egg. milk. cheese. butter. Boy friend?
Groceries are not the only necessities Gen Z is in the market for.
Young people in their 20s are now putting down their phones and searching for potential partners in Channel 5, according to new research from vodka purveyor Smirnoff.
“[Gen Zs] Getting tired of living online for so long, especially when it comes to meeting new people,” Smirnoff’s marketing manager Maddy Stockwell told Australian news.com.au.
“Getting back to old-school tactics,” Stockwell said. “Surprisingly, almost half of Gen Z daters say they would like to meet a potential new partner in a grocery store or supermarket.”
A recent study co-led by Smirnoff and YouGov found that 46.8% of unmarried Zoomers (young people aged 18 to 27) would like to meet their partner while shopping.
Liquor Tossers also revealed that nearly 78% of singles looking to get off the market prefer to make meaningful connections with new people or friends in person rather than on the internet.
Quitting the search for love online is quickly becoming a popular fad among Gen Z.
Know-it-all New Yorkers like 25-year-old Sarah Lapi admire supermarkets like Whole Foods in Tribeca as the holy grail of “boyfriend shopping.”
“When I need help making something happen, I find it easy to engage with potential candidates, which often sparks a small conversation,” Lappi, a digital marketing executive, previously told The Washington Post. “Also, a friendly smile that expresses my interest without being too forward usually does the trick.”
Mimi Shou, a 29-year-old lifestyle influencer from Tribeca, agrees.
“This is the place you need to always go to for husband material,” she said in a viral video, praising her local Whole Foods to her more than 325,000 TikTok viewers. “The people you’re looking for are the people who are spending their money on organic scallops.”
But when those under 30 don’t have access to the market, they pick up mature lovers at funerals or protests.
Amber Brooks, lead research author for DatingAdvice.com, determined that a whopping 90.24% of young singles desire face-to-face romantic encounters – whether in a chill or lively location.
“Most Gen Z prefers to meet face to face,” said Brooks, who surveyed 502 hot singles across the U.S. to learn about popular dating styles.
“They hope to meet potential partners at social gatherings, bookstores, local clubs or classes, and other offline events and venues.”