WTF Is Stacked Dating And Should I Be Doing It?
What if I told you there was a way for you to date while running errands like grocery shopping, picking up your dry cleaning, and dropping off an Amazon return? Well get ready – there’s a new dating trend called “stacked dating.” If you think you’ve heard of it before, you probably have… but like most things that are revived, there’s a new twist.
The original “stacked dating” was the phenomenon of scheduling more than one date in a single night, sometimes even two or three. However, 2024’s version of stacked dating is all about scheduling dates while you’re going about your regular life. The days of taking hours to get ready are gone, so gone in fact that some people are even meeting up for a first date after a sweat sesh at the gym.
When I first read about this concept, I was a little shocked. I can totally get behind this once we’re four or five dates in, but meeting up with a potential suitor for a first date after I’ve had my ass handed to me at Cyclebar… I think not. While I may leave my post gym-look for once we make it official, upon reflection, I started thinking how ingenious stacked dating is.
If we’re spending over an hour getting ready just to talk over dinner and be self-conscious that we have something stuck in our teeth the entire evening, we’re not necessarily setting ourselves up for success. However, if we’re knocking our to-do’s off our list, you’re distracted and if the date doesn’t go well, you still get the satisfaction of striking something off your list!
The way I see it, there are two methods to stacked dating – the killing time method and the buddy system.
When it comes to killing time – say you’ve just matched with someone and you’re not quite ready for them to see you sort your laundry at the laundromat… meet up for coffee in between appointments when you otherwise would have had an awkward hour to kill. Big fan of the short first dates in 2024 — leave them wanting more!
When it comes to the buddy system – if you’re looking for something a little more substantial, invite them to go grocery shopping with you and then maybe you can do your Sunday meal prep with them and have a nice home-cooked dinner. IDK about you but there is something incredibly sexy about wandering the isles of Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods on a first date.
Regardless of which method of stacked dating you choose, remember: be cautious and careful when meeting strangers from the internet. Trust your gut, and go at your own pace.
Okay, back to regular programming.
I know we don’t want to get lazy with our dating, but we are all busy people with things to do and stacked dating might be the intersection point between finding love and not wasting our time. Now, regardless of whether you think this could work for you or not, I encourage you to spend less time worrying about the first date. Don’t second guess yourself, go out wanting and knowing you will have fun, and go from there. If there’s a second date, great! If there’s not, it’s not wasted time – you’ve learned more about what you like and don’t like and are one person closer to finding your forever. 2024 is for being bold and upfront, so start stacking! Happy dating everyone!
