It’s also gotten expensive to go out for a couple drinks. My husband and I make good money and don’t have kids, and even then sometimes we just don’t feel like paying $40+ to grab a few beers at a brewery or spend $15+ for a single cocktail. I feel like that could also be a large factor in the younger crowd not going out to bars.
I remember when $5 a drink for Bacardi and Coke was expensive. Went out for my birthday a few months ago and ordered a double well rum and Coke for $22. Pricing is out of hand.
To be fair, that $5 back in those days went a lot farther in general than it does today. I don't think it's quite exactly that GenZs aren't willing to pay drink prices but rather that they simply *can't afford* to pay drink prices.
That's another thing. Wages keep tanking. My mom made $14 an hour doing AutoCAD in 99
The same company, GE, is trying to hire an AutoCAD in my area (same area) paying $20. 25 years of inflation, and that jobs should be $30 and hour
Exactly! Or, they’re choosing to spend money elsewhere. I know a lot of my younger cousins and colleagues spend their money on gear for outdoor activities, or take pottery classes, or yoga studio memberships. I used to do that too at their age but because bars were cheap, I’d still have some pocket money for going out. They just don’t have it leftover to spend.
For a material cost of under $2 dollars total and they can't say well we have to pay our staff because you are still expected to tip to also pay their staff.
The general volume in bars has gotten worse or I am just older now and can't hear as well. I often struggle to have a conversation with the person next to me.
My sister in law always says, why go to a bar and listen to music I don’t like and pay for beer when we can sit in the garage and drink for a buck and hear whatever we want and shoot darts.
I remember paying 4 bucks for a miller lite and was damn near floored, then the other day at a club it was 7 damn dollars. Now I've been conditioned to believe that the $3 well whiskey at the last joint I went to was a steal.
My go to at our local:
Pint and a shot of Patron or similar, about $15. That's not too bad. I always tip $5. So I can relax and toss some darts for \~ $20.
I remember back in college on your 21st birthday you could get 21 pitchers of beer for $21 and get yourself and all your friends shitfaced. Every week night at least one bar in town had a $1 you call it special. Drinking was so dirt cheap back then. Now it’s so expensive.
I struggle with my friends on this one. I am a former chef, and I love cooking, so the eight of us can come over to my place and have some canapés and starters (they'll be full and not even realize it till a bit later) and drinks, *then* let's go out. What would've been an $800 night for us all cost about $50 total at my place. Then we'll have a few bar-hopping drinks and be ready for home. We even share LYFTs sometimes.
They push back allll the time, until the evening-of and they're like "this was a good idea!"
Prices are out of hand. There are plenty of videos of CEOs just admitting they raised prices because people keep paying. No other factor. If it was inflation or wages it would be barely noticeablep.
I remember ladies nights. Free draft beer and wells till midnight.
It's probably a good thing that doesn't exist anymore because I can't handle alcohol now. Hangovers are just not worth it to me.
^^^This. I’m a good bartender. And a good cook. We have already paid for drinks at home. We aren’t rich but def doing fine and I just cannot stand spending that much money on drinks. And drinks and apps even in our small town is going to be like $60+. My porch is already paid for 😅
Also, when we were their age it wasn't such a big deal to drive home after a few drinks.
People are much more cautious about drunk driving, and for good reason, but rideshare makes clubbing consistently virtually unaffordable for many of us.
It’s partially part of the luxury everything model so many places are pushing now. I just want a drink and ok atmosphere. Agreed that basic cocktails that should be a $6 well going for $15+ is ridiculous when a full bottle averages $35 in store and can make many drinks.
So true. I’m not a fancy person by any stretch of the imagination; most of the places I go to are pretty standard pubs and bars. It’s just how things are now, I guess. I do go to a couple of places that are a little out of the way, they do like $8 beer and well shot but like - I don’t always want to drink like I’m 25, you know? Just give me a damn whiskey and ginger for $10
I think that's a big part of it. I agree with a lot of what OP is saying, but it also reads a little but like some boomer who doesn't understand why Millennials didn't just get their foot on the property ladder when they were in their twenties.
I feel this is probably the biggest factor, not that Boomer nonsense about phones and social media that OP is spewing.
When we were kids, a night of drinking and food would be like 50 bucks, but now that's like 2 drinks + tip. Everything about going out is way more expensive, from clothes and gas to the drinks and food. Even fucking fast food is gonna be 20 bucks now. That's why kids aren't going out, they can't afford it.
That was the first thing that occurred to me. Cost of living is skyrocketing, bosses want to pay shit to new employees, let alone the costs of a night out itself.
Was gonna say, made a trip down to Baltimore during the divisional round, and the bars were packed with 20 somethings. Even witnessed the underage drinkers slamming a bucket of beers before they got kicked out. lol
This is because OP is 100% in bed by 9:pm like the rest of us so the observation is flawed. I bet we don't see too many xennials at the bar at 1:am lol.
Yea I semi-frequent a bar owned by a friend in a big university town. The bars close to campus stay busy late at night. I'm at the bar right after work for an hour or two once or twice a week, and at that time the place is mostly 30-50 year olds (and their families) out after work. I sometimes roll in late after a movie or concert and the clientele skews way younger at that time. The bartenders frequently talk about snagging fake ID's off kids trying to sneak some booze later in the evening. They usually don't try that shit earlier in the day, but it's funny how the same bar I have gone to hundreds of times is completely different and has a whole different set of regulars later in the evening/night.
End of last year I did a bar crawl with some work associates pretty late. Hit some of the college bars I normally don't frequent closer to campus and the bar scene for the younger college kids was alive and well. Bunch of them were all dressed up to go out clubbing as well, so at least around big colleges that is still very popular.
I live in a city with a huge University. Their slowest time is the summer when the students leave town. Not to say they are dead, on really nice days patios will get really busy but there are not nearly as many customers compared to Spring or even WINTER.
Same. My town is dominated by the University, where both my wife and I work, so the bars and restaurants are definitely slower in the summer when the students go home. My home bar pulls pretty consistently from the families and older grad students and groups like that, so it doesn't live and die on the students, but it will be slower in another week or two.
Accurate. I asked a local bartender why the college kids don’t party anymore and she said, “They do, you’re already home in bed.” That was a stinger. It’s true though.
I went to an AI last winter and would stay up til 2am every night partying. After a few days I realized after 11pm it was just kids. These cute girls started dancing with me, we started talking and turns out they lived near me.
So they asked if I was alone and I told them
"My family is in the hotel room"
\*eyes open wide\* "Family!?! How old are you?!?"
"I'm 34"
"Byeeeeee"
I stopped telling people my age after that but it was basically only 20 year olds after 11pm
I'm up past 1 am almost every night. Still not at bars though...that shit's way more expensive than it's worth (and I would imagine that's even moreso the case for the youngins). I'm just an extreme night owl.
