It was bad enough when my local Wal-Mart had aisle upon aisle of Halloween candy available in early August. How many bags of Halloween candy purchased in August or September will really make it to Halloween night? With the land whales roaming the countryside today, I’d reckon NONE. The desperation of American retailers to siphon every ounce of possible profit from the ignorant masses is palpable as you observe retail outlets today. Kohl’s sends out 30% coupons on a weekly basis and when you go to the store, it is virtually empty with dozens and dozens of overstock racks with clothes 60%, 70% and 80% off, before even using the 30% coupon. You can smell the decay.
On Sunday morning while doing my weekly 7:00 am (before the People of Wal-Mart awake and remove their sleep apnea machines) trek to Wal-Mart for paper goods, prepping supplies, and a few other miscellaneous items, I turned my head toward the outdoor department and to my utter amazement saw Christmas trees, decorations, and other assorted Christmas crap already overflowing from that department. I thought to myself WTF!!! It is still 80 degrees outside. I was wearing shorts and flip flops. Halloween is still over a month away. Sure signs of desperation from the biggest retailer in the world.
The retail pain has only just begun. As this recession gathers strength, job losses build, and the stock market crashes, the number of retail outlets that will close will be beyond comprehension. Retail CEOs have been living in a delusional world where they think the consumer will be coming back. That delusion is going to be shattered into a million pieces. Wal-Mart might as well sell their Chinese made Christmas crap all year long. It won’t do a bit of good.
I made the same observation to my wife, I swear it starts earlier every single year. I went in there for ammo and to exchange a propane tank, which is about all I go in there for. I’ve found that if you park outside the lawn and garden entrance you are right next to the ammo counter inside, and the car will be right next to the propane tank locker. This allows you to avoid encountering the vast majority of the land whales since the grocery section is in the opposite end of the store. But while checking out in the lawn and garden section, over half the space was filled up with Christmas shit, and it’s wasn’t like that 2 weeks ago. It’s still getting up to 90 most days downchere, sure as hell doesn’t feel like Christmas.
Saw my first decorations at WMT on the Friday before Labor Day.
LOl…asked the checkout lady at Wally World that same question last week.
Proverbs 3:25 “Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.”
Proverbs 3:26 “For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.”
Spot on Admin.,,
My son gives out a quartesr or an apple, we don’t peddle out shit candy. Our court is too dark and parents don’t feel comfortable walking all the way in total darkness, but our son’s house has sidewalks and street lights, so he gets a few on Halloween.
Last year walmart got huge shipments of christmas stuff from china in september. They had no place to store it. The decision was made that it was cheaper to throw it all away than to store it for a few weeks.
Our local Wally World is now stacking (full of China crap I assume) shipping containers by the lawn and garden entrance. Every time I drive by, there’s more and more shipping containers, to the point their now stacking them 2 high. Looks like a shipping port instead of a Wally World.
Guess their trying to mimic Costco by holding XMAS in August.
Don’t shop at Wal-Mart but did notice that Costco already has aisles of kids toys lined up for what I can only presume would be Christmas gifts. Haven’t stepped foot inside a mall in a while but can imagine Santa is already taking photos with the kiddos.
Don’t worry though, I’m sure my wife will need a new Christmas themed chotskie and snap one up for full price when it could be had at 90% off on 12/26.
Retailers are getting a bit desperate for a good Christmas season this year.
I suppose they figure extending the season as long as possible will help out, even if they won’t admit that is what they are doing.
But, of course, recognizing and celebrating Christmas as a Christian holiday is out of the question, it might offend those who don’t recognize and celebrate it and don’t do Christmas shopping anyway because they don’t.
@Welshman: “My son gives out a quartesr or an apple”
Walmart has good, inexpensive razor blades, that you can hide in those apples.
Thanks for all the laughs everyone, land whales, love it. Pretty soon the Easter stuff will be out at Christmas and the Christmas stuff out at Easter. I love Christmas and time with the family but I wish enough people would boycott these big stores and not buy all this crap for one year and bring them to their knees.
Plus the fact that most garages, attics, closets, cabinets and drawers in this country are stuffed to the gills already. Where would America put any more retail crap?!?!
Sgt Bill,
Doing my part. Two yrs and 3 mos. since I was in a Walmart.
It’s been a pleasure.
