Cereal-snubbers and the maligning of millenials
By Lynne Bell
Are Fruit Loops finished? Has Cap'n Crunch crashed?
According to a recent New York Times report, cereal manufacturers are seeing a 15-year steady slide in profits, partly because-according to a survey by global research firm, Mintel- nearly 40 percent of young adults born between 1980 and 2000 (aka millenials) find “cereal inconvenient to consume.”
Following this revelation were a barrage of opinion pieces and news reports decrying the lazy entitlement of this particular demographic cohort.
However, all is not as it seems.
The survey's question in question actually read like this: “Which of the following statements about hot or cold cereal do you agree with?” And one of the choices for an answer was: “Cereal is inconvenient because I have to clean dishes after I prepare it.”
Thirty-nine percent of millenials chose this answer, as well as 17 percent of Gen-Xers (those born between the mid-1960s and 1980), followed by 10 percent of Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964). Perhaps unsurprisingly, only three percent of those born during World War Two selected this response.
If cereal sales are on the decline, a few other factors could be considered.
The popularity of low-carb diets and concern about excess sugar consumption might be one reason why cereal-snubbers are setting aside their morning bowls for something else.
And in the case of much-maligned millenials, portability is a key concern when it comes to breakfast. In the same report, the New York Times stated: “They either don't eat breakfast at all, or eat it somewhere other than home. And when they do eat breakfast, a bowl of cold cereal is often replaced by hot grains, smoothies, yogurt or breakfast sandwiches.”
However, the millenials' prioritization of portability might be because they're hustling hard to make a living, which often consists of a few part-time jobs and/or contract positions strung together to make up something resembling a full-time job.
A fairer-and more accurate- depiction of millenials might result if a survey compared today's twenty-somethings with twenty-somethings of past generations, rather than comparing them to today's 30 to 70-year olds.
It's all too easy-and frankly, lazy-to automatically assume the default position of “Kids these days” or “In my day...” when it comes to stereotyping younger people.
Millenials, like every generation before them, have unique challenges-and yes, advantages-that are particular to them.
As a group, they deal with a less certain and secure job market and a scary housing market, just to name two. And although they have embraced technology, they've had no choice but to ride this wave of unprecedented change.
I work with two twenty-somethings, and Kelly and Ainsley are both hardworking, tech-savvy team players and would dispel the “lazy, entitled millenial” stereotype within seconds.
Corporations and media outlets should take note-instead of grumbling about the perceived failings of today's twenty-somethings as they pertain to cereal bowls.
Lazy Millennials to blame for decline in cereal sales?
By Kelly Running
Well the Millennials are once again to blame. The “lazy” generation has in fact been blamed for being so lazy that they’re to blame for a 15 year industry-wide profit decrease of cereal sales. Seriously? My generation is too lazy to make cereal!
Well I guess it’s time to defend my generation once again… It seems to be a usual occurrence to defend against the laziness of my generation, but I digress.
Can the decline of cereal really be blamed on the laziness of Millennials? Sure, there are lazy people out there, that is transcends generations. But, lazy to the point of not being able to make cereal?
A New York Times report essentially stated that Millennials were uninterested in pouring their cereal into a bowl, topping it with milk, eating with a spoon, and then cleaning dishes up afterwards. This is too much work apparently.
Now, I personally simply do not like cereal. It’s a texture thing, the same way I don’t care for bananas. If I don’t eat cereal fast enough it turns soggy and mushy, and it’s gross in my opinion. I sometimes will put granola with yogurt, but I prefer eating toast, eggs, or even leftovers before cereal. Leftovers from pizza, which isn’t too strange, to butter chicken and rice or leftover lasagne which I’m informed aren’t typical breakfast foods. I’ve never been big on stereotypical breakfast foods.
But for Millennials to be called too lazy to eat cereal? I was surprised. Yes, my leftovers don’t take long to warm up and eat, and there’s minimal cleanup because all the dirty dishes were made the night before. However, choosing to have an egg sandwich in the morning comes with a few more dishes than cereal does, and that’s my go to in the morning.
This concept is apparently one that is held across the board, however. The lazy Millennial doesn’t want to work, they no longer eat cereal because it’s a hassle, and I’ve even heard that when marketing coffee that quick and easy types win out – the mix with hot water instant types – because Millennials don’t know how to make a pot of coffee and they don’t really like the taste.
Again this was news to me as I made a cup of French pressed decaf coffee at home, which I drank black. Yes, it took me a little while to get used to the flavour of coffee, but now I very much like it and adding almond milk on occasion is as far as I go for changing it up.
The idea of the lazy millennial is very much integrated into the thoughts of people today. But, when growing up we were always told we could do anything we wanted and for the most part, we wanted to make a difference, to do something worthwhile. For some they lucked out and found something that they feel is meaningful, that they think is contributing to their community or to the world, but others are spinning their tires wanting to find that feeling but not knowing what it is their calling in life is, so they bounce from job to job or only hold a part-time job. They’re trying to figure out what to do with their lives.
The idea of the lazy millennial is a generalization, which people love to do, but as with any generalization we don’t always understand the intricacies of it.
