Picture the scene: you’re on a date with someone you quite like. You’re getting on well. They’re making you laugh and, most importantly, they look like their dating profile. Suddenly, the clock chimes 7pm and you’re out of there – but not because you’re dying to leave, because you’ve got another date lined up tonight… And another date after that.
No, you’re not losing your mind, you’re date stacking – because you are super invested in finding The One, and not wasting your own time in the process.
Date stacking is the latest dating trend to take TikTok by storm, which sees singletons meticulously plan multiple dates per day in a bid to meet as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time. Think speed dating, but with a twist. At 2pm you’re on a coffee date with Ellen. By 4pm you’re playing mini golf with Chad. By the time 8pm rolls around you’re enjoying a cocktail with Marcel at a rooftop bar.
When it comes to date stacking, the possibilities are endless. You could have a date in a bar followed by a sober meet up. You could top off the evening with dinner for two or a trip to the cinema. You could go for a pint with all three of your suitors and actively compare everyone’s performance and engagement via an Excel sheet afterwards. Or you could be normal, and not do that at all.
TikTok dating and relationships expert Alexis Germany Fox says date stacking can reduce the pain of the dreaded unfulfilling first date. After all, chances are not all of your dates that day are going to be a dud. Probably. “Sometimes, first dates can almost feel like a waste of time,” she says on TikTok. “You’re going to get there and it’s going to be awkward and you don’t feel a connection and you think ‘I could’ve just stayed at home.’ But if we stay at home, we’re not meeting anyone.”
She goes on: “I recommend only doing this for first dates when there’s no skin in the game. You have an easy out if the date isn’t the best, and you do have other plans so it’s very authentic when you’re like ‘I’ve got to go.’”
Sure, date stacking might give you more options in a shorter space of time, but isn’t it overwhelming, exhausting, and just generally a bit much? And could it even wreak havoc on your energy levels if you do it too often?