Gen Z NYC On-Camera Interviews-Holiday Financial Struggles

Journalist here - trying to understand Gen Z's holiday financial reality beyond the statistics I'm a student journalist - can provide email verification- working on a story about how Gen Z is navigating what appears to be an unprecedented economic squeeze this holiday season, and I'm hoping to hear real stories from this community. The numbers I'm seeing: Gen Z cutting holiday spending by 23% (biggest drop of any generation) Seasonal retail hiring down from 442,000 positions last year to 265,000-365,000 this year - worst in 15+ years Layoff announcements up 183% in October 84% of Americans planning to cut spending due to economic uncertainty But statistics don't tell the full story. I want to understand what this actually looks like in people's daily lives. What I'm hoping to learn: If you're Gen Z (roughly 18-28), what does your holiday budget actually look like this year compared to last year? Have you applied for seasonal jobs recently? What's that experience been like? How are you managing the gap between what you need to spend and what you have? What does "economic anxiety" actually feel like day-to-day? What specific decisions are you making? How are you handling conversations with family/friends about cutting back? I'm also interested in hearing from anyone working in retail management about hiring decisions this season. My goal: I'm creating a short video piece (90 seconds) that gives Gen Z a voice in this conversation. It would feature street-style interviews balanced with the business perspective from retail owners/managers. If you're in NYC and open to a brief on-camera interview about your experience, I'd love to talk, we can do it virtually as well. If you're not comfortable on camera but willing to share your story to help me understand the landscape better, that's valuable too. I'm not here to exploit anyone's struggle - I genuinely want to document what this generation is going through in a way that's honest and respectful. Happy to answer any questions about the project. You can comment here or DM me.