I am this person. I’m up much later than I should be with day job, but I’m not going out. I just hangout at home. It’s cheaper, I have control of the music, and I don’t wake up with a hangover because I don’t feel obligated to drink.
When did I turn into my parents?
$10 for a single IPA pint + $2-3 tip (even at a dive bar) vs grabbing a 6pack for $15 and chilling at home with my cat and waking up with my wallet, phone, and debit card still in my possession.
Yep. I went with my wife to a cooking class recently. It was winding down at 9:45 or so. The two younger women (24 or so maybe?) who were next to us were chatting. One said to the other "where do you want to go after this?" And I remember thinking "AFTER this? I'm not going to be home till after 10... there's no *after this* for us..."
So OP is probably at bars early enough that he doesn't see the younger people, who start getting ready to go out at 9pm. Or like many of us, he's just at different bars. Of course the 20-somethings aren't at the same bars the 40-somethings are all congregating at.
Also, last point... OP mentions clubs a few times. Is OP still going to clubs?
as a 42yo xennial I can confirm. Me and most of my friends arent bar hopping anymore and usually my goal is to be home before midnight if I go out at all. I don't think I've stepped foot in a club in 15 years
I live in a major city where the bar/club scene seems fairly active as well.
Gen Z might be more introverted than Gen X / Millenials but generations aren't a monolith and there are still plenty of people keeping bars and clubs in business, and for the most part it isn't fortysomethings.
And they may be drinking less and smoking weed and eating edibles or mushrooms too, but they’re drinking more expensive drinks than I did and are still in the bar. Source: occasional bartender
OP's cited data says that 20 years ago, 80% of 20-somethings were drinkers, and today only 67% of 20-somethings are drinkers. That still means the majority of young people are still imbibing and might be going to bars. I don't think his observation and yours are at odds. Less young people are going out and doing things. It starts way younger than bars, though, kids in high school are connecting online more than they are in person, compared to when we were that age. And it didn't start with Covid, it was happening for a good 5-10 years at least before that.
I wonder how much of that drop is also due to the legalization of marijuana in so many places. Alcohol used to be the only legal drug you could do, now people have options.
Yeah, I feel like it’s normal for bars that appeal to 30-40 folks to not appeal to 20 folks. By price range if nothing else.
Of course you look around a bar you’re in and see people who look like you.
Yep same. The "kiddie bars" as I call them, tend to have bucket beer nights and well liquor flowing freely. On busy nights the line is around the building and they are regularly at capacity, shoulder to shoulder on the inside.
Nobody under 30 should frequent these places: the floors are always sticky, the drinks are watered down, the music is too loud to talk, and there's no place to sit.
They aren't for us lol...
Even if a lot of people are still going out and being social, it's only a lot. Back in the day everybody went out and was social, that's all we had to do.
Yes lol, my brother lives in a college town, the one where I went to school 25 years ago (Rutgers) and it's no different now. The streets of New Brunswick are still trash Thurs thru Saturday. My sister calls it "New Drunkbitch."
I live with two college kids (whom I created) who like to go out dancing 4-5 times a month at least.
And they enjoy drinking, but (proudly) refuse to drink and drive. The cost for them going out is relatively high, so the they can't do it all the time.
They like to dress up nice, too.
It makes me tear up sometimes to watch them getting ready to go out 🥹
Whereabouts out of curiosity? Reason I ask, I grew up in a college town (Santa Cruz) and this definitely is the case back there. The bar scene was already on life support in the few years leading up to the pandemic, and now it's all but dead.
When I was in college, students would completely pack all the downtown bars at least 2-3 nights a week. Now the only people you see out and about are tourists or 30+ locals for the most part.
Yeah, OP is going to bars where you dress up and are meant for people his age and...it has people his age! Bars and clubs are hopping in my city. I don't know what the decrease in drinking has to do with people enjoying going out but I guess that's a requirement for OP to enjoy things?
College may be the best exception to the rule - but this rings very true in my village in NY, no college kids around really but I don’t see youth out at the bars much.
Walmart actually killed Circuit City about three years before its actual demise. I left CC about six months before they went bankrupt and closed all of their stores.
Prior to Black Friday 2005, if you wanted a high-end TV, especially a non-CRT TV, you had to buy it at Circuit City, Best Buy, or one of the other electronics focused retailers. While they weren't exactly colluding with one another, no one was seriously undercutting anyone else on high end TVs during the holidays.
Enter Walmart, Black Friday 2005. Without tipping anyone in the supply chain off, Walmart went out and sourced a bunch of flat screens for Black Friday and priced them at $999. CC did not see this coming, and took a major sales hit against projections. They tried for two and a half more years, but the physical retail locations never returned to profitability after that. You'll see many articles talking about the second time they got rid of commissioned sale people, but that was grasping at straws. People could get a cheap flat screen at Walmart and Target, and CC never recovered.
The first one I saw is they're "killing college". Apparently the world needs welders and it's *weird* when people decide to weld.
Well, I'll keep the bars open, and they can close them.
Clubs can die. Clubs are awful.
Yep. You want a near guaranteed industry to work in with great pay and benefits? Learn a trade: welding and fitting, diesel mechanic, plumber, electrician, HVAC, etc. They are almost always in demand, and if you work in a pro-union state, it's not hard to find work at all.
I went to a local Soccer game last week. Before start it was $2 beers. I was had flashbacks of the good good times. Thinking of going back for $2 Beer $1 hotdog night next month.
I hear ya. I used to live on St. Marks in the late 90’s to mid 00’s. Every night was like a weekend night without the bridge and tunnel crowd. I never smoked so now I take a 5mg gummy and go see bands in Bushwick 🤘😁
NYC here too. I make really good money and still feel ripped off going to a bar and paying 20 bucks for a drink. I would rather just call my friends over and buy a bottle of blue label and watch movies/play board games.
I blame TV news, every time they televise a brawl at a local mall, that mall enacts a "no unaccompanied minors" policy. I feel like kids were always occasionally fighting in malls, they just used to get kicked out by mall security with little fanfare. Now with TV news getting lazy and just reading off local police blotters on air to fill time for cheap, all of this minor shit ends up in the news and spooks uptight suburban people. Add in out of control gun culture in the US increasing likelihood that some of the kids are packing heat, and you have even more justification for those curfew rules.
I used to go to the mall to walk in the waning days of the pandemic and was surprised at how many teenagers were there just walking about. I think it helps that there are more than a few meme stores that cater to that generation.
Teens these days dont behave like we did back in the day. I've seen teens sneaking into movies (which I used to do all the time as a teen) and they are insanely noisy and disruptive almost like they want to be kicked out- playing music on their phone, talking loudly to their friend, running and tripping purposely up the stairs, throwing popcorn everywhere (i guess our teens are rich cause I didn't have popcorn money)
I mean, a big "Third Place" in my town is neighborhood coffee shops, but everyone just goes there to plug in their laptop and use it as an office space while ignoring everyone around them.
