A funny trend I have noticed on the internet is that no matter the situation, some pundits will find a way to blame Millennials.
Generation Y, often referred to as the millennial generation, is a demographic cohort or age group. The term “millennial” refers to those born between 1981 and 1996. They are known as “millennials” since they entered adulthood around the turn of the millennium.
In popular culture, millennials are often stereotyped as a spoiled and lazy generation. I believe the exact opposite is true. It comes as no surprise that because of those generalizations and stereotypes about millennials, we are often falsely blamed for a multitude of issues.
We have comprised a list that details many things previous generations blamed millennials for.
1 Millennials Killed Applebees and other Food Chains
Popular website Yahoo!, blamed millennials for the decline in casual dining spots like Applebees and Subway saying, “Chain restaurants experienced a decrease of 14.8% in same-store traffic from 2008 to 2017 — even before the pandemic caused major issues for these chains, according to a report from Black Box Intelligence. Applebee’s, for example, cut back on locations throughout 2017 and 2018, and announced even more closures in late 2020, Restaurant Business reported. According to Business Insider, Applebee’s has continued to fail when it comes to winning over millennial diners, with the modern bar and grill vibe missing the mark.”
2 Millennials Killed Traditional Weddings
According to Insider, “Couples are increasingly ditching banquet halls and hotel reception rooms in favor of unconventional venues.” You can guess whose fault it is. That is right. Those pesky millennials are killing off the wedding industry.
3 Millennials are Hurting the Beer Industry
In comparison to previous generations, millennials drink less beer. Insider claims that the impact is being felt as beer sales continue to slide.
4 The Decline of Cable Television
Okay, I have to be honest. This one probably has some truth to it. Cable television has become an antiquated relic that is no longer convenient. Millennials are an active generation who value our time. According to CBInsights, “88% of US consumers between the age of 22 and 35 pay for a video streaming service.” You can count me among that group as I pay for several video streaming services. I do not have a traditional cable television service.
5 Millennials are Killing Cereal
Apparently, millennials are on the verge of causing cereal to go instinct because making it is too much work. It makes me laugh to even think about it.
According to CNN, cereal makers are abandoning their market strategies towards younger generations and are shifting their focus towards baby boomers and generation x. Good luck with that.
6 The Decline of Department Stores
According to Abc10, millennials are to blame for the extinction of stores like K-Mart and Sears. Apparently we are supposed to forgo the convenience of online shopping in favor of some antiquated ritual of traveling long distances to find every thing except what we are looking for.
7 The Decline in Razor Sales
That is right, millennials do not shave. We walk around with beards that would rival the great Merlin himself. According to Yahoo!, “the market for blades and razors continues to shrink as consumers shave less frequently.”
James Harden, this is all your fault.
8 Inflation
When you look at that long receipt after a difficult day of shopping, do not forget to thank a millennial. A recent consumer price index data report showed a startling 9.1% increase from June of the previous year and, according to CNBC you can thank a millennial for that.
9 Mayonnaise
“How Millennials Killed Mayonnaise” is really an article posted by PhillyMag. According to the publication, a rise in “identity condiments” (whatever that is) has lead to a decline in the mayonnaise industry.
10 Millennials are Hurting the Napkin Industry
Business Insider says millennials are putting a hurt on the napkin industry. According to the writer, millennials are opting to use paper towels instead of napkins. Come to think of it, I can not remember the last time I bought napkins. Maybe they are right on this one also.
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Why does this not surprise me? Millennials are literally blamed for everything.
Everything under the sun!