Industry failure is not millennials’ fault

Brea Jones/ Contributing Writer

From Applebee’s to napkins, millennials have been accused of killing several different items and the list keeps on growing. There are over 19 things that have been murdered by millennials, according to Business Insider.  

Yes, some of the items on this list are justified — diamonds, for example. None of the millennials I know can afford to buy a diamond because they are working off of minimum wage and trying to pay off college loans.

But, there really is no correlation between the decrease in sales of “Breastaurants,” a restaurant with a female waitress staff that are highly underdressed (think Hooters) and millennials.

It’s no secret that older generations like the Baby Boomers and Generation Xers are not too fond of millennials, but now it seems like they find ways to make everything our fault.

It’s unfair to blame millennials for killing industries when we are living in a completely different world than previous generations. The items that older generations were able to buy before are items that millennials can’t even dream of buying today.  

Minimum wage in 1950 was 0.75/hour, according to The People History. The median price for a home was $7,354 compared to $300,200 in 2017, according to the Census.gov. Today, minimum wage is only $7.25 per hour.  Just off of minimum wage, millennials don’t have enough to buy a house — we barely have enough to cover college.

Enrollment of college has increased over 21 percent since 1994. Millennials now have to pay for college tuition, textbooks and transportation, among others, which amounts to a total of $6,556 without financial aid.

Most of my friends have two jobs in order to pay for a higher education. Millennials simply do not have the luxury of buying a house, a diamond or going to Hooters because we have bigger responsibilities.

Even if the blame does belong to millennials, is that such a bad thing? The ending of “Breastaurants” and department stores like Macy’s or Sears gives a chance for other industries like public libraries and gyms to make a name for themselves.

Over 50 percent of millennials have used public libraries, according to Pew Research.com. That’s 10 percent more than other generations.

Up until 2013, gyms were on the decline. Thanks to millennials — which has also been called the healthiest generation — the sales of gym memberships and athletic wear has increased 20 percent, according to Moneyish.com.

Instead of ending industries like articles suggested, millennials are keeping others alive. Instead of blaming us for industry failure, we should be acknowledged for increasing the sales for others.

 

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

 

Photo taken by Brea Jones.