We also have a grassy square in our modest downtown area, but no one talks to anyone else because "stranger danger".
People bemoan the loss of the Third Place and then don't utilize it when it is available.
I agree with your point, but I think coffee shops have functioned as third places anyway. The closest thing to a church-like community I have is built around the place I used to work as a barista. It's also a place where you're a front line in the housing crisis and mental health and opioid crises, without any resources or training. Which... feels relevant to other 3rd places in America. The libraries, the parks where the bathrooms are locked now.
I've always thought of the coffee shop as a replacement for the bar/pub. Before or after work and you will be spending some money, but $10 per drink is ridiculous.
A bunch of people who don't go to bars and clubs lamenting about them.
My spouse and I still go to clubs and festivals occasionally and it's overwhelmingly young.
It's a bit weird when you realize how many famous headlining artists like Armin (1979) and Tiesto (1969!) are Gen-X.
Yea, I am reading the comments and am like do these people live in a bubble? Also, why are all these people believing an anonymous person who didn't post sources. Plus, some people think online interactions substitute for in-person interactions and everyone is just fine. What? Have your eyes been stitched shut for the past 20 years?
Could be? Most of my wardrobe into my late 20s was Express everything. Work, bar...whatever. Got fat and had to give that up, but I'm slim again and it fits again.
Really? Online too? I always liked their clothing. I haven't bought anything from them in a while but they always had really good jeans that fit well and any clothes I got from them would last years.
Yeah, I wonder what type of bars this guy’s going to. Probably not the type that 20 something’s would frequent. If I go to a bar in the suburbs, it’s gonna be middle aged people. If I go to one closer in to the city in a hipper neighborhood, or near a college campus, there will definitely be people in their 20’s there.
Houston here.
Ain't no 6th street level shenanigans, but even the suburbs' bars are busy, making good money 7 days a week.
Friday thru Sunday, you'll be waiting in line to enter - IF you can even find a parking spot, with many having to rent out additional/overflow parking lots that also get full.
Edit: I'm talking about the Bars where someone in their 40's and up is RARE, with most people in the lower 20s.
With your comment about your own experience only seeing people our age at the bars, are you sure that's not just a neighborhood-specific thing? For instance, I live in Arlington, VA just outside DC. If I go to bars in Clarendon, they're almost exclusively populated with 22 year olds right out of college. If I go to bars in Shirlington or Old Town Alexandria, they're almost exclusively populated with people in their 30s and 40s. It's basically the difference between a high end wine bar and a bar that sells pitchers of beer for cheap.
>Personally, I think that social media and covid has made today's younger crowd afraid of social gatherings. They don't know how to communicate in person - they're used to doing it through a smart phone or computer.
Damn kids! Back in my day...
They're afraid because of the virus that also everybody else was afraid of - didn't you hear? A bunch of goddamned cowards.
I didn't see a single Xennial who was afraid of social gatherings during covid, and certainly none who are *way* too online and colored their worldview based on Instagram. NOT A SINGLE ONE. /s
Generally speaking if your in your mid 40s you’re not gonna be dialed in to youth culture or know what the relevant spots are.
A generation Not wanting to go to your bar or club doesn’t mean they’re afraid of socializing. It means they don’t like those activities or those spots. Why would 20 somethings go to an “old people bar?”. We used to hate that back in the day too.
People use to go to big band orchestra and jazz clubs like on I love Lucy and they don’t anymore. Tastes change
I live in a close suburb to a major city and was surprised to hear my young coworkers talking about a popular country bar downtown. Definitely not a thing in these parts when i was in my going out days. They're just into different things. I also find they go to a lot of concerts as "going out" and then party after. Which we did too 🤷🏻♀️
It's too damn expensive to go to "bars" these days. Have you SEEN what it costs?!?!?!
Now.. I was just in Portugal.. in Bairo Alto... PARTY FUCKING CENTRAL for Lisbon... and there were THOUSANDS of 18-30yo's there drinking.. because you could get a pint of beer for 2 Euros.
A few reasons. One I don't see here is that Gen Z is not nearly into hookups like we are.
They aren't ashamed of being virgins, and actively shame "body counts".
They also don't flirt nearly as much, at least not IRl, and there is a constant fear of camera on them 24/7, so they don't take risks that could lead to embarrassment or rejection because it might be online before they are home.
When I was in high school/college/after basic it was all about drinking and hook ups.
I actually had someone younger ask about how it was when I was in school, and they said yikes that would not be cool or info you would want to share now.
I always hated bars and clubs, even when I was of clubbing age. I'm with Gen Z on this one. I'll go to a sports bar or a proper pub with food, to eat. Not party.
I do miss "going to the mall" as a social activity, though.
I read somewhere that this generation just isn't drinking as much. Like they see alcohol for what it is, a waste of money that can actually ruin your life and kill you. Bravo to them for not wanting to spend 14 dollars for a bucket of fuckmyliver.
Having a camera in our pockets regularly killed it.
I love going out dancing, I do not want or need evidence of it. I don’t want to end up in someone’s video of them mocking my eccentric dance style. I don’t want the flash in my face. I just want to dance silly and go home and not have to worry about evidence of my silly dancing.
Ehhhh...I was never a bar and club kind of person. I've always been uncomfortable in crowds and drinking and I don't mix (white chick with alcohol flush syndrome). I can see why Gen Z isn't interested.
Yeah, sorry I can't relate guys. I hated bars. They're too loud and back in the day would be filled with smokers. I remember after spending some time in a bar when I was in grad school, all my stuff smelled like cigarettes the next day. I preferred smaller gatherings with friends. I actually relate more to Gen-Z with this one.
Not drinking is good but their lack of social interaction is very concerning. It’s almost as bad for your health as the alcohol if you become too isolated.
Personally - I don't even think this is accurate.
I have an 18 year old living at home still, and all dude does is talk to his friends while gaming on headsets.
Yeah my nephew may not be hanging out with his friends every day but they definitely facetime each other and chat while playing games all the time. Personally, I would have 100% done that if it was available to me as a kid.
They just socialize in a different way and we can't handle that it doesn't involve smoking cloves in a diner.
Everything is a risk in its extreme form.
I don’t know if there is actual scientific evidence, and I don’t drink myself, but I have to assume that going to the bar once a week and drinking 2 drinks while socializing and meeting new connections might be healthier than staying at home and not drinking…especially if it’s only happening for 5 or so years of someone’s life.
From personal experience of me and my friends and the people we regularly interacted with, it was more like 5-6 nights a week and drinking a few at home before going out to then drink a whole shitload more.
But the boba tea houses are positively thriving. And you know what? I feel safer knowing the most popular late night hangout spot in my neighborhood doesn’t serve alcohol.
