Gen Z and Millennials are stressed about money, between the economic hardships that came with the pandemic, inflation causing rising prices all year, and now the looming threat of another recession. In fact, when YPulse asked young people to think about the current state of the economy, 40% say we’re already in a recession. Despite some experts saying another recession wouldn’t be as bad as the detrimental ones these young gens have seen already, they’re showing caution in their spending habits anyway. CNN reports that despite wages rising faster than ever, inflation is doing the same, and “the cost of essentials is eating away at workers’ fatter paychecks.” But, much the same way young consumers love budget shopping at mass merchandise stores, they’re showing a growing affinity for the most budget-friendly option there is: the dollar store.  YPulse’s brand tracker monitors Gen Z and Millennials’ brand affinity through 20 diagnostics, and which are rolled into the brands’ YScore+, an overall measure of their performance among these gens. Young...