A few weeks ago I endured the scorn of the internet for suggesting that dating apps are garbage and that anyone looking for love would have a better time looking for a date at the book store or the auto parts store than on Tinder. This was heartily laughed at. It was decided that I was extremely out of touch, old, and lacking in any knowledge that could help anyone today who is looking for love. I was told I should be quiet and let the young people work it out, because that’s going so well for them, or something.
No one believed me when I said women do want to be approached out in the real world and they do want to be asked out while they’re grocery shopping or browsing for books. I was told that I don’t understand women today and that men were more likely to get pepper-sprayed than get a date this way.
This conversation got very heated and uncomfortable. It’s a fact that dating is clearly a touchy subject these days, and those who have been unlucky in love resent happy marrieds telling them what to do, even if we’re trying to help. The following video is a compilation of how it all went down. It’s pretty cringey.
This stream became a lightning rod for conversations between men and women that didn’t die down for quite a while. Those under 35 tended to agree with the prevailing theory that men can’t ask women out in public anymore, while those over 35 think dating apps are garbage. But then, out of nowhere, comes a viral story about young women ditching apps to find husbands at… wait for it… Home Depot. Exactly like I said. Don’t doubt me.
Could Home Depot be the destination to meet your future husband? If some TikTokers are to be believed, the retailer’s over 2,000 locations have become an unlikely spot to look for dates.
Of the many women on TikTok who say they’re “deleting the dating apps in 2023,” some say they’re looking for love in a surprise location. “I’m headed to Home Depot to look confused in the lumber aisle.”
The fact that women are doing this and filming it is both hilarious and also vindicating to my position. Single women aren’t unapproachable. They’re everywhere, and they’re all looking for the same thing: love. People have not changed so much that what worked 30 years ago doesn’t still work. But it requires the same thing it required back then: confidence and a willingness to be rejected without letting it destroy you.
Related: ‘Tinder Swindler’ Simon Leviev Conned Women Out of Millions in the Craziest Way You’ve Ever Heard
Mr. Fox told me he used to think of it as a numbers game. The more girls you ask out, the more dates you’ll get. This is objectively true. But if you run for the hills every time someone says no, your chances go way down. These viral TikToks prove that women are still looking for men out in public. So try the bookstore. Try the Home Depot. Try the grocery store. Singles are everywhere, and they might say yes.
@joleene_d Reply to @jenhealer I tried! @Home Depot. It didn’t work. (two and a half weeks into my 4-week online dating experience.) #homedepot #onlinedating #single
Keep this in mind, too: dating apps exist to keep you as a client. That means if they successfully match you with the love of your life, they lose you as a client. That’s not their goal. The goal of Tinder is to get you addicted to the product, not to find the happiness that would lead you to delete it. The constant swiping and hookups are what those apps are for. True love doesn’t factor into it. So if you’re looking for love for real, delete the apps and get out in the world. Go places, talk to people, sign up for classes, attend events, and meet people the old-fashioned way. It still works.
If you’re a woman out there looking for a man, go where the men are. Home Depot isn’t a bad idea! I think the store should start singles craft nights! It would be fantastic marketing after this trend on TikTok. The truth is that all people want the same things: love, marriage, and family. And the best way to get those things is to not close yourself off from opportunities to meet new people.
Ditch the apps. The people are all right outside your front door. Get out there and find them.
And I know what many of you are thinking. “I can’t talk to people!” That’s because you’ve been subjected to ritual abuse for the last three years by your government. COVID policies destroyed our ability to talk to one another. My advice is to start small. Every time you go out, strike up a conversation with someone—anyone—just to see if you can do it. Practice makes perfect.
Our social skills have been retarded by the government. It’s time to build those skills back up. How? Challenge yourself daily. Make a stranger laugh. Compliment a stranger. Start a conversation with the check-out worker. Start trying to get back to normal. Never speaking to people in public is not normal. Standing six feet away from people is not normal! The faster we get back to the old normal (not the new normal), the better off everyone will be.