Go back 100, 200 years.

Hell, go back 40 years. Scales were less available, and before digital scales, much slower, take up space, and cost much more than cups and spoons, which you would still need.

100 years ago, even a poor person with little space could have a full set of measuring cups/spoons.

Cups and spoons are sufficiently accurate for anything other than baking. Even with baking, many simpler recipes it’s still OK. My mother and grandmother baked many things using cups and spoons.

I still use cups and spoons for anything other than baking - they’re sufficiently accurate. Why pull out a scale for things like 1/8 tsp ground pepper? Is that even a gram?

King Arthur, the flour company that’s been around over 220 years, publishes numerous recipes that were originally in cups and spoons (because those were the tools 200 years ago), and those recipes are still in cups and spoons. Their muffin recipe is delicious.

English muffins originated in the late 1800s, using volumetric measures - they’re still around, still delicious. I’ve made them, using volumetric measures.

Ever weighed 8oz of water?