Beware the ‘Gen Z stare’! Why young people are refusing to greet you

Young service workers are infuriating customers by refusing to greet or make small talk while serving them, and instead giving them what’s been dubbed ‘the Gen Z stare’.

Members of Generation Z, currently aged 13 to 28,  are struggling to make small talk in shops, restaurants and cafes.

Instead, they will ‘stare’ at the person and wait until they speak first, or even outright ignore something that has been said, according to hundreds of infuriated customers.   

Those in their teens and twenties to be labelled emotionless’ by Millennials and Gen X and Baby Boomers who have banded together to call the younger generation out on their ‘poor social skills’.

Over the past couple of weeks, social media users of all ages have turned to the likes of Instagram, TikTok and X to talk about ‘the Gen Z stare’.

One fed-up person penned on X: ‘[The Gen Z stare is] when I try to make friendly conversation with you and you look at me like you were born yesterday and don’t have language capacity. Just emotionless and nothing going on in your head as far as social skills.’

Another commented: ‘I deal with Gen Z all day and they’re basically socially stunted automatons. You greet them and they say nothing. You ask them a question and they just stare at you. They’re not human.’

And even older Gen Zers in their mid-twenties have noticed the lack of communication skills in their own generation, with one writing: ‘Why as a Gen Z do younger Gen Z look at me like I killed a puppy if I compliment their jacket. Or when I greet them when they come up to me at my job.’

But Gen Z are now fighting back say that they become speechless and glare at others only when someone has asked a ‘stupid question’.

Efe Ahworegba, 19, made a viral TikTok video explaining the Gen Z stare, which racked up a whopping three million likes.

She said: ‘Fair, a lot of Gen Z don’t know how to talk to people. 

‘But a lot of older generations talk too much, too rudely and too proudly while being too stupid. You have to work in the food to fully grasp how stupid people can be.

‘I’ve had a person get mad at me because their iced tea was too cold. I really don’t know what these people want from me. Of course I’m going to start staring at you like you’re dumb.’ 

Sophie Louise Ashmore, from north west England, also struck back at the claims that Gen Z cannot communicate on her TikTok account.

The 22-year-old – who seemingly works in a customer service role – appeared to hit out at shoppers who aren’t able to answer her questions properly.

She said: ‘Gen Z stare but I asked you cash or card and you said ‘yep’.’ She then captioned the video: ‘Don’t even’. 

Similarly, TikToker Bella Mia wanted to put her ‘two cents in’ about the Gen Z stare and said that she understands why the younger generation mutes themselves in awkward situations. 

‘How can you not expect people to look at you like the way we do when you ask questions like this,’ she said. 

The content creator then mimicked a conversation of a past customer who asked for an ‘extra hot Americano’, despite her saying she ‘cannot boil water past boiling point’.

She ended the video by saying: ‘How do you not expect me to look at you like a d***head when you ask me stupid questions?’

Olivia Wrighty also involved herself in the debate and said on her social media account: ‘Gen Z stare because working in UK retail and hospitality is literal hell and I am just trying to pay my bills without throwing hands at the stupidity of the general public.’

She added: ‘Sometimes we’ve just got to say it in our heads.’

The Gen Z stare has also made its way into notable television shows, such as HBO Max’s And Just Like That…’

In season two, Charlotte York-Goldenblatt, who is in her fifties, is seen desperately trying to get a Chanel dress back that her daughter mistakenly sold to a store.

She attempted  to get the young store clerk to sympathise and help her with her situation but instead became frustrated at her lack of customer service skills.

In the show, the employee, named Eden, stared at her blankly and replied with ‘I don’t know’ to numerous questions until Charlotte snapped, telling her ‘watch her tone’ and even threatened legal action. 

An X user speculated whether Millennials were actually the reason behind the Gen Z stare.

They wrote: ‘Is the Gen Z stare thing just Millennials ageing into complaining that young retail and hospitality workers don’t treat them like royalty?’

Someone then responded: ‘I think we’re so used to this dynamic we’re missing what the new era of tech meditation has actually done to face to face communication.’ 

American psychologist Jean Twenge, also believes Gen Z’s changing social behaviours are down to them spending more time online and less time honing their communication skills.

She told the New York Times: ‘Social skills take thousands and thousands of hours to develop and adolescence is a critical period for developing social skills. And Gen Z has spent much less time with their peers in person during that critical stage.’