups, and oversharing.
What Gen Z Really Thinks About Working Retail:
We’re skipping the usual talk about holiday sales, TikTok Shop hauls, or longing for childhood Christmas nostalgia, and going straight to the unfiltered takes from young people behind the register.
Whether they’re recent college grads, 20-year-olds still figuring out their passion, or high school seniors saving up for a car, retail is where many paths cross. 80% of our Youthtellers are no strangers to a POS system. Here’s what we learned from them:
78% have never walked off a job, no matter how rude their coworkers are.
On that note, 93% listed "rude coworkers" as their number one dealbreaker.
The most coveted retail jobs are in high-end, luxury stores like Gucci, Balenciaga, and Louis Vuitton (IKEA and Target also ranked highly).
If they could tell their managers one thing, here’s what it would be:
Texting Your Exes When You’re Home for the Holidays? Here’s What Gen Z Has to Say
Tis the damn season. Thank you, Taylor Swift! 80% of our elder Youthtellers, ages 20-27, are heading home for the holidays. And the emotions? Well, they're mixed. One thing Gen Z agrees on is that they are definitely NOT texting their exes. To be exact, 77% of our Youthtellers gave us a resounding “Hell No!” And you know what… hell yeah!
If you let Millennials tell it, returning home for Christmas is the perfect time to hit up your old stomping grounds, text “the one who got away,” maybe black out at your favorite dive, or break a no-contact rule to fulfill your Hallmark movie dreams. However far they want to go on the messy meter.
In our quest to find out if they missed their high school crush, we found out that they are way more concerned with how they differ from their relatives politically. Not exactly shocking since many of them would self-identify as politically active (just not always in the case of voting).
After a contentious election season, 58% of our Youthteller community said their views were either somewhat or completely different from the people they’ll be spending the holidays with. And surprisingly, that was scarier than accidentally running into a hometown ex—at least according to our community.
23 Y/O Fresno, CA: “I'm nervous and a little sad. My parents are very conservative and homophobic so as a lesbian I'd rather not be spending the holidays with them.”
25 Y/O Texas: “Less than a day if possible, my family (parent specifically) can be rude, racist, and overbearing and I try to limit my exposure to that part of their personality.”
26 Y/O Philadelphia, PA: “It’s bittersweet. I’m all alone where I currently live but when I get home I remember why I moved out so far away. My parents seem to forget I’m an adult now and think I’m still a young teen that needs parenting.”
We’re Listening—and Definitely Judging
If you’ve spent any time doom-scrolling on TikTok in the last 7 days, you’ve probably heard we listen and we don’t judge over 50 times. There’s something undeniably addictive about oversharing on the internet. Whether it’s hilarious or borderline inappropriate, friends, couples, and relatives are spilling secrets that most people would typically reserve for their diary—or, well, the grave.
This trend pulls back the curtain on the behaviors of young people. What was once personal isn’t anymore…and might just make you go viral. So, reader, breathe a sigh of relief—apparently, it’s quite common to check for skidmarks when doing your boyfriend’s laundry.
*This article was originally posted on Substack. Click HERE to subscribe