From the Publisher: A Millennial by any Other Name

I think I got a compliment the other day. A close friend said that internet shopping is perfect for me. As a collector of sports memorabilia and Americana, online shopping gives me access to stores and companies that I simply would never have heard about in the old days—all done from the comfort of my own desk at home or work.

I am in my 50s and certainly not part of the Millennial generation. 

Meanwhile, not a television business show goes by without some talking head mentioning how important Millennials, those people born between 1980 and 2000, are to the overall economy and, more importantly, how they think, act and shop differently than their parents and grandparents.

Many say that businesses, including those that operate on Main Street, must treat this generation differently. They go by their own set of rules and are looking for retailers that cater to their specialized demands and desires, including a stronger push for natural merchandise. Woe be the merchant who does not cuddle up to this emerging group of consumers.

Well, I am not buying in. 

I remember back in the day that people—and by that I mean the older generations at the time—talked about my generation, the Baby Boomers, in much the same way. We were different, hard to categorize, more willing to investigate the products we consumed and we wanted better things from the world, including healthier products.

Sound familiar?

With the notable exception of internet shopping, I believe that Millennials are acting as all previous generations acted when they were in their late teens, twenties and early thirties. That is, they are in a state of perpetual denial, always looking for a better way and committed to following a different path than their parents, usually just because it is different. 

That is what young people do. As all parents understand, we do not really know much in the eyes of our children, who think they have life all figured out and that their approach is not only the best way, but the only way. Of course, as they age and take on more responsibilities, especially when they become parents, it is incredible how that all changes. 

From this angle, the talk of Millennials being different than previous generations is all a bunch of hullaballoo created by consultants and marketing companies looking for their next paycheck. Remember Y2K and the pricey commotion they caused over that? Somebody got rich over that non-event. 

The bottom line is that consumers have always shopped differently depending on their age and family status. The younger ones, today the 75-million strong Millennials, who perhaps have more free time and disposable income on their hands, will always be asking more questions and pushing the envelope. That is what young people do.

In time, though, they will realize that they are much more similar to their parents than they thought and their shopping behavior will begin to change. Retailers, meanwhile, can continue to create a shopping experience that is designed to give all their consumers the right merchandise, at the right price, in the right setting. 

Eventually everyone comes around.