Technology over toys?
Growing up, receiving store catalogs during Christmas time was the one thing I looked forward to all year. Aside from Target, the one catalog every kid couldn’t wait to receive was the Toys “R” Us catalog. Flipping from page to page, circling all the items you want to get from Santa Claus, hinting to your parents what new toy you wanted, Toys “R” Us was like Disneyland for most kids. Yet, it wasn’t everyday that you could convince your parents to take a trip to the store and get them to buy you something.
As time goes on our society is innovating. Technology is becoming faster, simpler, and more obtainable. Nowadays it seems like everyone has some type of phone; iPhone, Samsung, HTC, LG, and the list goes on. Instead of parents entertaining their kids with a book or toys, like how my parents did, now they use phones and tablets. When I’m out in public and see kids throwing tantrums the first thing majority of parents do to calm their child is hand them their phone. In today’s society everyone turns to technology, whether it’s paying a PG&E bill online or reading a news article, because it’s easier. Everyone always looks at the positives of technology and the internet, but they tend to overlook the downfalls.
A result of our precious technology is the possible closing of our beloved childhood store, Toys “R” Us. As of Monday Sept. 18 2017, the major toy corporation has filed for bankruptcy. Along with the filing, Toys R Us bought itself $3.1 billion in new financing that will allow it to stock and operate all of its stores through the critical holiday season. Though making it through the holidays, the major corporation’s future as a working company is still in the air.
Today’s generation of children wanting tablets instead of toys is the main reason for this affair. Not only are these children are affected by the loss, thousands of people who work for the company will be affected as well. This causes an immense amount of people to be unemployed, just an overall unfortunate situation for many people. Put down the mobile devices and take a trip to your local Toys “R” Us.