I’ve been hearing a lot of complaints lately (especially from the older generations) about how electronic commerce companies such as Amazon are putting retail stores out of business.

It’s true, retail and department stores all over the country are closing at an extremely fast rate.

If you think about it, though, it’s not all that surprising.

When was the last time you went to a Dillard’s for anything?

Personally, the only retail store I ever go to is the one I work at.

In fact, Radio Shack, Payless, Wet Seal, Rue 21 and many other well-known storefronts and retailers have actually filed for bankruptcy this year.

In March, department store giant Sears claimed that there’s “substantial doubt” it will survive.

There’s no denying that brick-and-mortar retailers are in trouble, but there isn’t really any reason to be discomposed at companies like Amazon for it.

Retail chains dying out won’t give rise to the apocalypse.

And Amazon has had as much of a hand in retail closures as streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu have had in video store and cable company closures.

The real problem here is with the stores themselves.

The online industry is growing rapidly and has been for a while now.

That’s because younger generations are embracing technology more and more.

Millennials love tech. And why wouldn’t we?

The sole purpose of technology is to make our already-hectic lives a little bit easier.

E-commerce is efficient, simple and cuts out the middle man.

Instead of wandering around a store for an hour or two to find the one thing you need, all you have to do is type it in and click.

Online shopping also cuts out having to endure subpar customer service and ridiculous return policies, because there are no employees to deal with, and online companies are usually way more flexible with returns.

These e-commerce companies keep pushing the boundaries of what they can offer while keeping affordable prices, and it’s all for the benefit of their customers.

You don’t even have to go to the grocery store anymore for certain things, because it’s possible to literally buy groceries online and have them delivered to your house.

The market is constantly evolving, and storefronts are dying out because they have refused to accept this fact and evolve with it.

Retail stores aren’t embracing technology or using it to its full potential.

The problem is, they are still operating the same way they have been for the past century, and now they are failing because of it.

Thousands of storefronts are closing, and even more employees are losing their jobs.

This is a scary thought if, like me, you work in retail.

Maybe this “problem” is the wake-up call that the remaining retailers need.

If your customers aren’t your main priority, then you will fail.