Toys!

I wasn't aware that children still played with toys. Or maybe I'm just jealous because I'm "too big" to play with toys? However, I was a bit tempted to ignore societal norms for appropriate adult behavior and get some last week. Especially after reading what retailers now consider toys for kids at New York's Toy Fair.

The 21st Century toys are incredibly high-tech, amazing, and much improved versions of toys I was used to. (And at 26 years of age I'm not exactly a senior citizen). I'm not even talking about video games.

When I was a kid one of my favorite toys was Lite Brite. I got a kick out of those glowing plastic pieces. Besides, it was one of a few I could still play with under the covers when I was suppossed to be asleep. Nowadays, Lite Brite uses LED lights to illuminate its toys. Crayola (I also enjoyed crayons) has an iPad app, iMarker. I don't even own an iPod touch. But today's retailers expect kids to not only have the latest technologies, but also to manipulate them. Case in point:

One of the most impressive toys unveiled was from retail company, Hasbro and its Hot Wheels Video Racer car, retail value at $59.99. The car includes:

"An encased camera to capture footage of the car in action. The Hot Wheels Racer can also be attached to such items as helmets, bikes, skateboards...kids can edit their own movie using the camera's USB port and utilize drag and drop options with preloaded music, scene transitions, or special effects..."

Doesn't it blow your mind? A toy for a kid who clearly has his or her own computer, has used a digital camera, and/or video camera, and knows how to create their own movie with this technology.

Of course there are those toys taken from movies and TV shows (Dora the Explorer and My Little Pony as examples) that are less high-tech. But toys are overall another example of how retail companies are continuously adapting to changing times. Soon we'll probably even have
3-D, interactive, board games, Jumanji-style, if there aren't already! Something I'm looking forward to with much anticipation. I always did enjoy a good board game.

Border's update:
In an update on the Border's situation, it won a bankruptcy ruling to liquidate 200 stores. (Check out the retail blogs article 2/15/2011 release for more information). An unfortunate example of a company that did not adapt to changing times. It didn't create mobile devices like the Kindle to satisfy the ever-growing demand for technology.

For more on the changing retail industry and for tips on how to find jobs visit retailgigs.

By Samantha Taylor

Samantha is a Boston, Massachusetts native. Her studies have taken her from Ohio to England, where she lived for two years. Currently, Samantha lives in Andalucía, Spain, with her husband. She is a writer for Nexxt and contributes to one of its many blogs: retailgigsblog.com. She also works as an English teacher and personal trainer in her spare time.