A new Future of Dating report by Tinder has reported that Gen Z are all about making dating a down-to-earth activity, with the concept of 'errand dating' receiving more prominence than ever before. Yes, you heard that right. Errand dating is... taking your date on your errands with you, or vice versa. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
The idea that a date can be a food shopping trip, a walk to the post office or bank effectively gives us a detour away from the 'dinner and drinks' norm that we may have subscribed to before, making more room for us to see our dates in a more everyday light – another thing valued highly be Gen Z.
Tinder found that daters are more flexible with what they view a date to be, with 51% of Gen Zers agreeing that they’re open to new ways of fitting dating around their daily schedules. This is partially due to the impact that the pandemic had on us and how we value our time and routines after months of isolation.
All of this also feeds into a departure from alcohol consumption being part of the norm for dating, as well – 88% of Gen Zers reported to Tinder that they’d be interested in going on a sober date.
'Going on an errand date may take away some of the 'performance' of dating – the getting ready, the dinner reservation, the choosing a bottle of wine, and instead replace it with real insight into the person's daily life,' psychologist and dating coach Pippa May tells me. 'In this way, it might show a more authentic version of the person, their priorities and how they spend their time.'
I definitely find the expectation of a performance on the first few dates more than a bit tiring, and leading to your romantic interest not really getting to know you at all. The giggly, confident, larger-than-life person you might be after a few glasses of rosé most certainly isn't the same person you are the majority of the time – so maybe feeding a bit of the mundane into a date might mean someone gets to know, and appreciate, the real you in a more meaningful way?
Plus, life admin is by far one of the most boring things about being an adult – why not attempt to make it less awful by taking along someone you might vibe with? And, if nothing else, company in an endless queue. But will it kill any chance of romance?
'Going on an errand date skips the romance part and goes straight to the comfort zone,' Pippa says. 'If you are nervous about dating, it might take some of the pressure and expectation off which will allow you to open up and feel safer to express more vulnerably - which in turn would lead to deeper connection.'
However, Tash, 26, has some suspicions about errand dating, not least whether you’d end up finding anything interesting about your date in such an everyday setting.
'I feel like there’d be no mystery,' she says. 'I guess with dating normally there’s a bit of sugar coating of your personality, and you can’t do that while on a stressful errand.
'Plus, these jobs are part of my personal time, I’m in the zone, with no distractions, so how could it be a date?'
She has a point – is there any opportunity for chemistry if you’re carrying out an activity that doesn’t encourage it? Or is that the best way, to let a natural connection take it’s course?
'I guess it could encourage a new form of intimacy,' Tash concedes.
That said, it’s important to ensure your date still shows interest in you, and isn’t cutting corners for convenience by taking you on an errand. There’s a difference between an attempt at an authentic connection and a complete romantic fail.
'Putting effort into the dating process is a clear indicator on someone's genuine interest to get to know you,' Pippa explains. 'You are worthy of someone taking the time out of their day to plan a date for you and show up, rather than just tagging along to a task they already have planned.'
Either way – I won’t lie, even if it’s just for a one off, I’m intrigued enough to swap the pub for a Sainsbury’s jaunt.