I went to Michael’s last week for some mats and frames for my photographs. I was dismayed to see that all of their Halloween stuff is out already. Halloween? Seriously? It’s not even Labor Day yet! I also saw a whole aisle stacked high with boxes of Christmas stuff. That was even more depressing. I love Christmas, but I’m not ready to even think about Christmas for another three months yet.
One of my friends pointed out that a craft store like Michael’s is of course going to put out holiday stuff many months before the holiday in question. Craft projects can take awhile and there are probably many people who spend the entire fall working on Christmas crafts. But you know what? It’s not just Michael’s. Mark my words, we’ll start seeing Christmas stuff in the regular stores in September. Who needs to buy lights, ornaments, and decorations four months in advance? I’m saddened by our consumerist culture, especially around the holidays.
August 18, 2008 at 12:19 pm |
I’m surprised they even take it down anymore. Seems that we’re so close to the goal of having Christmas marketed to us all year round now… *sigh*
August 18, 2008 at 12:25 pm |
It truly is a pitiful commentary on our consumer culture.
August 19, 2008 at 5:43 am |
For what it’s worth, in my business, we have to order stock of Christmas items very early—say by June or July. Now, that doesn’t mean the product will actually be here by then. It usually arrives and goes into stock by August or September.
Our business is a little different than big box retail, but if those guys have to order early, too, then maybe their thought process is, “Why not put it out early?” If they’ve already got their money in the inventory, there’s no sense in letting it sit in the backroom and gather dust. Might as well set it out. Perhaps some customers will begin buying early, who knows?