Reddit Says Gen Z Customer Service Workers Have Lost the Plot — But Is the Blame Fair?

A Reddit post in r/CustomerService is sparking a full-on generational debate after claiming most Gen Z workers are rude, dismissive, and glued to their screens on the job. The Nov. 14 post pulled 195 comments before the Daily Dot covered it, with the original poster describing silent transactions, ignored greetings, and outright rudeness at the register. Commenters largely agreed, blaming screens and TikTok for stunting social skills, though none of the claims have been independently verified.

The twist? The poster, a younger Millennial, argued that customers are ordinary people navigating a system rigged by the hyper-wealthy, so they shouldn’t be treated as personally responsible for employee working conditions. That nuance got buried under the“kids these days”pile-on, but it’s worth sitting with. Service work is underpaid, understaffed, and often thankless, which means the person behind the counter and the person in front of it are both dealing with a broken setup.

So is this a real generational shift or just the oldest complaint in history wearing a new hat? Every generation has been accused of losing basic manners, and one anonymous thread isn’t a trend report. But the conversation is worth having, because everyone has a story from one side of the counter or the other. What’s your best or worst customer service story? Tell us in the comments.