The Obsolete Jobs Club

From an economic standpoint, it’s hard to lament the loss of the Wal-Mart greeter. The prospect of getting paid minimum wage to stand at the front of a store in a “How May I Help You?” vest is hardly the stuff that inspires future generations to dream big about their careers. Yet news in late January that the world’s largest retailer has removed greeters from the overnight shift at its 3,800-plus U.S. stores—and is redefining the role of daytime greeters, too—evoked a reaction that borders on disbelief. Analyst David Strasser of Janney Montgomery Scott called the strategy “risky,” while editorial writers at the Chicago Sun-Times admitted that the move “bums us out.” Never mind that customers will likely be better served by having those workers stock shelves instead. For some, the idea that a 30-year tradition at America’s largest private employer might end is cause enough to mourn.

While declining demand for discount-store greeters isn’t the kind of creative disruption that upends an economy, it’s a useful reminder that jobs come and go. Technology is typically the culprit that kills off entire categories of workers, whether it’s those producing celluloid film for the now-bankrupt Eastman Kodak or the 50,000 file clerks the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts will lose jobs in the decade ending in 2018. But shifting demands in the workplace also play a role. Just as smartphones and e-mail reduced the need for secretaries, so too have crowdsourcing and aggregation placed strains on plenty of other job categories.