Olivia Meyer, 24, a buyer at a New York department store, posing for a selfie at her apartment in Queens, New York, on Friday, Feb. 6.
Photographer: Roshni Khatri/Bloomberg
Retailers Court Gen Z With Splurges That Look Good on TikTok
For these consumers, spending decisions have everything to do with how to best broadcast their personal brands.
Many in Generation Z can justify shelling out $550 for a Coach purse but not dropping $15 for a Sweetgreen salad. The former is an investment that can look cute in countless TikToks, the latter is a pile of veggies that's gone in one sitting.
Each generation's spending proclivities reflect the economy in which it came of age. Baby Boomers, raised in postwar prosperity, chased middle-class milestones like cars and homes. Gen X, burned by the dot-com bust, prioritized saving. Millennials, scarred by the Great Recession, were the YOLO generation, spending on experiences.