Beware the Gen Z gaze: Young service workers refusal to greet customers is setting off older generations

If you’ve ever walked up to a cashier or front desk and been met with a silent stare, you’ve been a victim of the “Gen Z gaze.”Talk about the Gen Z gaze has been taking over X, with older generations complaining about how kids these days handle customer service jobs.In one post with over 1.7 million views, user @pbprot said that they are “so sick of the new style of customer service where people just stare at you when you walk up to the counter/service desk.”“The car service guy saying ‘good morning, I’ll be with you in a minute’ immediately made me start thinking ‘wow, THIS is how you run a business,'” they shared.The following day, @Nordman__ shared a similar sentiment, writing that “There is a new phenomenon that when you walk into a food place or coffee shop, etc, they just stare at you and don’t say anything first.”In response, a user dubbed that stare “the Gen Z gaze.”While it might not seem like a big deal to initiate conversation as a customer, many shared that being on the receiving end of the silence has caused confusion and isn’t what is expected from customer-facing roles.The initial poster, @pbprot, noted in a follow-up post that they don’t expect any special treatment, but “how am I supposed to know I’m talking to the right person, or that the person is ready for the interaction and not working on something else, if I’m greeted with a blank stare?”Another person shared a time they went to a restaurant and were met with “The Stare from a hostess (and what really even is their job other than to greet you?).” When they asked for a table for two, the hostess wordlessly led them into the dining room.“Now — is she showing me to my table? Checking for availability? Quitting on the spot?” the person questioned.“Why do more and more workers just hit you with the fluoride stare like it’s unnatural that a customer would walk into a place of business,” another pointed out.“At doctors’ and dentists�...