When I was a little girl, I used to get separated from my mom all the time while she shopped in the department store. Bored, curious, and looking for adventure, I would regularly wander off in an effort to explore areas more appealing to a child my age. Eventually, a store employee would notice me – then invariably escort me to Customer Service. Soon afterwards, I was asked for my name and age, and then a version of the following announcement was recited over the PA system. I can remember the words like it was yesterday:
Attention Please: Would the mother of Carie, 6 years old, blond hair, wearing a pink dress and patent leather shoes, please meet your daughter at Customer Service on the 3rd Floor. Thank you.
Usually, the store employees would feed me candy while I waited for my mother to arrive. Quite possibly, another attractive reason for asserting my independence. Yet, didn't everything seem so much simpler back then? Getting lost in a department store meant nothing more than a pleasant, employee-accompanied trip to Customer Service, a quick, storewide PA announcement – and candy. In other words, no real danger and a happy ending.
Could our high octane, ever-advancing, nonstop, must-be-in-touch, super-sized, sometimes mindnumbing, world of technology be partially to blame? Specifically, as most of us would agree, people seem to be continually engaged in multiple conversations and social media connections every single moment these days. We already know the dangers of driving while talking and texting. That said, are we becoming so dangerously distracted that retailers feel the need to post reminders such as this on their entrance doors? All I know is: It's a different world now. Times have certainly changed since I was a young girl – in more ways than one.
Comments(61)