After installing one of the clock apps listed in the start menu of Core 18, clock app won't open & I get the following message:
It says permission denied and it shows you installed it as a Flatpak.
Flatpak packages are isolated from the system so they lack permissions to access what they need.
You may wonder why then Flatpak is set as default.
And why so many applications are pushed as a Flatpak, knowing that they need system access to run.
We all wonder this.
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Sooo... is there a solution, or no?
In the drop down menu currently marked as Flathub - is there a Zorin OS option?
If so, uninstall the Flatpak, then install the Clocks app with that set to Zorin OS and test...
There is no Zorin OS option. There are 3 Snapcraft.io options: latest/stable, latest/candidate and latest/beta. Any of those workable? (I'm assuming I'll need a consistent solution for all the other apps I'll be installing 
)... just wait til I get my hands on the guy that said "Zorin is almost exactly like Windows"... 
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Snaps are often more worse...Try to search for a clock which is offered as Zorin package.
For your installed flatpak package it can help to install "flatseal", then open it and select your clock app and at category filesystem grant access to all users/system files.
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Ah. Zorin OS comes with the Gnome-Clocks app already installed, doesn't it? No need for the KDE Clocks app...
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Depending what You want to do with the Clock App, I would agree with @Aravisian to use gnome-clocks. Simply search for ''gnome clocks'' and You should see this:
You could see 2 (or more) Entries for that. Take the one whehre stands ''Zorin OS'' under the Install Button:
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Tried this, and even tho it is a gnome product, I still only have a flatpack option for installation...
Well, actually.. Gnome is the developer of Flatpak and the Software Store... So you can see why Flatpak is being pushed by Gnome - It is their conflict of interest.
So am I going to have the same issue with this clock not working after install? Is it even worth trying? Can I not have such a simple thing as a clock (timer/alarm) on my Zorin???! More importantly, am I basically not going to be able to have ANY app that is flatpak-only?
I searched up the .deb package and...
Here it is:
http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/g/gnome-clocks/gnome-clocks_46.0-1build1_amd64.deb
And it shows in APT no problem, too:
apt search gnome-clocks Sorting... Done Full Text Search... Done gnome-clocks/noble,now 46.0-1build1 amd64 [installed] Simple GNOME app with stopwatch, timer, and world clock support
As you can see, it shows as installed - though I never installed it, as it comes preinstalled on Zorin OS 18.
Where I am confused is why you are not seeing it installed.
let's check.
In your App menu - typing clocks directly into the menu, does it take you to it?
If you check
apt list --installed | grep "gnome-clocks"
does it list it installed?
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Typing 'clocks' into the menu, I see a black clock icon and a white one. When I click the black one, a window opens with info about the gnome clock & an install button at top right (tried to get a screenshot but that was a whole nuther train wreck - more on that below). The only option under the install button at top right is flatpak. When I click the WHITE icon, I FINALLY get a multi-function clock just as needed, but there is no info as to who made it, etc.
Lastly, when I entered your suggested script 'apt list --installed | grep "gnome-clocks" ', I got this warning: "WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts." I had been using 'apt' extensively before entering your script - WTH??
(Here's the "rest of the story" that may or may not have caused the warning: I attempted to find a 'native' screenshot app & create a desktop icon so I could post screenshots of the app menu here. I had previously just selected "Take a screenshot" from the menu itself, but was needing a way to capture the actual menu I was seeing. When I searched for screenshot in the menu, Budgie came up, and allowed me to put an icon on desktop, so I thought it was native. But then the icon wouldn't open, so I asked Brave AI why it wouldn't open (yeah, I know, shoulda asked that question here, but thought I would give u guys a break, lol). So I was told that Budgie isn't compatible with Zorin 18, could cause conflicts & instability & that I needed to uninstall it. I went thru several steps in terminal to do so, including removing 'rc' files, but when I again ran 'dpkg -l | grep budgie', I still had several ii files. Brave AI says those can potentially destabilize or break Zorin OS, which might then have to be reinstalled!! And I did NOT install Budgie - it was already in my app menu. My God, is Zorin really supposed to be this much of a royal pain in the a__???? If so, I will now officially throw my trusty Thinkpad in the lake... 
You can ignore this warning. All it means that if you run certain scripts, the output might not display in the format you expect.
Nothing unsafe.
The apt package is intended for Human Eyes. A Script is an Automated action, not human eyes. So that warning is thrown as a CYA measure by apt, but is harmless.
The Budgie stuff: We can help.
Post your output for dpkg -l | grep budgie and we can sort that out easily.
Screenshot: Yes... it is a PITA. Gnome removed their standard Gnome-Screenshot tool and replaced it with an Integrated Screenshot program, built into Gnome Shell. And by default, it cannot capture a screengrab of an open menu.
My Personal Story...
When I migrated to GnuLinux, I began on Zorin Core. What followed was months of me banging my head on the desk.
By Chance... on an old notebook computer, I installed Zorin Lite.
Suddenly, on that machine... I had an O.S. that made logical sense, did not resist my every action and behaved in expected ways.
Now, I only use Lite.
In Lite, the native Screenshot application that comes with the OS can screenshot open menu's easily. It's just a matter of selecting a few seconds delay to get it open. You can also select an option for it to capture the Mouse Cursor image or not, too.
It does not have Wayland Conflicts, because it does not use Wayland.
And, I just remove Snap and Flatpak both - and so they never show up in the Gnome Software Store.
IF you are feeling like...
Maybe this route would be a good fit for you. To cut out all the middlemen and extra fluff and have a comfortable environment that you can learn in.
I do not have an App Menu that Advertises Products I Do Not Have Installed - on my build.
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When You type in ''gnome clocks'' it should look like this:
(ignore the german Language please)
So, You have 2 Entries. One is the Flatpak and one is the .deb Version.
I personally use gnome-screenshot as screenshot tool. It has included a time delay so that you can take screenshots of the context menus. You can install it with
sudo apt install gnome-screenshot
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Thx, Ponce-de-Leon. That is not what I see unfortunately, when typing in "gnome clocks". Apologies I can't post a screenshot...
Do You have on your Keyboard a Prnt Key? If yes, press it. Then the Screenshot Tool gets activated and You can set up the Screenshot.
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Thx for your awesome reply. Thx for explaining about apts & scripts.
Thx in advance for the help on Budgie cleanup - will post output soon. I've actually found another screenshot app (that showed up in the menu & appears to be gnome [?] & was already installed). It does in fact have a delay feature, and will work just fine. But I still would like a clean uninstall of Budgie.
Thx for sharing your story. Amazing about the differences in Core & Lite, and had I only known, I would have absolutely chosen Lite. And will likely still change. Thx for the en-Lite-enment haha.
"To cut out all the middlemen and extra fluff and have a comfortable environment that you can learn in." PRECISELY what I am desperately in need of!!
"I do not have an App Menu that Advertises Products I Do Not Have Installed - on my build." PERFECT. I'm clueless why any Linux would have that.
Thanks, Aravisian - incredibly helpful stuff 
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Yes, I do have that key... thanks, but I have also finally found an integrated app that has allowed an icon on my desktop, & has a delay feature. Just what I was looking for 