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A summer night at Surf LodgeMontauk, New York’s famed music venue and it-girl hotspotlooked like any other in July. Hundreds of Hamptons-goers were sipping drinks and dancing at the waterfront venue to blaring DJ sets, trying to catch the perfect Instagram shot. But with Gen Z crowding the dance floor lately, the drinking scene has started to shift. Nights have been wrapping a little earlier, drinks are more slowly paced out, or even swapped out for nonalcoholic options. “Gen Z is interesting because they still celebrate and they have fun. It’s just a new balance and a new way of approaching drinking,” says Jayma Cardoso, Surf Lodge’s owner and hospitality mogul, whose other ventures include New York City’s Goldbar and the Surf Lodge winter spinoff the Snow Lodge in Aspen. With over 20 years in the business, Cardoso has seen nightlife evolve, constantly adapting and innovating to keep her venues relevant to new generations. And, despite headlines calling Gen Z the “sober generation,” new research shows they’re not ditching alcohol entirely. As a Gen Z consumer myself, I find sweeping statements on whether my generation drinks or doesn’t often oversimplified or stuck in time. In fact, our drinking habits are more nuanced. My peers often choose to drink less, not abstain entirely. And yessome even drink more than they should. A recent study from IWSR, an alcohol market data company, found that alcohol participation levels have risen among the youngest legal-drinking-age consumers, with 70% of Gen Z in the United States saying they’d consumed alcohol in the last six months, compared to just 46% in 2023. And while Gen Z’s drinking habits are finally catching up with those of previous generations, young drinkers are reshaping what drinking and socializing looks like. Moderation is in, and so are new ways of socializing “We’re not talking about a sober movement,” Cardoso says. “It’s that if they drink, they drink, but they choose wisely how to drink, and their intake of how much [of] it goes to their body.” As Gen Z drinks more consciously, nonalcoholic beverage brands are tapping into the movementappealing not just to the sober or sober-curious, but also to those looking to pace their alcohol intake. “Instead of drinking alcohol continuously, what I saw were people were switching off,” says Ben Witte, CEO and founder of zero-proof functional beverage brand Recess. He launched the brand in 2018 as an alternative to managing stress and improving mental wellness, beyond what traditional drinks like alcohol could offer. Back then, he noticed consumers having “in between drinks,” like a beer, to pace out hard liquor. Now available at various music venues and bars, including Surf Lodge, Recess serves as a zero-proof alternative to the ritual, positioning itself in the moderation market. And still, some might opt out of drinking in favor of a new buzz. “There are more options compared to other generations when they were that age. Cannabis is legal in many states across the country, so now it’s not always about just getting drunk,” says Darren Seifer, industry analyst for Circana. “There’s just a few more options that are available to Gen Zs that are chipping away at what they do when they’re out having fun.” And the roads leading toward a buzz are already paved, with cannabis entering the beverage world. While not as widely available as functional beveragesdrinks that include an added “function” such as stress relief from herbscannabis drinks are beginning to carve out a role in socializing. “If you think about the thousands of years of human history, we socialize over beverages,” Jake Bullock, cofounder and CEO of Cann, a cannabis-infused drink company, says. He initially launched his brand as an alternative to alcohol to avoid hangovers, but wanted a way to retain the buzz. “Not only are you doing the original goal of drinking less booze, but you’re now also getting another factor,” he says. “It is another experience that’s slightly changing with the way you perceive the world around you and is going to make you a little bit more social.” Money talksand so does health While Gen Z has become the poster child of moderate drinking, the trend crosses the age gap, with older generations reducing their alcohol intake as well. A recent Gallup report shows that the drinking rate in the U.S. has fallen to its lowest point in 90 years, with only 54% of adults saying they consume alcohol. And while the decision to set alcohol aside varies, both rising costs in an uncertain economic climate and a wave of health consciousness are pushing people away from the bar. “The downward trend has accelerated,” Seifer says. “A lot of it is driven by pricing. And volume-wise, it’s been down in the last few years.” In addition to pricing decisionswhere consumers are opting to spend their money elsewherethe popularity of health consciousness is also reshaping habits. “Since the [Trump] administration came in in January and we heard about ‘Make America Healthy Again,’ there’s been an uptick in people saying they’re trying to avoid artificial colors, GMOs, artificial sweeteners. So there seems to be this renewed focus on purity these days,” Seifer says. “And when you think about what’s pure, it could be inferred that alcohol might not be a pure item.” For instance, at Snow Lodge, Cardoso first introduced zero-proof cocktails due to wellness, a decision that has traveled to Surf Lodge, where consumers can now get a bucket of Recess over a bucket of beers. “[Consumers] are looking at, ‘What are my options, and where am I going to spend my hard-working money?'” Cardoso adds. “Maybe it is, ‘I’m going to dance the night away, have the time of my lifebut I’m also going to go home earlier so that I can do my wellness tomorrow.'” So whether it’s for saving money or for waking up ready to go the next morning, moderation is trendier than ever, and Gen Z is leading the way.
