In the city that never sleeps, impromptu sleepovers are, apparently, out.
Expecting to crash on a pal’s couch during an overnighter in New York City is déclassé, says a livid local, crashing out over the “rude” presumption that her Big Apple apartment is a virtual crash pad.
“Stop asking your friends who live [in] an apartment in NYC to be your free hotel,” Bridget Goes, 25, scolded the nearly 3 million viewers of her social media tirade. “It’s rude to ask them, ‘Hey, can I stay at your place?,’ if they never offered it.”
The Gen Z spotlit Harry Styles’ 30-night residency at Madison Square Garden, happening now through Oct. 31, as the top reason folks are flocking into town and hunting no-cost accommodations.
“Get a hotel. There’s also lots of hostels in New York,” Goes ranted, punctuating her frustration with a fierce jab. “If you can’t afford to stay in New York, then you either need to travel home that night or you can’t afford to go to the concert. Period.”
Her inhospitable hot take has ignited a fiery digital dispute.
A faction of the internet agrees that guests in Gotham should budget for lodging rather than mooch off their buds just to save a few bucks. Others, however, argue that incoming chums should always be welcome to couch surf for a night or two — no questions asked, no payment necessary.
The unfriendly feud is merely one crashing wave in the troubled sea of viral spats that have recently erupted online. From debates over who pays for the Uber on first dates to how much is too much when tipping at restaurants, virtual fighting is tragically trendy.
And Goes’ controversy is currently all the rage.
“May this friendship never find me,” a commenter wrote beneath her post, shaming the blond for banning her so-called mates.
“I actually get sad when my friends spend money on a hotel and don’t stay with me because it makes me happy to make their life easier and cheaper,” another noted. “And it makes me happy to make a friend happy.”
“What’s the point of friends if you can’t call them [for a favor]?,” a separate spectator questioned aloud. “Everybody wants a village but doesn’t want to be a villager.”
“If I found out my friend was visiting my city and they DIDN’T ask if they could stay with me, I’m honestly gonna be a little hurt,” wrote another. “Save that money and come hang out!.”
Goes, however, did get a few supporters who shared her unpopular perspective.
“I live in New York and I’ve had people who I haven’t spoken to since I was 12-year-old ask if they could crash in my couch,” said Kat Capili, an aspiring singer and actress, in her own video addressing the matter. “Why would you think it’s OK to ask to crash at my place for extending periods of time?”
“It’s the audacity of these requests…when you live somewhere like New York, it’s every week,” she continued. “I’m not your hotel. Sorry.”
The beef between buddies is an effect of the high cost of living, which, for most millennials and Gen Zs, includes maintaining a healthy, albeit costly social life, per a recent report from Ally Financial, an all-digital bank.
Jacqueline “Jack” Howard, a behavioral finance expert at Ally, tells The Post that people in their prime are often conflicted, wanting to splurge on choice indulgences, like A-list concert tickets and haute hotels, while simultaneously trying to build up their savings for the future.
“Social spending is impacting long-term financial goals for three in five Gen Z and millennials,” said Howard. “Only 18% of young adults say they have a strict budget for social activities, and 42% admit they overspend several months out of the year. Constantly saying “yes” to social spending consistently overrides planning and intentional money behavior is when the financial stress creeps in.”
The pro suggests friends, across the boroughs and beyond, communicate their personal and monetary limitations with one another, eliminating any awkwardness around random couchsurfing requests.
“Building financial transparency is one of the healthiest things you can bring into a friendship,” said Howard. “The strongest friendships will honor those boundaries, not pressure you to go beyond your comfort zone when it comes to your finances.”
