This generation is always criticized by their parents as being entitled, privileged and too sensitive. Many would say they expect everyone else to do everything for them. It’s clear by today’s technological advances and relative prosperity why that would be the case. One of the more recent victims of this socio-economical and psychological trend is that cereal is starting to disappear as a popular breakfast option. About 40% of millennials have stated that they do not eat cereal for breakfast, according to a recent survey by The New York Times.
Their main reason for this answer might make you pluck your hair out, or it might just make sense if you’re a millennial yourself. Most young people today don’t eat cereal for breakfast because they, and we are quoting, think it “was an inconvenient breakfast choice because they had to clean up after eating it”. It’s apparently too much work nowadays to wash a spoon and bowl.
Going to Supermarkets and Buying Groceries
One of the most popular activities for young families is going to the supermarket together and “hunting” for various foods for the week. This activity has obviously declined considerably in the last few decades, largely due to millennials refusing to start families, or leave their homes, for that matter. Nowadays, you can just open an app and get everything you need delivered to your home. In fact, Amazon is actively pursuing a future where consumable products are automatically purchased, delivered and replaced in your fridge the moment they run out.
With the ease of ordering food online and getting it straight to your door, it's hardly a surprise that you almost never see millennials at supermarkets. Another reason for the decline in offline retail sales is the inability to compare prices. Why go through the effort of purchasing something in a retail store, when you can find the same item for a cheaper price using your phone in mere seconds?
Millennials Prefer Soap Bottles to Soap Bars
Today’s generation has more awareness around hygiene. Consider millennials' aversion to soap bars. They favor soap bottles that don't require directly applying the whole bar to your skin, although the older generation wouldn't agree. There’s no scientific basis why soap bars would be less clean than regular soap bottles, but millennials clearly mind a lot.
A recent survey by MarketWatch found that 60% of millennials feel that soap bars are full of germs and are disgusted by them. This is in sharp contrast to more than 60% of Americans aged 65 and above who say that they’ll be happy to wash their faces with soap bars.
Millennials Don’t Really Ride Motorcycles
In addition to vehicle sales going down, motorcycle sales have seen some of the biggest declines in recent years due to millennials simply not driving them. You may have noticed that these kinds of vehicles are becoming rarer and rarer over time, with only sports motorcycles and Harley Davidson's appearing occasionally on the road. In terms of purchasing age groups, no single group has shown less interest in motorcycles than millennials.
There are a few reasons why millennials choose to give up on these two-wheel driving options. First, they are much more dangerous than regular cars and require more upkeep, and we’ve already discussed just how much millennials hate maintaining things. Secondly, motorcycles are also more expensive than all the scooter and bicycle apps together, and for a generation that’s already strapped for cash, any measure that will allow them to save money is almost immediately taken.
They Spend More Money to Rent Apartments In Metropolitan Areas
About 88% of all millennials live in metropolitan areas. This is one of the most interesting statistics ever, when you consider that we're talking about an entire generation of people. One of the reasons that today’s millennials find themselves living paycheck to paycheck is the high rent they end up paying.
Almost no millennials choose to live in rural areas. This is caused by a variety of reasons, some political, some social and some economical. Either way, it’s clearly a problem that needs addressing, because rents just keep going up, right along with student tuition, choking these millennials financially to the point of living paycheck to paycheck.