Category:
E-Commerce
In August, select shrimp products were pulled off the shelves across the country over fears of contamination with cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioactive isotope. Then, in early September, more shrimp products were recalled over the same fears. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is notifying the public about yet another round of shrimp recalls due to radioactive fears. Heres what you need to know. Whats happened? The FDA has issued another recall notice, expanding the list of products that could be contaminated with Cs-137. This recall is being carried out by Aqua Star (USA) Corp. of Seattle. As with previous recalls, these shrimp were processed by an Indonesian company whose containers tested positive for Cs-137. Cs-137 is a radioactive isotope that is widely found in trace amounts throughout the environment, due to widespread testing of nuclear weapons in the 1950s and 1960s. However, though these trace amounts usually dont pose a threat, if a person ingests a larger amount of Cs-137, usually through food, then the isotope can cause serious adverse health consequences. In all, the FDA has issued six recall notices related to potentially contaminated shrimp over the last five weeks. Thankfully, the latest notice states that no illnesses linked to the recalled products have been reported. Updated recalled product list The items being recalled in this latest round include three products: Kroger Raw Colossal EZ Peel Shrimp net weight 2 pounds with the following UPC, lot codes, and dates: UPC 20011110643906, lot code 10662 5085 10, Best If Used By: March 26, 2027 UPC 20011110643906, lot code 10662 5097 11, Best If Used By: April 7, 2027 UPC 20011110643906, lot code 10662 5106 11, Best If Used By: April 16, 2027 UPC 20011110643906, lot code 10662 5107 10, Best If Used By: April 17, 2027 UPC 20011110643906, lot code 10662 5111 11, Best If Used By: April 21, 2027 UPC 20011110643906, lot code 10662 5112 10, Best If Used By: April 22, 2027 UPC 20011110643906, lot code 10662 5113 10, Best If Used By: April 23, 2027 UPC 20011110643906, lot code 10662 5113 11, Best If Used By: April 23, 2027 UPC 20011110643906, lot code 10662 5114 10, Best If Used By: April 24, 2027 UPC 20011110643906, lot code 10662 5114 11, Best If Used By: April 24, 2027 Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp, net weight 2 pounds with the following UPC, lot codes, and dates: UPC 011110626196, lot code 10662 5112 11, Best Before: October 22, 2027 UPC 011110626196, lot code 10662 5113 10, Best Before: October 23, 2027 Aqua Star Raw Peeled Tail-On Shrimp Skewers; net weight 1.25 pounds with the following UPC, lot codes, and dates: UPC 731149390010, lot code 10662 5127 10, Best If Used By: November 7, 2027 UPC 731149390010, lot code 10662 5128 11, Best If Used By: November 8, 2027 UPC 731149390010, lot code 10662 5133 11, Best If Used By: November 13, 2027 UPC 731149390010, lot code 10662 5135 10, Best If Used By: November 15, 2027 In total, the notice says that approximately 49,920 bags of the Kroger Raw Colossal EZ Peel Shrimp are being recalled, as well as approximately 18,000 bags of the Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp, and approximately 17,264 bags of the Aqua Star Raw Peeled Tail-On Shrimp Skewers. Where were the recalled products sold? The recalled products were sold between June 12 and September 17, according to the notice. They were sold in numerous stores, including: Bakers City Market Dillons Food 4 Less Foods Co. Fred Meyer Frys Gerbes Jay C King Soopers Kroger Marianos Metro Market Pay Less Super Markets Pick ‘n Save Ralphs Smiths QFC The recalled products were sold in the following states: Alaska Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Michigan Missouri Mississippi Montana Nebraska New Mexico Nevada Ohio Oregon South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Washington Wisconsin West Virginia Wyoming What if I have the recalled shrimp? If you have the recalled shrimp products, you should not consume them, according to the notice. Instead, you should dispose of them or return them to their place of purchase. You can read the full recall notice on the FDA’s website here.
