The Gen Z Stare is genuinely painful...
Can we talk about this specific flavor of Gen Z stare that happens in stores?
You walk into a shop, make eye contact with the employee (usually 16-22), smile, and cheerfully say “Hey, how’s it going?” or even just “Hi!”
And they just… stare.
Eyes wide, zero expression, mouth slightly open, like their brain is loading. No “hi,” no head nod, no smile, not even a grunt. Just pure blank void for 3-5 long seconds. Sometimes they eventually mumble a flat “hey” like it physically hurt them to speak.
It’s not even rude in an aggressive way...it’s worse. It’s like you’re a glitch in their simulation and they’re waiting for you to despawn. I’ve had this happen in coffee shops, clothing stores, fast food, everywhere. I start second-guessing if I actually said anything out loud.
I’m 25 (Gen Z) and I swear this wasn’t a thing when I worked retail. You greeted people back. You at least gave something. Now it feels like I’m interrupting their extremely important task of staring at the wall.
Is this an anxiety thing? TikTok brain? “Customer service is beneath me” energy? Or have we genuinely raised a generation that thinks blankly staring at someone who greeted them is normal?
It makes me feel so awkward... especially if it's a small shop where it's just the employee and me, and they are just quietly staring at me without acknowledgment...