Hot enough for you? Stores push summertime 'Christmas' sales

[babylonsister]

Just ugh. Pretty damn exciting. :eyes:


Stores push summertime 'Christmas' sales
AP
By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO, AP Retail Writer


NEW YORK – Santa in the summer?

Retailers are pumping still more energy this year into trying to get shoppers to loosen their purse strings early for Christmas with sparkly ornaments, holiday music and special prices. In July.

Target Corp. is entering the game for the first time, with a one-day online sale starting Friday on 500 items from clothing to Blu-ray disc players that's modeled after sales typically held Thanksgiving weekend. And Sears and Toys R Us are dramatically promoting "Christmas in July" online based on the success they saw in last year's efforts.

"We really wanted to create that sense of excitement, that sense of urgency," said Target spokeswoman Molly Hanus.

Retailers pushed Christmas promotions as early as September during the recession as they competed for shoppers' dwindling dollars and tried to get them back into stores. Some recession-weary shoppers have been glad to spread out the cost of the holidays, especially if discounts average 40 percent like Target's. But others may be turned off by the snowflakes and Santas and glitz. And stores are divided as well.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100719/ap_on_bi_ge/us_christmas_in_july

[tridim]

1. Christmas has been lapped

The items you see today are really for Xmas 2011.

[hatrack]

2. The word for today, class, is "front-load"!

:eyes:

[LibertyLover]

3. Does this mean the official "War on Christmas" begins early too?

:evilgrin:

[Sebastian Doyle]

5. Works for me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbTULjLtKP4

[w8liftinglady]

4. I noticed that at Target...geez

That kind of crap just turns me off...and I used to Love Christmas/ornaments...but after Thanksgiving,for crying out loud.

[ladywnch]

6. This is actually quite old

Retailers used to run "Christmas in July" sales every year. I remember them as a child. They fell out of use back somewhere around the late 60s early 70s. Layaways are making a comeback too.

[zipplewrath]

7. Hallmark

Walked into a Hallmark on Saturday. They had a Christmas display front and center as you came in the door. It's just wrong when it's July and 95 degrees outside. Kinda turns ya off a bit. And they do realize I assume that if I buy it now, I won't be buying it in December.

[femmocrat]

9. Hallmark does a big ornament roll-out in July every year.

They will do another one in Oct., and I think there's one in November. They have "limited edition" ornaments that are only available on those days. Collectors go cuckoo for them!

(Yes, I'll admit it--- I went, I bought.)

[Newest Reality]

8. Consumerism = Livestock Management

"We really wanted to create that sense of excitement, that sense of urgency," said Target spokeswoman Molly Hanus.

I have that everyday when it comes to survival, I don't need more. Well, excitement can be interpreted in different ways.

"We really want to create a place to put these pitiful market whores hawking useless crap like there is no tomorrow when that's clearly becoming a vestige of a collapsing way of life for many of us," was Newest Reality's reply to Ms. Hanus.

[femmocrat]

10. The dollar store has its Halloween display up!

No kidding. It's right next to the back-to-school end-cap.

[AnArmyVeteran]

11. Target wanted to create a 'sense of urgency' LOLOL

Urgency? Christmas is over five months away? It's not Christmas eve. How could anyone fall for their crap? I'm sick of seeing seasonal merchandise on the shelves 3 months before the holiday. At one time stores didn't have Christmas goods until Thanksgiving. Now they sell Christmas trees in the summer. But why do people fall prey to these kind of tactics?

I guess Target doesn't read the news or even care if 10% of the work force is out of work.

[Rex]

12. Sorry all my money went to some rich guys offshore account.

Thanks for playing with 401k...I have clothes and 'stuff' to last me years. Christmas will be worse.