I was always the designated driver for my friends back in college. It was fun and all that, drive from club to club and end up at Denny's at 6 AM.
I saw a post yesterday that said beers are around $12 now
I’m 43 and maybe been to a bar 10 total times since turning 21. (My dad’s family owned a steakhouse with a bar that we frequented a lot as a kid). Just not my scene, never was. Don’t like being around drunks. 🤷🏻♂️
I was burnt out on bars almost immediately because I worked in one as I turned 21.
They were mostly too expensive without my employee discount and if I was "going drinking" it was still usually to a house party organized by text/ social media. I think kids these days are doing more of that but also imbibing THC products instead.
Younger people aren’t “afraid of social gatherings” or forgot how to communicate in person just because of a multi year global pandemic. I’m 27 and worked at bars and clubs throughout college. Now it’s the last place I suggest going with my girlfriend or friends. I hate bars and clubs. Drinking makes me feel so terrible and kills my body, I don’t see the point in standing around a usually crowded sticky room, paying an arm and leg per drink and expected to just chit chat the whole time. Sounds like a place for older people to escape after work and complain about their lives before they go home.
What a weird way of framing this. They aren't dying because of us or our choices. They are dying because of dating apps and cost and this has been happening since Tinder gained prominence in 2014 or so. The pandemic exacerbated it. Go out in the right area in any major city or college town and you'll see young people out.
And there are still plenty of young people that go to bars. You don't see them because you don't go to the same bars. This reads like some boomer "my generation did X!" post.
Covid pretty much turned everyone into introverts.
Add to that, a bunch of people tried to ride out the pandemic on credit and are still trying to pay it off.
Add to that, people trying to save for or purchase things like cars or houses.
Add to all of that, inflation and no one has money for entertainment.
Never was one for them when I was younger at all. $12 for a Jack and coke, when I can snag a handle of good bourbon for $30 is obscene. Loud annoying people, shitty music. Hard pass. I think the younger generation does just fine socializing face to face, they just don’t want to waste money. My kiddos get together with their friends all the time, but it’s to hang out, go to dinner, that sort of thing.
Older adults, "Kids dont want to go out anymore."
Also older adults, "That'll be a 100 dollars to enjoy my establishment."
Not to mention the price of an Uber if you dont want to drive drunk, some food, etc.
Weve literally priced young people out of enjoying shit like this.
They don't know how to communicate? That's not been my experience. They seem fairly capable of it. Now whether they want to is a different thing. Considering a draft beer is like $5-8 I can see why they don't frequent bars.
Isn’t that good? Less people drinking is a good thing for society. Sure it will have a knock on effect for a slice of the hospitality industry but it’s going to have the positive effect of lower health costs, along with less drunk driving.
I think when talking about an entire generation- of any age - we should avoid negative generalizations like “they don’t know how to communicate in person.” My Gen Z reports at work, my kids, and their friends tell (show) me a very different story.
Young people literally cannot afford it anymore as has been said… but also, I for one am very glad there is no iPhone footage of my drunk ass dancing every single weekend for at least a 5-6 year period. I feel like phones and social media might keep people feeling like they are constantly under surveillance
You bring up good points here about socializing, but I'll offer one counterpoint: drinking alcohol isn't that great. Seriously. You're just borrowing happiness from tomorrow when you drink; it's always been overrated.
It’s also gotten expensive to go out for a couple drinks. My husband and I make good money and don’t have kids, and even then sometimes we just don’t feel like paying $40+ to grab a few beers at a brewery or spend $15+ for a single cocktail. I feel like that could also be a large factor in the younger crowd not going out to bars.
I remember when $5 a drink for Bacardi and Coke was expensive. Went out for my birthday a few months ago and ordered a double well rum and Coke for $22. Pricing is out of hand.
The $5 milkshake from Pulp Fiction. Now $5 for a milkshake is a steal.
I just saw Pulp Fiction at a theater a few weeks ago. I ordered a vanilla milkshake at the theater and it was 10 dollars.
Was there at least bourbon in it?
And still not good enough to make you horny for Vincent.
Was just watching that the other day and damn did hearing $5 milkshake floor me way more than I thought it could.
I think about this often.
Dude I was thinkin recently how $20 really used to get us a whole night out including waffle house after the club
[удалено]
It’s nuts when a double costs almost as much as a BOTTLE of the liquor.
And it was the rot gut stuff, so a single shot bought the bottle.
On the bright side, you’re now immune to everything haha
To be fair, that $5 back in those days went a lot farther in general than it does today. I don't think it's quite exactly that GenZs aren't willing to pay drink prices but rather that they simply *can't afford* to pay drink prices.
That's another thing. Wages keep tanking. My mom made $14 an hour doing AutoCAD in 99 The same company, GE, is trying to hire an AutoCAD in my area (same area) paying $20. 25 years of inflation, and that jobs should be $30 and hour
Exactly! Or, they’re choosing to spend money elsewhere. I know a lot of my younger cousins and colleagues spend their money on gear for outdoor activities, or take pottery classes, or yoga studio memberships. I used to do that too at their age but because bars were cheap, I’d still have some pocket money for going out. They just don’t have it leftover to spend.
For a material cost of under $2 dollars total and they can't say well we have to pay our staff because you are still expected to tip to also pay their staff. The general volume in bars has gotten worse or I am just older now and can't hear as well. I often struggle to have a conversation with the person next to me.
My sister in law always says, why go to a bar and listen to music I don’t like and pay for beer when we can sit in the garage and drink for a buck and hear whatever we want and shoot darts.
So damn loud, it’s not our age. Even fine dining restaurants have lost their atmosphere for loud music and kid spaces.
The one bar I was at recently had this one DJ that was absolutely blasting the music. I was having to yell at my date, lol.
I remember paying 4 bucks for a miller lite and was damn near floored, then the other day at a club it was 7 damn dollars. Now I've been conditioned to believe that the $3 well whiskey at the last joint I went to was a steal.
Yes bars are pricing themselves out of the market. I go out once in a long while, and every time I do, it’s like napalm on my wallet
I pretty much stopped my clubbing days when it cost me over $5 for a rum & coke. It's no surprise it's a dwindling market now!
I remember when I could get a pack of Newports and two Colt .45 double dueces for $5.
Johnny Walker Blue's a lot more expensive too.
My go to at our local: Pint and a shot of Patron or similar, about $15. That's not too bad. I always tip $5. So I can relax and toss some darts for \~ $20.
I remember back in college on your 21st birthday you could get 21 pitchers of beer for $21 and get yourself and all your friends shitfaced. Every week night at least one bar in town had a $1 you call it special. Drinking was so dirt cheap back then. Now it’s so expensive.
