November 5, 2025
This yr, based on insights from DoorDash, cuffing season is in full swing, and the proof is within the information.
Each fall, cuffing season arrives like clockwork -–, that unofficial stretch of months from October by February when informal flings flip into one thing somewhat extra intentional, as {couples} bunker down for cozy winters. This yr, based on insights from DoorDash, cuffing season is in full swing, and the proof is within the information.
The State of Cuffing Up: What the Orders Reveal
The story of cuffing season is written within the receipts. DoorDash information exhibits that what folks order, depart behind, and replace says extra about connection than any caption might. Order information from Sept. 1 – Oct. 15, 2025, and Oct. 1, 2024 – February 28, 2025 (in comparison with Might 1 – Sept. 30, 2024), together with a survey of 1,000 adults ages 18–58, tells the total story.
Defining the Relationship (and the Supply Handle)
The “What are we?” speak nonetheless ranks among the many scariest courting milestones, particularly for Gen Z. However in relation to defining a supply tackle, folks appear rather a lot braver. The week of Sept. 1 hit an surprising excessive in DoorDash addresses labeled “bae” or “bf/gf,” proof that cuffing season (and new connections) kicked off forward of schedule this yr.
By the primary week of October, extensively acknowledged as the beginning of cuffing season, the development was rising once more. It’s proof that individuals usually act the half earlier than they are saying it, and in 2025, defining the supply tackle would possibly simply be simpler than defining the connection.
Toothbrush Territory
The toothbrush has turn out to be cuffing season’s quiet MVP. DoorDash sees almost a 30% uptick in toothbrush and toothpaste orders between 5-9 p.m. on Thursdays by Saturdays as date nights get underway, and by the actually late hours (midnight to five a.m.), orders spike over 10%, suggesting a few of these date nights are turning into late nights that weren’t precisely deliberate. However there could be extra behind the order. In accordance with a DoorDash survey of 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18-58 who’re single, courting, or in a relationship, one in 4 daters admits to leaving a toothbrush behind on objective, a small however unmistakable approach of marking their territory. As one respondent put it, “I left my toothbrush to let him know I supposed on coming again.”
The “Ick” Issue
In accordance with the DoorDash survey, 68% say they’ve gotten “the ick” after seeing somebody’s residence, with litter and dangerous hygiene topping the checklist. DoorDash information exhibits orders for sheets, pillowcases, and blankets rise almost 80% throughout cuffing season. Name it the navy-sheet cleanout as folks swap previous habits (and previous bedding) for one thing extra cuffing season prepared.
The Trendy State of Courting
Cuffing season isn’t fading; it’s evolving. Per the survey, 94% of singles say they’re collaborating in cuffing season this yr, proving it’s not a passing development however a fixture of tradition. Practically all Gen Z respondents (97%) say they plan to or would possibly participate, displaying that youthful daters aren’t stepping again from connection; they’re simply rethinking the way it suits into their lives.
Courting immediately mirrors Gen Z’s mindset: versatile, spontaneous, and somewhat extra on-demand — from late-night hangs to ordering in collectively. In reality, almost 70% of individuals surveyed say ordering in feels simply as, if no more, intimate than going out, proof that trendy romance runs on comfort.
Culturally, there’s been a shift from speaking a couple of relationship to subtly displaying the indicators of 1, from labeling an tackle “bae” to that late-night toothbrush order after a date. Individuals are expressing connection in smaller, extra private methods. The receipts usually inform the love story earlier than the phrases do.
As a result of in the long run, cuffing season isn’t nearly coupling up, it’s about settling in.
This story was produced by DoorDash and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
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