And my personal boycott rolls on………
Seems everything gets pushed forward earlier each season. And more and more auto/truck ads on TV than ever before–almost 3 out of 4 commercials are trying to sell cars, especially during football games.
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Get your Santa Sparklers to celebrate the kick-off the Christmas Gift Giving Season this July 4th Weekend.
Merry Independence Day!
If everyone did what I do this crap would be over in a year.
I don’t do Christmas. For about 10 years or more now I’ve told everyone “don’t buy me anything because I’m not buying you anything for Christmas.
Christmas has been perverted for commercial purposes. People have been so brain washed to the point where it is some form of obligation to go out and spent money to buy gifts for everyone whether you like these people or not, whether those people need anything of not and whether you have the money of not. And if you don’t have the money well just put it on the credit card.
There are many people that put all their Christmas purchases on a credit card and then struggle the better part of the year trying to pay that off. That’s just nuts! And I won’t have anything to do with it.
Stop complaining about Christmas celebrations happening earlier every year. It’s a bitter sweet revenge on the Lawyers at the ACLU.
How the hell can all these stores sell so much Christmas Trash every year anyway? My two brothers and I each have enough Christmas stuff to outfit two homes and 90% of it was handed down. Minnies are living in mommy’s basement so they don’t need any.
On a related note, I started Christmas shopping in February and except for one gift that is still being made (by a local craftsman) I’m done.
ASIG ,you need to go shopping !!!Calm you down. Reduce your blood pressure.
I dunno , im ok with the early stuff actually , I mean last night I got a Fathers day um nm maybe some kiddies read this lol ))))))))))))))
Sad but true. The worst thing is that stores that should know better, like Hobby Lobby, put there Christmas stuff out in July. In the end it really is all about the money, or should I say the idolatry of Mammon.
Amen ISIG!!!! Me too!
I’ve got you guys all beat….went to Blowes on Sat to pick up some caulking, getting ready for “El Nino”, it was, I swear at least 110 degrees, and what do me & the Mrs see when we enter the store? A huge Christmas tree display with all the trimmings!
Seems to be the consensus this is probably the earliest retail has pulled this bullshit in history. Sure demonstrates how desperate retailers are to pull-ahead sales.
Went to Kolhl’s today in Santa Clara, CA to attempt to purchase a staple item I have been wearing for over 50 years – Jockey brand – low rise Classic Briefs 40 waist. Simple, Right ?
No NO NO – IMPOSSIBLE.
The store was a complete mess – a veritable wreck – like an old-time flea market that multiple flash-mobs blew through – in my opinion as a shopper. Clothing items were strewn about the aisles, the inventory was thrown into racks indiscriminately – general merchandise was all ovr the floors – it was ridculous. Utterly embarrassing. It made Wal-Mart look like Nordstroms and painted a wonderful picture of society here in prsperous SillyCon Valley, where the rainbow ends and all your dreams come true – unless you need underwearon a Tuesday. No white Jockey shorts in 40 waist.
I asked an elderly woman cashier (1 cashier only – 6 customes in a line waiting to give her their money) if I could speak with someone, but I do not believe she understood English and looked at me dumbfounded and terriied, with a look like she was being ordered on a train in 1939 Germany.
That did it. Out I went, and yes, I DID have a 20% off mailer I planned to use. It went into their garbage can alon with any future business from me or my family.
Kohl’s you SUCK. I hope you go out of business soon. We need the real estate for housing the new Apple primadonnas.
America -Land of Nothing and serial Nobodies.
Just got back from a trip to the local Lowes. Christmastime in there as well. Not a lot of customers on a Tuesday evening, but plenty of plastic trees and other crap.
I doubt they are really trying to get you to buy Christmas stuff this early. More likely a retail version of subliminal messaging, cooked up on Madison Avenue with the help of some morally bankrupt psychologist accomplices. The idea being that if they bombard you with Christmas stuff two months early, you’ll actually feel the “Christmas spirit” two weeks early. This translates to an extra couple half gallons of egg nog per person. Maybe a card or two you are determined to send early, end up losing and having to replace at the last minute. Little games. Why not a “test turkey” the week before just to make sure you can cook it right?
Either way it smacks of utter, utter desperation. The retail economy is running on fumes.