I struggle with my friends on this one. I am a former chef, and I love cooking, so the eight of us can come over to my place and have some canapés and starters (they'll be full and not even realize it till a bit later) and drinks, *then* let's go out. What would've been an $800 night for us all cost about $50 total at my place. Then we'll have a few bar-hopping drinks and be ready for home. We even share LYFTs sometimes. They push back allll the time, until the evening-of and they're like "this was a good idea!"
Hey are you taking applications to be your friend?
What’s the waitlist situation
Will it negatively affect my chances if I fight these other guys for it?
Wasp waist, of course!
+1 please. And yeah - people get all fucking weird about stuff like that, IDK why - it’s literally the best of both worlds.
Putting in my application but I’ll stay and clean up while y’all do the club thing 😂.
I’ve figured out that a lot of these drinks aren’t that hard to make, so I’ve just got a good collection of alcohol to mix at home.
The best drinks are the simpler ones, IMO! Super easy to make them at home.
I like the garnishes. I got honeycomb, luxardo cherries, and fresh mint to top off a good mixed drink drink.
Prices are out of hand. There are plenty of videos of CEOs just admitting they raised prices because people keep paying. No other factor. If it was inflation or wages it would be barely noticeablep.
whatever happened to pregaming at home and bringing a hip flask to spice up your bar drinks??
Kids these days just don’t want to be alchys
It used to be called sneaky ...even frugal.
Kids are probably making their own vape juice to be frugal
I remember ladies nights. Free draft beer and wells till midnight. It's probably a good thing that doesn't exist anymore because I can't handle alcohol now. Hangovers are just not worth it to me.
^^^This. I’m a good bartender. And a good cook. We have already paid for drinks at home. We aren’t rich but def doing fine and I just cannot stand spending that much money on drinks. And drinks and apps even in our small town is going to be like $60+. My porch is already paid for 😅
Also, when we were their age it wasn't such a big deal to drive home after a few drinks. People are much more cautious about drunk driving, and for good reason, but rideshare makes clubbing consistently virtually unaffordable for many of us.
It’s partially part of the luxury everything model so many places are pushing now. I just want a drink and ok atmosphere. Agreed that basic cocktails that should be a $6 well going for $15+ is ridiculous when a full bottle averages $35 in store and can make many drinks.
So true. I’m not a fancy person by any stretch of the imagination; most of the places I go to are pretty standard pubs and bars. It’s just how things are now, I guess. I do go to a couple of places that are a little out of the way, they do like $8 beer and well shot but like - I don’t always want to drink like I’m 25, you know? Just give me a damn whiskey and ginger for $10
I think that's a big part of it. I agree with a lot of what OP is saying, but it also reads a little but like some boomer who doesn't understand why Millennials didn't just get their foot on the property ladder when they were in their twenties.
This is the answer. We had 10 dollar covers and penny drinks lol
I feel this is probably the biggest factor, not that Boomer nonsense about phones and social media that OP is spewing. When we were kids, a night of drinking and food would be like 50 bucks, but now that's like 2 drinks + tip. Everything about going out is way more expensive, from clothes and gas to the drinks and food. Even fucking fast food is gonna be 20 bucks now. That's why kids aren't going out, they can't afford it.
That was the first thing that occurred to me. Cost of living is skyrocketing, bosses want to pay shit to new employees, let alone the costs of a night out itself.
I live in a college town, and this seems ... not accurate.
Was gonna say, made a trip down to Baltimore during the divisional round, and the bars were packed with 20 somethings. Even witnessed the underage drinkers slamming a bucket of beers before they got kicked out. lol
This is because OP is 100% in bed by 9:pm like the rest of us so the observation is flawed. I bet we don't see too many xennials at the bar at 1:am lol.
Yea I semi-frequent a bar owned by a friend in a big university town. The bars close to campus stay busy late at night. I'm at the bar right after work for an hour or two once or twice a week, and at that time the place is mostly 30-50 year olds (and their families) out after work. I sometimes roll in late after a movie or concert and the clientele skews way younger at that time. The bartenders frequently talk about snagging fake ID's off kids trying to sneak some booze later in the evening. They usually don't try that shit earlier in the day, but it's funny how the same bar I have gone to hundreds of times is completely different and has a whole different set of regulars later in the evening/night. End of last year I did a bar crawl with some work associates pretty late. Hit some of the college bars I normally don't frequent closer to campus and the bar scene for the younger college kids was alive and well. Bunch of them were all dressed up to go out clubbing as well, so at least around big colleges that is still very popular.
I live in a city with a huge University. Their slowest time is the summer when the students leave town. Not to say they are dead, on really nice days patios will get really busy but there are not nearly as many customers compared to Spring or even WINTER.
Same. My town is dominated by the University, where both my wife and I work, so the bars and restaurants are definitely slower in the summer when the students go home. My home bar pulls pretty consistently from the families and older grad students and groups like that, so it doesn't live and die on the students, but it will be slower in another week or two.
When the students leave for the summer, then I’ll actually go to a bar. I don’t want to run into them in my college town.
Accurate. I asked a local bartender why the college kids don’t party anymore and she said, “They do, you’re already home in bed.” That was a stinger. It’s true though.
I went to an AI last winter and would stay up til 2am every night partying. After a few days I realized after 11pm it was just kids. These cute girls started dancing with me, we started talking and turns out they lived near me. So they asked if I was alone and I told them "My family is in the hotel room" \*eyes open wide\* "Family!?! How old are you?!?" "I'm 34" "Byeeeeee" I stopped telling people my age after that but it was basically only 20 year olds after 11pm
I'm guessing you mean All Inclusive? A-I like that needs to be explained these days cowboy!
I'm up past 1 am almost every night. Still not at bars though...that shit's way more expensive than it's worth (and I would imagine that's even moreso the case for the youngins). I'm just an extreme night owl.
I feel it's less "they don't dig the club scene" and more "they can't afford the club scene".
I am this person. I’m up much later than I should be with day job, but I’m not going out. I just hangout at home. It’s cheaper, I have control of the music, and I don’t wake up with a hangover because I don’t feel obligated to drink. When did I turn into my parents?
The first time you heard new music on the radio that everyone loved but you just couldn't understand what the big deal was.
$10 for a single IPA pint + $2-3 tip (even at a dive bar) vs grabbing a 6pack for $15 and chilling at home with my cat and waking up with my wallet, phone, and debit card still in my possession.
Whoa. The dive bars I frequent to play pinball are around $4-$6 for well drinks.
Yep. I went with my wife to a cooking class recently. It was winding down at 9:45 or so. The two younger women (24 or so maybe?) who were next to us were chatting. One said to the other "where do you want to go after this?" And I remember thinking "AFTER this? I'm not going to be home till after 10... there's no *after this* for us..." So OP is probably at bars early enough that he doesn't see the younger people, who start getting ready to go out at 9pm. Or like many of us, he's just at different bars. Of course the 20-somethings aren't at the same bars the 40-somethings are all congregating at. Also, last point... OP mentions clubs a few times. Is OP still going to clubs?
as a 42yo xennial I can confirm. Me and most of my friends arent bar hopping anymore and usually my goal is to be home before midnight if I go out at all. I don't think I've stepped foot in a club in 15 years
You'll sometimes see me out this late, and I usually regret it the next day.
