ALREADY?!

[fireheart]

So I went down to yon local mall to look for a stylus for my iPad. While I was there, I wandered into the arts and crafts store there (it's just arts and crafts, not a fabric store). First three things I see on my left.

-Paper mache reindeers
-Santa plaster moulds
-Reindeer clay model thingies


It is not even September yet. WHY ARE YOU PUTTING IT OUT ALREADY?!

[ozcatbug]

Maybe left over stock from "Christmas in July"? But probably not.

[crazylegs]

When I worked at the pharmacy we would have our warehouse full of Christmas stuff by the end of August & out by September. It was the only way of getting enough stuff in the store for people to buy.

[ADeMartino]

For many stores, they have no choice - there isn't room in the stockroom for all the Xmas stuff coming in, and it MUST be sent to the floor. When I worked for Kmart (way too many years ago), the earliest Xmas stuff started showing up in late July, with larger shipments in August and the really big stuff rolling in in September. There was no place to go with it all, even if we ran stuff to the floor. The indoor portion of our garden center, once it closed for the season, became an 'auxiliary stockroom' devoted to nothing but Xmas stuff.

[Lyse]

I'll usually give craft places a pass, since people looking to make handmade things need to start earlier. But finding Halloween stuff already at a regular store gave me quite a jolt last week.

[Kanalah]

Yeah my local fabric stores *started* putting Christmas fabric out in March. I've already purchased all of the holiday fabric I'll be using this year - unless I see something that just blows me away.

[fireheart]

Maybe left over stock from "Christmas in July"? But probably not.

I go into that store semi-frequently. It's not Christmas in July

At least they're not DECORATING the store yet.

Although the one thing that makes me every time is this paper mache model of Hoot from Giggle & Hoot (those who have watched ABC2 will know what I mean) that one of the staff made. The kids love it.

[telecom_goddess]

Oh no I don't want to think of Christmas yet it's still summer! It's not even fall yet. nononononononononono.

[raudf]

I'll usually give craft places a pass, since people looking to make handmade things need to start earlier. But finding Halloween stuff already at a regular store gave me quite a jolt last week.

I wouldn't mind seeing Halloween stuff now.. It's seeing the Christmas stuff out at the regular stores and no Halloween or Thanksgiving stuff that irks me. Halloween is my favorite holiday and it's getting harder to find a decent kit up for it!

Craft stores get a pass, since when I do handmade gifts, I have to have time to work on 'em. Plus, the closest ones tend to have stuff for most major holidays

[Merriweather]

I'll usually give craft places a pass, since people looking to make handmade things need to start earlier. But finding Halloween stuff already at a regular store gave me quite a jolt last week.

Yeah, noticed Halloween candy out on my last grocery run
And I agree, I give craft shops a pass. Anyone who makes a lot of their own decorations, or makes a lot of gifts to give, or especially those who make things to sell at all the Christmas Craft fairs (which begin in November) will be trying to get started on them as soon as the kids go back to school, if not before.

[gremcint]

you know I don't mind the product and decorations but the music is nuts. Christmas music is very annoying but back when I worked at Value Village we'd have halloween music, yeah halloween music.

Monster mash, themes to the batman movies and tv shows, weird songs that I've never heard before, someone telling a shitty ghost story to crappy music (not creepy doll)

I'll take christmas music any day over listening to that crap again.

[MoonCat]

They've had Halloween candy out for at least a week in the supermarkets here. Who the heck buys Halloween candy in August?? Unless they're going to eat it themselves waaaay before Oct. 31!

[PepperElf]

Go to Hobby Lobby.

Last year I went there for things to use for Christmas and found that their selection was kinda ... *meh / picked over* ... in November.

I figured out why when I went in a couple of weeks ago for cookie cutters. Apparently they start the Christmas displays in July.


And although I personally am really looking forward to the fall and christmas holidays I can't imagine it's fun for the people who work there. to those of you who have to put up with it.

at least there's no music

[Gurndigarn]

The one that really, really pissed me off? Having the Salvation Army panhandling on November 1 last year.

I mean, I can understand retail doing Christmas before Labor Day... vaguely. Especially if they have a garden center that's no longer being used. But there is NO excuse for bell-ringing before Thanksgiving. And ideally, not even until partway into December. Salvation Army has been permanently taken off my give-to list.

[Merriweather]

The one that really, really pissed me off? Having the Salvation Army panhandling on November 1 last year.

I mean, I can understand retail doing Christmas before Labor Day... vaguely. Especially if they have a garden center that's no longer being used. But there is NO excuse for bell-ringing before Thanksgiving. And ideally, not even until partway into December. Salvation Army has been permanently taken off my give-to list.

That one doesn't bother me at all. In many areas, the money collected locally is all they have to fund local family food baskets for Christmas, to buy gifts for local children who won't have a Christmas, etc. So the more they can collect, the more families will have a bit of Christmas they might not otherwise have had. Also, they're working down to the wire trying to use the funds to buy what's needed for the gifts & baskets - money coming in a bit earlier allows them to get started on buying those things, and the better deals they can often get, as well. It does take a certain amount of time to convert donations from kettles into actual food baskets for families & gifts for kids, so I don't begrudge them getting an early start.