Will my Job be the Next Victim of Technology?

When I was young, arcade cabinets were everywhere. They were at arcades, in the mall, at the laundromat, and even at the grocery store. There were standalone arcades, where my family spent many hours (and quarters).

I used to seek out the cabinets, often trying new games simply because I’d stumbled upon them while waiting for food at a restaurant. Sometimes, I'd make new friends when another kid would approach me and ask if we could play together. 

With the invention of home consoles, these arcade cabinets slowly disappeared. They were no longer in restaurants and grocery stores. The standalone arcades were closed without warning until the only places you could go to play games were Chuck E Cheese or Dave and Busters restaurants. 

It was the beginning of the end for gaming as I knew it. Home consoles were great because you could play games from the comfort of your home. If you wanted to try a new game, you could go to a video rental place and borrow one for the weekend. Sometimes you’d even make an event of it, by inviting friends over and playing games with them for hours.

Home consoles too would change and become unrecognizable with the introduction of the internet. Now you can play against strangers online, making what was once an opportunity for social gathering decidedly anti-social. Characters who were once unlocked through gameplay are now obtained by paying a fee. Gone is the magic of unlocking mystery characters, or finding secrets. Now we play games alone, and we pay for something that was once complete.  

My job is like the arcades and video rental services that came before, outdated and seemingly a relic of the past. 

I work at a cosmetics counter inside of a department store. Cosmetics counters were once booming with customers who wanted to achieve the latest trends or check out the latest products. Coworkers tell me stories about when the counters were once more makeover-focused, something I’ve never gotten to experience but wish I had. 

Another hot topic was the fact that people who worked at the cosmetics counter used to be able to support themselves on the commission earned from their sales. I have an hourly rate, plus I make a commission on the beauty products that I sell. Unfortunately, my job now consists of checking out guests from the clothing department. I’m used as an extra cashier who occasionally sells a bottle of foundation or a jar of moisturizer. This means I’m unable to support myself with the commission that I earn.   

Cosmetic counters may have been profitable once, but now many people are opting for online pickup, or buying the same products on Amazon. Customers aren’t lining up to try out new products, because they’re too busy trying out fads that influencers sold them. 

There are also many more makeup brands than there were when cosmetic counters reigned supreme. Gone are the days when makeup sales were dominated by M.A.C., Estee Lauder, and Lancome. Consumers now have many options, and a number of them would rather buy from the company’s more affordable sister brands. Some brands are even making dupes of higher-priced items with the intention of ‘stealing’ some of that brand’s sales. 

Another obstacle is that a growing number of people are ending their relationship with makeup. Some are leaving the cosmetics they once loved behind in favor of skincare. Others are retiring and deciding that they only wore makeup because they thought they had to.  

The products featured at cosmetics counters aren’t fun, they’re often functional. Foundations are used to cover blemishes, eyeshadows are used for a splash of everyday color. Eyeliners are basic and just there to enhance the lashes. There’s no color, no glow, it’s all basic. The counter I work at doesn’t even sell lip gloss or liquid lipstick. Those things were a staple in my collection before accepting my current job. It’s no longer fun to sit in front of a mirror and apply makeup, so I can’t blame the customers for turning to options that make them happy. 

My workplace has rolled out an app called Salesfloor to combat the loss of sales caused by customers who would rather buy online. My coworkers and I have done our best to use the app to our advantage, but it hasn’t brought us any sales. 

Every day, I go to work with the thought that my job won’t be around for much longer. I’ll either be forced to become a cashier, or I’ll arrive at work to find that the doors have been chained closed and my job will be non-existent. 

So what do you think? Are cosmetic counters the next victim of the changing times? What do you miss the most from the past?