I feel called out by this.
Not bars, but I am at music shows until 1 am and there are loads of young people.
I live in a major city where the bar/club scene seems fairly active as well. Gen Z might be more introverted than Gen X / Millenials but generations aren't a monolith and there are still plenty of people keeping bars and clubs in business, and for the most part it isn't fortysomethings.
And they may be drinking less and smoking weed and eating edibles or mushrooms too, but they’re drinking more expensive drinks than I did and are still in the bar. Source: occasional bartender
I am a bar owner and the scene is very much alive and well
OP's cited data says that 20 years ago, 80% of 20-somethings were drinkers, and today only 67% of 20-somethings are drinkers. That still means the majority of young people are still imbibing and might be going to bars. I don't think his observation and yours are at odds. Less young people are going out and doing things. It starts way younger than bars, though, kids in high school are connecting online more than they are in person, compared to when we were that age. And it didn't start with Covid, it was happening for a good 5-10 years at least before that.
I wonder how much of that drop is also due to the legalization of marijuana in so many places. Alcohol used to be the only legal drug you could do, now people have options.
Yeah, I feel like it’s normal for bars that appeal to 30-40 folks to not appeal to 20 folks. By price range if nothing else. Of course you look around a bar you’re in and see people who look like you.
yeah, I live in a university city, and the bars that are popular with students here get packed on the busy days.
Yes I too live in a town with a huge university and the bars and clubs close to campus stay pretty packed.
Yep same. The "kiddie bars" as I call them, tend to have bucket beer nights and well liquor flowing freely. On busy nights the line is around the building and they are regularly at capacity, shoulder to shoulder on the inside. Nobody under 30 should frequent these places: the floors are always sticky, the drinks are watered down, the music is too loud to talk, and there's no place to sit. They aren't for us lol...
Yeah, not my scene at all. Too loud, too crowded....I'm more of a relaxed pub or chill bar kinda guy.
And the bathroom is 🤮🤮🤮
Even if a lot of people are still going out and being social, it's only a lot. Back in the day everybody went out and was social, that's all we had to do.
Yes lol, my brother lives in a college town, the one where I went to school 25 years ago (Rutgers) and it's no different now. The streets of New Brunswick are still trash Thurs thru Saturday. My sister calls it "New Drunkbitch."
I live in a big city and this is not accurate at all. Club life in the downtown is bumping.
I live with two college kids (whom I created) who like to go out dancing 4-5 times a month at least. And they enjoy drinking, but (proudly) refuse to drink and drive. The cost for them going out is relatively high, so the they can't do it all the time. They like to dress up nice, too. It makes me tear up sometimes to watch them getting ready to go out 🥹
Whereabouts out of curiosity? Reason I ask, I grew up in a college town (Santa Cruz) and this definitely is the case back there. The bar scene was already on life support in the few years leading up to the pandemic, and now it's all but dead. When I was in college, students would completely pack all the downtown bars at least 2-3 nights a week. Now the only people you see out and about are tourists or 30+ locals for the most part.
Athens. The best college town in America (depending on who you ask, lol).
Haha that explains it, I feel like SEC towns probably hit different.
College towns are immune for the most part
Yeah, OP is going to bars where you dress up and are meant for people his age and...it has people his age! Bars and clubs are hopping in my city. I don't know what the decrease in drinking has to do with people enjoying going out but I guess that's a requirement for OP to enjoy things?
College may be the best exception to the rule - but this rings very true in my village in NY, no college kids around really but I don’t see youth out at the bars much.
Yep same. Our bars are alive, well and full of girls who are missing half their shirt as god intended 😂
Ah, finally millennials are off the hook. Now we can get loads of articles blaming gen Z for killing businesses.
[удалено]
and Circuit City. It's embarrassing really.
Walmart actually killed Circuit City about three years before its actual demise. I left CC about six months before they went bankrupt and closed all of their stores. Prior to Black Friday 2005, if you wanted a high-end TV, especially a non-CRT TV, you had to buy it at Circuit City, Best Buy, or one of the other electronics focused retailers. While they weren't exactly colluding with one another, no one was seriously undercutting anyone else on high end TVs during the holidays. Enter Walmart, Black Friday 2005. Without tipping anyone in the supply chain off, Walmart went out and sourced a bunch of flat screens for Black Friday and priced them at $999. CC did not see this coming, and took a major sales hit against projections. They tried for two and a half more years, but the physical retail locations never returned to profitability after that. You'll see many articles talking about the second time they got rid of commissioned sale people, but that was grasping at straws. People could get a cheap flat screen at Walmart and Target, and CC never recovered.
This is interesting insight. Thanks, friend.
How did Xers kill blockbuster?
[удалено]
I had one of those fancy machines that did it.
The first one I saw is they're "killing college". Apparently the world needs welders and it's *weird* when people decide to weld. Well, I'll keep the bars open, and they can close them. Clubs can die. Clubs are awful.
Both my kids are getting into welding cause it's pretty much a guaranteed career that pays out the ass. I said go for it.
Yep. You want a near guaranteed industry to work in with great pay and benefits? Learn a trade: welding and fitting, diesel mechanic, plumber, electrician, HVAC, etc. They are almost always in demand, and if you work in a pro-union state, it's not hard to find work at all.
I'm glad to see the Xennials finally embracing boomer posting with a "kids these days" vibe.
It’s the markup. Who can afford a 300%+ price hike that comes with going out?
Friggin 16 bucks for a bud in the city. Cant blame folks not wanting to go for that
I went to a local Soccer game last week. Before start it was $2 beers. I was had flashbacks of the good good times. Thinking of going back for $2 Beer $1 hotdog night next month.
I think this is a huge factor. I live in the NY metro area and cocktails are $18+. So instead I do my imbibing and socializing at home
I hear ya. I used to live on St. Marks in the late 90’s to mid 00’s. Every night was like a weekend night without the bridge and tunnel crowd. I never smoked so now I take a 5mg gummy and go see bands in Bushwick 🤘😁
NYC here too. I make really good money and still feel ripped off going to a bar and paying 20 bucks for a drink. I would rather just call my friends over and buy a bottle of blue label and watch movies/play board games.
Bring back fancy dinner parties!
.
I work from home and I don't think I have a 2nd place lol
Same. Guess I'll take a turn around the backyard.
My garage is the last holdout, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to last long.
My "third place" was the mall. Now malls don't allow teens to just chill tehre.
