Gen Z has called out millennial style “tells” including wearing skinny jeans, having side parts and ankle socks, but now it seems there’s another item that immediately reveals if someone is in that generation. Nikhil Krishnan recently shared a post on X that’s gone viral and sparked a “fashion-based generational debate.”
It reads, “Saw a Reddit thread recently which asked how Gen-Z people can identify if someone is a millennial or not and one of the top responses was ‘They have a wallet.’” A lot of replies from younger people confirm that they don’t need a wallet anymore, they have everything digitally on their phones, but Gen Xers and other older folks were shocked to find the accessory is no longer essential.
- “Gen Zers don't have wallets for drivers license, health insurance card, etc? I don't buy that for a second,” comments one X user.
- “Phone cases have slots on the back, or people just carry them in their bags/pockets,” offers another.
- “Huh? I’m two generations removed from this, but how the h*ll do you function without a wallet?” questions a third.
- “Too much phone theft right out of your hands in places. No way. Gotta separate. Besides cash is King and people need to realize that especially where we are headed. Xennial here with a fancy wallet and a wristlet,” one user replies.
- And another asks, “Do gen-zers raw dog their cash/cards in their pockets?”
- But some people are pro-wallet, including this one who comments, “Wallets might seem old-fashioned, but there's something satisfying about having a few emergency bucks in case the app goes down (because let's be real, tech glitches happen!). Call me old-school, but I like my options. Also, it helps me keep track of my spendings much better.”
While the no-wallet trend may be surprising to some of us, research shows how widespread it is. A recent survey of 25-hundred adults finds that 79% of Gen Z consumers regularly use digital wallets, compared to just 26% of baby boomers and 44% of Gen X.
Source: Newsweek