Hold your Frank Green drink bottle tight because cosmetics giant Mecca is opening a store in Dunedin later this year. The chain confirmed the rumours to the Otago Daily Times after job positions were posted online. The store is set to open at an unspecified location on George Street – likely somewhere currently buried in road cones and scaffolding.
If you’re not in the know, Mecca is a cosmetics store that’s pretty big in Australia and New Zealand, boasting over a hundred stores. ’Bout time Dunedin gets something flashy. Pretty much anything to do with hair, makeup, and skincare are all under one (overstimulating) roof. It is often described as the ‘NZ Sephora’ – hopefully minus the feral twelve year olds that you probably heard about on TikTok a couple months ago.
For those keen to drop out (or find a job with your BA), working at the Dunedin Mecca will boast a pretty mean slate of benefits. Perks of the job will apparently include an “unlimited” 40% discount off of all makeup for yourself and immediate family, parental support, and “world-class” education opportunities. Surely they’ll take a couple part-timers for those wanting a degree in Mecca-lore, right? Asking for a friend.
Critic Te Ārohi took to the streets of North D to see if anybody cared about Mecca’s impending touchdown – or can afford to spend there. Second-year Leah said, “I’m so fucking excited because Dunedin deserves it.” Slay, Dunedin. She added that you may even be able to go from Glassons to Mecca to Maccas: “It’s the white girl holy trinity.” Don’t sell yourself short, queen.
Not everyone was convinced about the store though. Another student, Chase, said savagely, “Why’s this a topic?” Ouch. After Googling what Mecca was, he said, “It’s a makeup company, so it’ll make students spend more money unnecessarily, correct? Preposterous propaganda.”
Eva (yet another student we bothered) told Critic Te Ārohi, “What? When? I’m still waiting for Kmart.” She raises a good point; Mecca has seemingly derailed Kmart as Dunedin’s most hyped future store. Can’t blame them when Dunedinites have been hearing about Kmart’s return for years.
Despite no specific location, a vague opening date and no real information, the hype seems to be real for Mecca in Dunedin. Fingers crossed all our bank accounts survive.