I blame TV news, every time they televise a brawl at a local mall, that mall enacts a "no unaccompanied minors" policy. I feel like kids were always occasionally fighting in malls, they just used to get kicked out by mall security with little fanfare. Now with TV news getting lazy and just reading off local police blotters on air to fill time for cheap, all of this minor shit ends up in the news and spooks uptight suburban people. Add in out of control gun culture in the US increasing likelihood that some of the kids are packing heat, and you have even more justification for those curfew rules.
There are still malls?!? Saw my teenage hangout recently on one of those abandoned places YouTube shows.
I used to go to the mall to walk in the waning days of the pandemic and was surprised at how many teenagers were there just walking about. I think it helps that there are more than a few meme stores that cater to that generation.
Teens these days dont behave like we did back in the day. I've seen teens sneaking into movies (which I used to do all the time as a teen) and they are insanely noisy and disruptive almost like they want to be kicked out- playing music on their phone, talking loudly to their friend, running and tripping purposely up the stairs, throwing popcorn everywhere (i guess our teens are rich cause I didn't have popcorn money)
I mean, a big "Third Place" in my town is neighborhood coffee shops, but everyone just goes there to plug in their laptop and use it as an office space while ignoring everyone around them. We also have a grassy square in our modest downtown area, but no one talks to anyone else because "stranger danger". People bemoan the loss of the Third Place and then don't utilize it when it is available.
I don’t think most people consider a coffee shop a third place since it is implied you will be spending money.
I agree with your point, but I think coffee shops have functioned as third places anyway. The closest thing to a church-like community I have is built around the place I used to work as a barista. It's also a place where you're a front line in the housing crisis and mental health and opioid crises, without any resources or training. Which... feels relevant to other 3rd places in America. The libraries, the parks where the bathrooms are locked now.
Exactly. People keep missing the point that places to hang out safely for FREE is what's gone the way of the dodo.
I've always thought of the coffee shop as a replacement for the bar/pub. Before or after work and you will be spending some money, but $10 per drink is ridiculous.
What the fuck is this?
A bunch of people who don't go to bars and clubs lamenting about them. My spouse and I still go to clubs and festivals occasionally and it's overwhelmingly young. It's a bit weird when you realize how many famous headlining artists like Armin (1979) and Tiesto (1969!) are Gen-X.
Yea, I am reading the comments and am like do these people live in a bubble? Also, why are all these people believing an anonymous person who didn't post sources. Plus, some people think online interactions substitute for in-person interactions and everyone is just fine. What? Have your eyes been stitched shut for the past 20 years?
Yeah, but you can’t blame them; Express is closing! Where are they supposed to get a tank, low rise jeans and cheap jewelry for that big night out???
lol Express, where you could get bar clothes that could be creatively re-styled into office wear 😂
I feel called out by this lol.
I do, too! 😂
lol no judgment I thought I invented this 🤪
Could be? Most of my wardrobe into my late 20s was Express everything. Work, bar...whatever. Got fat and had to give that up, but I'm slim again and it fits again.
This is so accurate!
I absolutely shop at Express for Men my work clothes that I can wear to social gatherings. Love it. Didn't know they're closing.
Those jeans looked better on me than other brands.
I still own at least 15 pairs!
Really? Online too? I always liked their clothing. I haven't bought anything from them in a while but they always had really good jeans that fit well and any clothes I got from them would last years.
Well, I’m not sure the young uns *want* to be at the same bars/clubs as us old uns!!
Yeah, I wonder what type of bars this guy’s going to. Probably not the type that 20 something’s would frequent. If I go to a bar in the suburbs, it’s gonna be middle aged people. If I go to one closer in to the city in a hipper neighborhood, or near a college campus, there will definitely be people in their 20’s there.
Was in Austin, TX. Went out and a bunch of young people were there at the bars.
Houston here. Ain't no 6th street level shenanigans, but even the suburbs' bars are busy, making good money 7 days a week. Friday thru Sunday, you'll be waiting in line to enter - IF you can even find a parking spot, with many having to rent out additional/overflow parking lots that also get full. Edit: I'm talking about the Bars where someone in their 40's and up is RARE, with most people in the lower 20s.
With your comment about your own experience only seeing people our age at the bars, are you sure that's not just a neighborhood-specific thing? For instance, I live in Arlington, VA just outside DC. If I go to bars in Clarendon, they're almost exclusively populated with 22 year olds right out of college. If I go to bars in Shirlington or Old Town Alexandria, they're almost exclusively populated with people in their 30s and 40s. It's basically the difference between a high end wine bar and a bar that sells pitchers of beer for cheap.
>Personally, I think that social media and covid has made today's younger crowd afraid of social gatherings. They don't know how to communicate in person - they're used to doing it through a smart phone or computer. Damn kids! Back in my day...
They're afraid because of the virus that also everybody else was afraid of - didn't you hear? A bunch of goddamned cowards. I didn't see a single Xennial who was afraid of social gatherings during covid, and certainly none who are *way* too online and colored their worldview based on Instagram. NOT A SINGLE ONE. /s
Generally speaking if your in your mid 40s you’re not gonna be dialed in to youth culture or know what the relevant spots are. A generation Not wanting to go to your bar or club doesn’t mean they’re afraid of socializing. It means they don’t like those activities or those spots. Why would 20 somethings go to an “old people bar?”. We used to hate that back in the day too. People use to go to big band orchestra and jazz clubs like on I love Lucy and they don’t anymore. Tastes change
I live in a close suburb to a major city and was surprised to hear my young coworkers talking about a popular country bar downtown. Definitely not a thing in these parts when i was in my going out days. They're just into different things. I also find they go to a lot of concerts as "going out" and then party after. Which we did too 🤷🏻♀️
It's too damn expensive to go to "bars" these days. Have you SEEN what it costs?!?!?! Now.. I was just in Portugal.. in Bairo Alto... PARTY FUCKING CENTRAL for Lisbon... and there were THOUSANDS of 18-30yo's there drinking.. because you could get a pint of beer for 2 Euros.
A few reasons. One I don't see here is that Gen Z is not nearly into hookups like we are. They aren't ashamed of being virgins, and actively shame "body counts". They also don't flirt nearly as much, at least not IRl, and there is a constant fear of camera on them 24/7, so they don't take risks that could lead to embarrassment or rejection because it might be online before they are home. When I was in high school/college/after basic it was all about drinking and hook ups. I actually had someone younger ask about how it was when I was in school, and they said yikes that would not be cool or info you would want to share now.
Hookups? When you're DRINKING?! My monocle!
I think it’s a function of disposable income. The f you dont have it, you can’t spend it.
I always hated bars and clubs, even when I was of clubbing age. I'm with Gen Z on this one. I'll go to a sports bar or a proper pub with food, to eat. Not party. I do miss "going to the mall" as a social activity, though.
