November 5, 2025
This yr, in response to insights from DoorDash, cuffing season is in full swing, and the proof is within the knowledge.
Each fall, cuffing season arrives like clockwork -–, that unofficial stretch of months from October by way of February when informal flings flip into one thing a bit of extra intentional, as {couples} bunker down for cozy winters. This yr, in response to insights from DoorDash, cuffing season is in full swing, and the proof is within the knowledge.
The State of Cuffing Up: What the Orders Reveal
The story of cuffing season is written within the receipts. DoorDash knowledge reveals that what folks order, go away behind, and replace says extra about connection than any caption may. Order knowledge 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 complete story.
Defining the Relationship (and the Supply Tackle)
The “What are we?” speak nonetheless ranks among the many scariest courting milestones, particularly for Gen Z. However with regards to defining a supply handle, folks appear lots 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, broadly 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 handle would possibly simply be simpler than defining the connection.
Toothbrush Territory
The toothbrush has develop into cuffing season’s quiet MVP. DoorDash sees almost a 30% uptick in toothbrush and toothpaste orders between 5-9 p.m. on Thursdays by way of 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 is perhaps extra behind the order. In response to 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 method of marking their territory. As one respondent put it, “I left my toothbrush to let him know I meant on coming again.”
The “Ick” Issue
In response to the DoorDash survey, 68% say they’ve gotten “the ick” after seeing somebody’s residence, with litter and dangerous hygiene topping the checklist. DoorDash knowledge reveals 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 Fashionable State of Relationship
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, exhibiting that youthful daters aren’t stepping again from connection; they’re simply rethinking the way it matches into their lives.
Relationship immediately mirrors Gen Z’s mindset: versatile, spontaneous, and a bit of extra on-demand — from late-night hangs to ordering in collectively. The truth is, 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 few relationship to subtly exhibiting the indicators of 1, from labeling an handle “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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