From this Carl Icahn post: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/29/us-icahn-fed-idUSKCN0RT09120150929
Petunia
September 29, 2015 at 12:45 pm
I just watched a video put out by Carl Icahn warning that the valuations and earnings are all smoke and mirrors. Something is definitely up when they start telling the truth.
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The video is buried on the Reuters site somewhere, but I’m not installing Flash to watch it. Pretty funny take though.
“Went to Kolhl’s today in Santa Clara, CA to attempt to purchase a staple item I have been wearing for over 50 years – Jockey brand – low rise Classic Briefs 40 waist. Simple, Right ?
No NO NO – IMPOSSIBLE.
The store was a complete mess – a veritable wreck – like an old-time flea market that multiple flash-mobs blew through – in my opinion as a shopper.”
—-3rd Generation
That’s surprising. Our granddaughter goes to the University of Santa Clara, and we have visited her several times and are familiar with this very expensive Silicon Valley suburb of pricey San Jose. OTOH, the Kohl’s in Oro Valley, an upper middle class suburb of much, much poorer Tucson, is very well run and tidy. Go figure.
Thanks for the Halloween idea, Admin. Ketchup packets and ranch dressing. Hilarious. I was going to give out Brussels sprouts. I have Christmas all figured out. All of my extended family is getting a note saying “a donation has been made in your name to the Trump for president campaign”. Throw in a pitcher of Rob Roys and we could have an actual knife fight.
Retailers do it because CONSUMERS prefer to shop early:
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2015/09/15/It-Too-Early-Shop-Christmas-Millions-Americans-Have-Already-Begun
http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/early-holiday-shopping-survey.php
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/14/some-shoppers-actually-like-christmas-creep.html
Go figure.
Last time I was in walmart I noticed the huge bags of candy seem to be getting huger and huger. I grabbed a bag that was twenty dollars. One bag of mini chocolate bars, of the assorted Hershey variety. Twenty frickin dollars! What kind of madness is this? Does this crap actually sell?
Have you seen an average Wal-Mart customer. It sells like hotcakes.
Oh yeah? I saw a tree decorated in front of someone’s yard the other night. At first, I thought I had a sighting of a Christmas Fag who couldn’t wait a few months for the holiday season, but then I realized it was decorated in orange and red or purple lights. The doofus has a Halloween tree up! As if that’s any better. Gawd, I hate the suburbs.
I don’t avoid Christmas, but I have gotten to the point where I generally look either for booze to give folks or, more likely, practical items. I trade stuff like candle lanterns and survival radios with one buddy, while I generally get family durable clothes, flashlights, etc. The kids will get some toys, because they’re too young for firearms and they’re just not going to appreciate a pair of wool socks or Scotch like I would. Once they’re 5 years old we can worry about the firearms. Once they’re 12 years old we can break out the 12 year old…
I Christmas shop during the year….
If I get struck with inspiration for a gift for someone in the middle of April, I’ll buy it and squirrel it away. No last minute running…
That said, I miss Christmas in Europe…
No months-ahead-of-time decorations. No cheesy made-in-China decorations. It’s like nothing, nothing, nothing and then BAM! It’s almost like every Christmas decoration goes up overnight some time in the first week of December.
The Christmas Market is an event… we have nothing like it here. Snow coming down, walking around drinking hot glühwein, having fun and laughing with family and friends… it’s like being inside an enormous snow-globe.
Fucking Nigmart and their cheesy Chinky crap. Every retailer shoving the BUY! BUY! BUY! over-commercialized mantra down your throat at every opportunity… I needed half and half for morning coffee and stopped in a Dollar General just to pick up some until I could get to the grocery store… walking to the cooler to grab some creamer, I passed – you guessed it – an entire aisle of cheap Christmas shit. It looked as if it had been there awhile. Fucking vultures…
I don’t mind Christmas-all-the-year stores that sell only Christmas shit year round – it’s what they do. How they make a living. But forcing Christmas earlier and earlier by the major retailers only cheapens the meaning of Christmas…
I’m not going to boycott Christmas, but I’m sure not going to buy any cheap, Chinky shit from the fuckin’ Walcreatures…. Nigmart can shove their plastic trees all up in their ass. Point first.
Nigmart, that’s so fucking raciss, Billy. I hope the niggers don’t find out.