Retailers are.
A Facebook friend snapped a picture from his local Walmart. The sign read “Days Until Christmas: 47.”
When I was young, I made an advent chain out of red and green construction paper. I hung it on one of the lights in my room, and tore off one link of the chain each day until Christmas. If I did my math correctly, that last link would be Christmas Day.
I'm pretty sure the earliest that I started this chain was Thanksgiving, though. We haven't even hit Veterans' Day and the stores are counting already. And although the picture was from Walmart, I'm positive that Walmart isn't the only store that is trying to get its customers into the holiday shopping season as early as possible. Costco had some Christmas decorations for sale in late summer.
Pushing harder than ever
I'm continually amazed by the early line-ups for Black Friday. A quick search didn't turn up anyone lining up now but the day after Thanksgiving is nearly three weeks away. Last year some customers started lining up in front of some stores over a week in advance.
Some retailers are pushing the envelope: Black Thursday. As in Thanksgiving Day. Best Buy is starting its “Black Friday” sale at 6 PM on Thanksgiving. Macy's, Kohl's, Toys ‘R' Us, and others will be opening Thursday evening as well.
Perhaps retailers are seeing the crunch on people's wallets, especially in light of steep increases that are likely in health insurance. The holidays come before that. Better push really hard while people still actually have a bit of disposable income.
There are always bargains
Bargains don't suddenly appear Thanksgiving and disappear after the holidays. And I'm sure that if I tell myself that enough, eventually it will sink in! It makes good sense on paper, but everywhere we go, there's always a reminder that there are only X shopping days until Christmas.
Bargains are always a matter of context. We're approaching the holiday shopping season. Retailers, especially now, want you to believe that everything is a bargain. Everything isn't a bargain. Things are bargains only when you see them as such, in your best judgment. Don't let the person selling you something convince you that it's a bargain. Of course it's a bargain if they're selling it to you!
Some questions that might help with context:
- Can I afford this Pickle-Me Lemo?
- Will I be able to get the Pickle-Me Lemo without carrying a balance on my card?
- Will it take me fighting in line for 4 hours to get a chance at a Pickle-Me Lemo?
- Will my child be shunned for life if s/he doesn't get a Pickle-Me Lemo?
- Wait — the Pickle-Me Lemo is kind of a stupid, brain-dead toy, isn't it?
- Are the holidays even about the Pickle-Me Lemo, or are they about something a lot bigger and more important than the gifts?
It's past midnight where I am. Now there are only 46 days left until Christmas. But who's counting? 🙂
We have been receiving catalogs and fund raising appeals like crazy for at least the past couple of weeks. I haven’t ordered from a catalog in many years and some of them are coming from companies I ordered from once several years ago. And the fund raising appeals are about five per day.
Every store I have been in, including grocery stores, Home Depot and CVS, are pushing Christmas. The same has been true of the ads in the Sunday newspaper the past several weeks. It makes me not want to buy anything (reverse psychology I guess).
I am counting the days til my winter vacation! Just 41 more days.
I think those that have kids count the days to Christmas more than most as they kids continually harp on them about gifts. Seeing Christmas decorations in stores for months prior is a tad annoying, but everyone has to make a buck right? I personally will be glad when the season is over it’s too commercialized.