Have you ever gone on a date during work hours? – What to know about ‘stack dating’

With “stack dating” (or “date stacking”), a romantic rendezvous can be arranged during a lunch break or in a park before meeting up with friends for a night out.

According to Tinder’s Future of Dating Report, a third of 18-25-year-olds have had a date during their working day. Half of the young people surveyed admit to constantly looking for ways to fit dates into their daily schedules.

The rise of this new approach to dating can also be seen on social networks. Earlier this year, a US-based user by the name of Paretay posted a video, seen thousands of times, in which she shares her own experience of “stack dating”. In the course of a single evening, the TikTok user went on three dates in Brooklyn, at three different locations. “You know what? I don’t regret a thing,” she says at the end of her video.

ALSO SEE: Sex education for adults: Why old dogs need new tricks

No big deal

While dating remains a priority for Generation Z, its members prefer to adopt a more casual approach. After being locked down during the Covid-19 pandemic, young people want to make up for lost time. But they don’t want their love lives to take precedence over their social lives. Hence, the idea of quicker, but perhaps more effective, dates that won’t cut into their other activities.

“Stack dating” also allows them to keep the stakes low. The aim is to reduce the pressure as much as possible and keep things natural.

“Today’s 18-25-year-olds … are looking for authenticity. They are more self-aware, open and fluid in how they view gender, sexuality and dating than any other generation before them …

“They are embracing a low-pressure approach to dating that has cracked open a whole new world of meaningful relationship types,” the Tinder report explains.

So to avoid wasting time, the idea is to play it straight right from the start.

NOW READ: PICS: Inside Springbok Damian de Allende’s fiancée’s French bachelorette party