Tis What Season? – Guest Post
November 10, 2009 by admncc
Here at The Constant Complainer, in addition to my own posts, readers can submit Guest Posts on topics they’d like to complain about. Leo Nevoli submitted the below-Guest Post. His complaint is how the Christmas holiday season seems to start earlier every year. I thought this was a great post idea. So without further adieu, here’s Leo…
It was a Friday night in October that I was out shopping with my daughters. We were out looking for Halloween costumes and scary stuff to decorate the house with, because Halloween was only 15 days away. After buying items in a Halloween store, we proceeded to go in to the mall and grab a bite to eat. I had a Sears‘ gift card, so I took the girls in there with me; I wanted to see if they had any work shirts that I liked. As I wondered around the store, I was very surprised to find myself in a Winter Wonderland. It was all here: Christmas trees, fake snow on the ground, animated light-up reindeers, ornaments hanging from the ceiling and bright holiday lights. I wasted no time in exiting out a door and in to the parking lot. I had to get out of that place. Not that I don’t mind the Christmas season, but because Christmas, according to my count, was still 70 days away.
Much to my surprise I have found that other stores had put up their Christmas displays in October, and people told me that they had seen displays go up in September. Christmas was a little over two months away when I was having this discussion. We still have Halloween and Thanksgiving to get through, but stores are all set for Christmas. Clearly, this is an attempt by retail stores to get an early jump on Fourth Quarter End-of-Year revenue. What ever happened to putting the Christmas displays up around Thanksgiving and starting the holiday season then? I know the economy is bad, but can’t retail stores let us enjoy the seasons as they come? I feel like I missed Halloween, because when I was in Target on October 28th, they had the Christmas trees up next to the costumes, and the costumes were marked down 30%. Halloween was still a few days away, but yet you could get a costume a lot cheaper now.
I personally find it very annoying that stores are jumping the gun on seasonal sales. This past June I tried to buy shorts, and told the sales associate that I was surprised that they did not have a bigger selection of short pants to buy. She told me that they had a big selection for their sale they ran back in early April. I am thinking that it was still cold out, and it was only Spring, yet you are selling short pants.
I am so glad I am not a kid today. I went to Staples after July Fourth, and I was greeted by someone handing me a checklist of what items they have on sale for their Back to School Sale! It is the first full week of July, schools have just gotten out a few weeks ago, summer vacation has started and I am being handed a checklist of what school supplies I will need. I did not start school shopping with my parents until the middle to late August.
I get it that the economy is bad, and retail stores want to get my last dollar, but I don’t know what the fascination is for stores to rush the seasons. For some people, they bought into the “Christmas comes early thing” from theses retailers. I know some people who have already done their Christmas shopping. My mother-in-law is one of them. She wanted to know what I needed for Christmas back in August. As I have told her for several years, just get me a gift card to some place, there is no telling what I will need in December, because it is still three months away. I’m Leo Nevoli, and that’s my ponderings.
***This paragraph was inserted by The Constant Complainer. I was traveling for work on October 29th and 30th. And I came across something interesting (that would relate directly to Leo’s post) while in Cincinnati, Ohio. A radio station there, Star 93.3, was already playing all Christmas music. They kept announcing how they were the first station in country to go total Christmas. Yeah, I’m pretty sure they were! Now don’t get me wrong; I love Christmas music – but not on October 30th. But hey, if that’s your thing, Star 93.3 is streaming it live as we speak…
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A. I don’t care what anyone says; “Christmas Shoes” is not a Christmas carol. And it amazes me that it gets played along with holiday music year after year. Nothing is more depressing than listening to a song about someone’s mother dying.
B. Personally, I think the hot gift this year will be the Carrie Prejean tape. Here’s hoping it gets released!
Now with that being said; great post, Leo. You are 100% right. It’s like some retail stores skip Halloween and Thanksgiving these days.
I was in Wal-Mart the day before Halloween and they had all their Holiday signage up. Also, half the Halloween aisle was gone to make room for the Christmas decorations. Nothing like jumping the gun, LOL.
Leo, the Target by us couldn’t wait to get the Halloween stuff out of the way so some of the holiday items could be given more exposure. And I remember seeing traces of Christmas stuff at other stores way back in August and September. Too early.
Hal, I don’t like the “Christmas Shoes” song either. Just not the same as “Frosty” and “Jingle Bells.”
“I get it that the economy is bad, and retail stores want to get my last dollar, but I don’t know what the fascination is for stores to rush the seasons.”
You answered your own question, there, Leo. Everyone is desperate to prove that they are doing well and that the economy is improving rather than deteriorating. As we learned with Cash for Clunkers, there’s no better way to promote that sort of lie than by pulling forward demand from the future. November and December shoppers are now October shoppers–look at how good October’s numbers are!
I would love it if they would at least wait until November. As for the Christmas music, December no earlier!
It’s all about burying it into the customers mind that when they are ready to buy, your ready to sell.
As a business owner I personally prefer to stretch seasons not rush them.
Black Friday will become red Friday…many will realize the spiral we’re then…Unemployment will be at least 2 points higher, and the real u/e will be close to 22%. At least my Disney Vacation will be inexpensive this year…they’re practically giving away stays between Christmas and New Years.
What is this with Christmas in October. Perhaps the theory of Christmas in July will be a retail carry over. We all love the Christmas Story marathon, but stop the Retail marathon to try to milk us into the Christmas spending spirit. BTW Favorite Christmas song has to be Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. So to any grandma’s out there. I am sure that I will blare it on the radio this holiday season.
Agh, insanity. I love Christmas, but I can’t wrap my head around it this early in the year.
I had the same experience as Sugar with Walmart. We waited until the day before Halloween to buy our candy, and couldn’t find any at Walmart because they were taking down their Halloween displays to make room for Christmas. Same thing at Walgreens!
I was in Sears during the summer and they already had signs up for their Christmas Lay-Away plan. I guess they like getting customers excited and in the spirit.
First of all….people have forgot the REASON FOR THE SEASON!!!!!!! I’m so disgusted at how out of control this has gotten. I would be surprised if children today even knew the real meaning of christmas. I bet they just think it’s the holiday where they get the “must have” present of the year. My son will learn why we celebrate christmas and that it is a time to spend with family and be thankful for all that we have. I remember one christmas my mom took my sister and I and we volunteered at a soup kitchen. Even though I was young, about 10, I still remember feeling good about helping people. The retail stores are just plain greedy. I hope there is a huge backlash cause they keep putting out the christmas displays early.
On a side note….I used to work at a shoe store. And we would get the sandals display in Feb. They company had us put up the display at the end of Feb begining of March. Now mind you I lived in Northeastern part of PA. We still had snow falling into April of that year. The sad part is, that by the time summer was here, we hardly had any sandals left and I got complaint after complaint about it. The retail stores should try a new strategy. Actually stock the clothes for the season that were in. I’m not thinking about summer clothes while I’m digging myself out of 3 feet of snow. And I’m damn sure I’m not thinking about sweaters when it’s 90 degrees and 100% humidity. But I guess that if they keep putting things out earlier and earlier it will eventually be on track.
My kids are still young enough that they understand that the meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus. They get presents from the aunts, uncles, and Grandparents on Christmas Eve. Then they get 3 presents each from Mom and Dad (3 Wisemen), and they get one present from Santa. We deliver meals to the shut-in with as part of a religious organization I belong to, and for the past 2 years, we have taken a trip down to Florida where we spend 2 days with Grandma, a day with “the mouse”, and a day with one of the boys’ God-Father…
…It’s probably a little too extravagant, but the boys have fun, and so do we.