Category:
E-Commerce
The conversation around AI is deafening. Headlines shout disruption, executives debate productivity, and experts argue endlessly about timelines. But in the middle of all that noise, Gen Zs response has been surprisingly quiet and that silence is telling. AI replacing entry-level jobs isnt a distant headline, its the elephant in the room. My students know its possible, and they dont treat it as science fiction. What Ive seen isnt fear or denial. Its movement. Instead of getting stuck in what if debates, Gen Z is choosing clarity over panic, quietly steering their careers toward stability in a way thats easy to miss if you only listen for loud signals. Over the past year, Ive spoken with at least a dozen Gen Zers who have completely redirected their career paths. Some have changed college majors midstream; others have opted for what they describe as AI-proof careersfields that feel more stable than what they originally planned. This isnt an isolated trendits becoming a generational pattern. Glassdoors new data makes that shift visible: 70% of Gen Zers say AI at work has made them question their job security. And the conversations Ive had echo that unease, but in a distinctly practical way. One recently graduated high school student told me, I want a job a robot cant take from me. Im leaning toward tradesconstruction especially. Another, more open to AIs role, said: Im thinking healthcare. Its hard to imagine a world where healthcare doesnt need humanity. What struck me most wasnt the content of their answersit was the absence of drama. No grand declarations about the future of work. No panic. Just choices. In their quiet pivots, you can see the outline of a generation that would rather act than speculate. They are sketching the blueprint of the future not with slogans or hashtags, but with deliberate, decisive moves. The data backs this up. A national survey shows 65% of Gen Z believe a college degree alone wont protect them from AI disruption, and 53% are seriously considering blue-collar or skilled trade work, while 47% are eyeing people-centered fields like healthcare or education. Even local headlines echo it: in California, young adults are turning to trades, with some making over $100,000 before age 21, citing AIs threat to office jobs as a key reason. This matters for more than career planning. Its a generational lesson in adaptability. Millennials rerouted during the 2008 recession when jobs disappeared. Gen Z is doing the same now, but with a different twist: AI is the disruptor, and they are responding not with conversation, but with action. And that adaptabilitypivoting early, diversifying career paths, and building resilience without waiting for claritymay be the model that older generations should learn from as work keeps shifting. The Side Hustle Signal The same survey found 57% of Gen Z already have a side hustle, compared to 48% of millennials, 31% of Gen X, and 21% of boomers. When I asked about it, neither Gen Zer I spoke with used the phrase side hustle. One simply said, I thrift and sell on Etsythats basically the same thing. The other added, I restore furniture on the side. Picked it up on TikTok. Thats the telling part. For Gen Z, these pursuits arent dressed up as passion projects with clever brandingtheyre just part of life. Millennials may have turned side projects into brand accounts or hustling personas, but Gen Z just does them quietly. That often leads others to mistake the low-key approach for disengagement, when in fact theyre quietly building, experimenting, and buffering. Whats more, Gen Zs approach is not just practical, its second nature, born from economic volatility. These ventures are about resilience and peace of mind, not validation or status. If Gen Zs quiet hustle is telling, Gen Alphas coming of age may be even sharper. As the first generation born entirely in the 21st century, Gen Alpha is hyper-immersed in tech, digital fluency, and entrepreneurial thinking from day one. Studies show that 76% of them aspire to be their own boss or have side ventures, signaling an innate entrepreneurial mindset. Gen Alpha is growing up with AI, screens, and social media as baseline realitynot novelty. Many will enter a workforce where two-thirds of jobs dont yet exist demanding agility and perhaps, a blurring of main job and side project from the start. If millennials branded their hustle, and Gen Z normalized it, Gen Alpha may simply live it with no label needed and the expectation that multiple streams of work are the status quo. Why It Matters Weve seen this playbook before. Millennials graduated into the 2008 recession and quickly realized the jobs theyd been promisedentry-level corporate ladders, clear promotion trackshad either vanished or shrunk. Many quietly rerouted into fields that felt more durable: tech, healthcare, education. They didnt always frame it as a grand statement, but the pivot reshaped entire sectors. Gen Z is doing something similar in response to AI. They arent waiting for institutions to tell them where things are headedtheyre reading the signals and moving. In some cases, that means choosing stability over prestige. In others, it means doubling down on side projects that create agency and identity beyond a single employer. And again, theyre doing it without much fanfare. The anxiety is real, but the response is practical. Thats the deeper lesson here. Older generations often expect disruption to announce itself with noise: strikes, protests, loud declarations. But Gen Zs pivot shows a quieter kind of adaptabilityone where people act before they talk. They may not spend hours debating AIs impact, but they are already adjusting their choices in ways that will ripple across the economy. For older workers, theres value in paying attention. In a world where disruption is accelerating, the instinct to pivot quickly, experiment on the side, and build multiple paths forward may be the model we all need. Gen Z is showing that resilience isnt just about gritits about agility, foresight, and the humility to change course before its too late.
Category:
E-Commerce
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