Short answer
Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places merchandise displayers and window trimmers in its moderate AI exposure category, below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not. BLS projects employment to change by +2.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 17,200 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- ModerateBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 59/100Higher than 83% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +2.7%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 17,200BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed merchandise displayers and window trimmers are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers land in the moderate category: below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate · this job194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Performing general physical activities4.3/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Face-to-face discussions4.6/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Handling and moving objects4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.0/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Getting information4.3/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards3.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Email3.8/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Communicating with supervisors, peers, or subordinates4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for merchandise displayers and window trimmers
- Change or rotate window displays, interior display areas, or signage to reflect changes in inventory or promotion.
- Place prices or descriptive signs on backdrops, fixtures, merchandise, or floor.
- Consult with store managers, buyers, sales associates, housekeeping staff, or engineering staff to determine appropriate placement of displays or products.
- Assemble or set up displays, furniture, or products in store space, using colors, lights, pictures, or other accessories to display the product.
- Take photographs of displays or signage.
- Develop ideas or plans for merchandise displays or window decorations.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +2.7% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 17,200 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 165,220 people work in the job today, at a median of $39,390 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full merchandise displayer and window trimmer profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Questions
Will AI Replace Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers? FAQ
Will AI replace merchandise displayers and window trimmers?
Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +2.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 17,200 openings a year.
How exposed are merchandise displayers and window trimmers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers are in the moderate category, alongside 193 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.
What parts of a merchandise displayer and window trimmer's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are getting information, evaluating information to determine compliance with standards and email. The parts that hold up best are performing general physical activities, face-to-face discussions and handling and moving objects. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being a merchandise displayer and window trimmer a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, merchandise displayers and window trimmers score 59 out of 100, higher than 83% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $39,390 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.