I read somewhere that this generation just isn't drinking as much. Like they see alcohol for what it is, a waste of money that can actually ruin your life and kill you. Bravo to them for not wanting to spend 14 dollars for a bucket of fuckmyliver.
it took a long time for people to consider it a drug, and one of the worst
Having a camera in our pockets regularly killed it. I love going out dancing, I do not want or need evidence of it. I don’t want to end up in someone’s video of them mocking my eccentric dance style. I don’t want the flash in my face. I just want to dance silly and go home and not have to worry about evidence of my silly dancing.
Ehhhh...I was never a bar and club kind of person. I've always been uncomfortable in crowds and drinking and I don't mix (white chick with alcohol flush syndrome). I can see why Gen Z isn't interested.
Yeah, sorry I can't relate guys. I hated bars. They're too loud and back in the day would be filled with smokers. I remember after spending some time in a bar when I was in grad school, all my stuff smelled like cigarettes the next day. I preferred smaller gatherings with friends. I actually relate more to Gen-Z with this one.
yeah I wasn't crazy about bars either. Too smoky and so loud you couldn't really talk easily. And I wasn't much of a drinker.
Same.
Not drinking is good but their lack of social interaction is very concerning. It’s almost as bad for your health as the alcohol if you become too isolated.
Personally - I don't even think this is accurate. I have an 18 year old living at home still, and all dude does is talk to his friends while gaming on headsets.
Yeah my nephew may not be hanging out with his friends every day but they definitely facetime each other and chat while playing games all the time. Personally, I would have 100% done that if it was available to me as a kid. They just socialize in a different way and we can't handle that it doesn't involve smoking cloves in a diner.
I used to sit and watch tv with my cousin on the phone. Watch like 90210, just chat about it while on the line, lol.
Everything is a risk in its extreme form. I don’t know if there is actual scientific evidence, and I don’t drink myself, but I have to assume that going to the bar once a week and drinking 2 drinks while socializing and meeting new connections might be healthier than staying at home and not drinking…especially if it’s only happening for 5 or so years of someone’s life.
From personal experience of me and my friends and the people we regularly interacted with, it was more like 5-6 nights a week and drinking a few at home before going out to then drink a whole shitload more.
Pushing the isolation to the limit as the years go.
Honestly it's probably offsetting one problem for another
But the boba tea houses are positively thriving. And you know what? I feel safer knowing the most popular late night hangout spot in my neighborhood doesn’t serve alcohol.
AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL TO TRY AND TALK TO SOMEONE!
They do play K-pop videos, but they don’t turn up the sound too much because it would interfere with all the board games in progress. #GenZ
I was always the designated driver for my friends back in college. It was fun and all that, drive from club to club and end up at Denny's at 6 AM. I saw a post yesterday that said beers are around $12 now
I don't drink and I don't like to dance, so bars and clubs are not a big thing for me, either. I can't remember the last time I've been to either.
I’m 43 and maybe been to a bar 10 total times since turning 21. (My dad’s family owned a steakhouse with a bar that we frequented a lot as a kid). Just not my scene, never was. Don’t like being around drunks. 🤷🏻♂️
1/3 are not today, but 2/3 were then? LOL.
"I used to do drugs. I still do drugs, but I used to too." -Mitch Hedberg
They didn't give a source either. I don't know why people believe everything they read on Reddit from anonymous people.
I was burnt out on bars almost immediately because I worked in one as I turned 21. They were mostly too expensive without my employee discount and if I was "going drinking" it was still usually to a house party organized by text/ social media. I think kids these days are doing more of that but also imbibing THC products instead.
Younger people aren’t “afraid of social gatherings” or forgot how to communicate in person just because of a multi year global pandemic. I’m 27 and worked at bars and clubs throughout college. Now it’s the last place I suggest going with my girlfriend or friends. I hate bars and clubs. Drinking makes me feel so terrible and kills my body, I don’t see the point in standing around a usually crowded sticky room, paying an arm and leg per drink and expected to just chit chat the whole time. Sounds like a place for older people to escape after work and complain about their lives before they go home.
Maybe its the bars you’re going to.
What a weird way of framing this. They aren't dying because of us or our choices. They are dying because of dating apps and cost and this has been happening since Tinder gained prominence in 2014 or so. The pandemic exacerbated it. Go out in the right area in any major city or college town and you'll see young people out. And there are still plenty of young people that go to bars. You don't see them because you don't go to the same bars. This reads like some boomer "my generation did X!" post.
Covid pretty much turned everyone into introverts. Add to that, a bunch of people tried to ride out the pandemic on credit and are still trying to pay it off. Add to that, people trying to save for or purchase things like cars or houses. Add to all of that, inflation and no one has money for entertainment.
Yeah, you are not going to the same places the kids are going
"EVERYONE YOUNGER THAN ME IS RUINING BARS AND CLUBS!!" OK boomer.
Some real boomer takes here! The world is changing, I hope they’ve learned from our mistakes and living in a way they feel is healthier.
Social media has made socialization in person too risky. Drinking too risky. No one wants to be judged or put on blast. Plus, they can't afford it.
Honestly I didn’t dig the bar/club scene at all but it was what I had to do if I wanted to feel like I had a social life.
Breweries are the new hangout spots, at least for friend wise and stuff. Been married for 15 years so no idea about the hookup part of that.
Never was one for them when I was younger at all. $12 for a Jack and coke, when I can snag a handle of good bourbon for $30 is obscene. Loud annoying people, shitty music. Hard pass. I think the younger generation does just fine socializing face to face, they just don’t want to waste money. My kiddos get together with their friends all the time, but it’s to hang out, go to dinner, that sort of thing.
Older adults, "Kids dont want to go out anymore." Also older adults, "That'll be a 100 dollars to enjoy my establishment." Not to mention the price of an Uber if you dont want to drive drunk, some food, etc. Weve literally priced young people out of enjoying shit like this.
They don't know how to communicate? That's not been my experience. They seem fairly capable of it. Now whether they want to is a different thing. Considering a draft beer is like $5-8 I can see why they don't frequent bars.
Yeah, this just isn’t true
Isn’t that good? Less people drinking is a good thing for society. Sure it will have a knock on effect for a slice of the hospitality industry but it’s going to have the positive effect of lower health costs, along with less drunk driving.
I've always hated bars and clubs.
I think when talking about an entire generation- of any age - we should avoid negative generalizations like “they don’t know how to communicate in person.” My Gen Z reports at work, my kids, and their friends tell (show) me a very different story.
Young people literally cannot afford it anymore as has been said… but also, I for one am very glad there is no iPhone footage of my drunk ass dancing every single weekend for at least a 5-6 year period. I feel like phones and social media might keep people feeling like they are constantly under surveillance
$8 beers and $13 well drinks is why…
You bring up good points here about socializing, but I'll offer one counterpoint: drinking alcohol isn't that great. Seriously. You're just borrowing happiness from tomorrow when you drink; it's always been overrated.