[blessingx]

To my amazement, Walgreens (drug store chain) was putting out Christmas product and decorations today. Santa & Frosty pezs first caught my eye then I looked up and they were hanging garland (right next to the talking skull that activates every time you pass - evidently Santas new helper who punishes kids when they're bad). I know we crossed past Thanksgiving some years ago, but at this rate I assume it will be year round celebration a couple decades out. Anyone else bothered by this? There are of course worst things to get upset about, but still I thought it was suppose to be the "holiday season."

 

[TopShelf]

Up here in Canada, we more or less followed you guys, for when your Thanksgiving was over, out came the X-Mas stuff.

But like you say, it turned a little faster some years ago. I like the idea of Thanksgiving, then a big push for Dec 25th.

If I was in an area where it snowed come Nov 1st, I would probably be all for it, but I'm not, so Im bitchy, without snow. Were lucky to get an inch here a year, blah

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

You really wanna be shocked? Costco was putting out X-mas stuff in late AUGUST!!!

 

[strohmie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by terance i see no problem with this? it's usually alot cheaper to get christmas, or any holiday, things out of season it's just like roses, you pay 12.99 for a dozen but come Feb 14th your paying 40 bucks a dozen

Yea. You can buy a fruit cake in June and it'll actually taste BETTER come December.

 

[terance]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer You really wanna be shocked? Costco was putting out X-mas stuff in late AUGUST!!!

i see no problem with this?

it's usually alot cheaper to get christmas, or any holiday, things out of season

it's just like roses, you pay 12.99 for a dozen but come Feb 14th your paying 40 bucks a dozen

 

[mr_baseball_08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx To my amazement, Walgreens (drug store chain) was putting out Christmas product and decorations today. Santa & Frosty pezs first caught my eye then I looked up and they were hanging garland (right next to the talking skull that activates every time you pass - evidently Santas new helper who punishes kids when they're bad). I know we crossed past Thanksgiving some years ago, but at this rate I assume it will be year round celebration a couple decades out. Anyone else bothered by this? There are of course worst things to get upset about, but still I thought it was suppose to be the "holiday season."

Big retailers are just trying to get people to buy more and more stuff by putting it out earlier. It's all about money, and not about the season. Quite sad, IMO..

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by terance i see no problem with this?

You don't think something is just a tad bit out of whack about walking out of a 100+ degree day into a store and being greeted by a huge display of santa, reindeer, snow machine, etc??? Starting X-mas before Thanksgiving (i.e. over a month ahead of time) is irritating. Starting it over three months ahead is insane.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Try paying millions of elves all of their blasted 'time and a half' pay from September 1st straight through mid December. Then, of course, none of them want to work once we're inside the 12 days of Christmas, saying that they need time with their families too, yada yada. So guess who gets stuck with all of hte hard work, like varnishing, painting, and boxing everything up? Same old crap every year for 1,784 years running. It's no wonder I still even care...

 

[terance]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer You don't think something is just a tad bit out of whack about walking out of a 100+ degree day into a store and being greeted by a huge display of santa, reindeer, snow machine, etc??? Starting X-mas before Thanksgiving (i.e. over a month ahead of time) is irritating. Starting it over three months ahead is insane.

had you quoted the rest of my post, you would note that the reason i have no problem with this is because i like the lower prices that i pay for season items when they are out of season

but i'm a bargin shopper, be that a good or a bad thing

 

[roastpuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus Try paying millions of elves all of their blasted 'time and a half' pay from September 1st straight through mid December. Then, of course, none of them want to work once we're inside the 12 days of Christmas, saying that they need time with their families too, yada yada. So guess who gets stuck with all of hte hard work, like varnishing, painting, and boxing everything up? Same old crap every year for 1,784 years running. It's no wonder I still even care...

Santa, you need to get cracking on those anti-unionization laws for the North Pole...

Honestly, I find it quite disturbing that the retailers are blitzing this early...

 

[warubozu]

It comes as no suprise to me that retailers in the last few years have put out their holiday decorartions and good months before December. Macy's and Neiman Marcus had their holiday decorations up on the sales for on the third week of September. It's all about getting a head start on the holiday season and trying to make as much profit out of it as possible.

 

[Zanth]

I hate it when I see the stuff before the US Thanksgiving but over the last 5-10 years it has been getting earlier and earlier in Canada. Most malls and big chain retailers do the after Hallowe'en thing, but this year I've noticed a good many started at the beginning of Oct. I did notice the Costco stuff in August but I figured they may be unique because of their business structure (I just joined this summer).

Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year and it really does sadden me that it has become so heinously commercial.

 

[pabbi1]

The stores I do not care about, as I don't frequent them anyway... but, I do remember hearing a Christmas themed commercial over the Labor Day weekend that really rankled me - they were playing on the counter cyclical it's_a_way_long_time_til_Christmas angle, but annoying nonetheless.

But, as retailers, if it isn't actually selling at that time of the year, they are just wasting shelf space. So, if we as consumers wouldn't buy seasonal goods out of season, the retailers will follow suit.

Question for all is who is playing Pavlov, and who salivates when he rings the bell?

 

[zotjen]

Walgreens is falling behind. Target and CVS had Christmas merchandise out weeks ago. Back in late Oct/early Nov of 1990 I visited to London. Right after Halloween retailers started putting up Christmas stuff. I remember thinking how glad I was to live in the U.S. because we had Thanksgiving and we would never see Christmas stuff until after then. Times have changed. A local radio station is already advertising how they'll be playing nothing but Christmas music starting right after Thanksgiving.

 

[TopShelf]

Too bad Boxing day didn't start early as well, and lasted a few weeks, of low prices