To think shops have hit a new low - bloody Xmas decorations in August!

[PandoraRocks]

I was in Home Bargains today and noticed an aisle full of Xmas tat. Is this a record? Why do people want to wish away the year? We're still officially in Summertime FGS. I'm not even allowed to enjoy it and resent being forced to consider Xmas now.

Back in the Seventies, we didn't put the tree up until a week before Xmas. It was more exciting as there was less of a build up to Xmas day. I can't stand the months of marketing the season and the blatant commercialisation. It has increased my dislike of the whole effing palaver and I'm just glad when it's over!

You're not being forced to consider Christmas, no one is following you around smacking you with tinsel and demanding you finalise your Christmas Dinner plans. Some people like to plan ahead and start Christmas shopping early so they can spread the cost and the hassle. If you're not one of them then just ignore it.

Halloween is much better, although it would be nice if whole town centres and businesses were more decorated, rather than token decorations for different holiday themes,

Yes l saw this today in the co op..was a bit shocked..can we please at least get summer holidays over before l see tinsel

Range and bm have too.
Range had Halloween out in July.

Yanbu I do agree with you, but I think this year retailers are facing different challenges. It's costing them more to import. Maybe they forecast that rising significantly over the next few months so they bring the stock in now. But holding stock in warehouses costS businesses cash so it makes sense to put it on the shop floor.

Plus, there are always people who will buy it. For every person like you and I, there's always another who is obsessed with Xmas and is starting countdowns on Facebook about "x days sleeps to Santa"

I guess like others say some people like to get on early and spread the cost . Has anyone seen any Christmas cakes yet ?

It's not a new low, the changeover always happens when kids go back to school as summer is apparently over.

Tbf at Christmas every other tv advert is for summer holidays. We are all living the consumerist dream.

@plinkplinkfizzer

🤣🤣🤣🤣

I don't think it was quite the OP's intention to start a 'yeah but Christmas' thread! 🤣🤣

try asking over in the Christmas Topic, you'll get much more help over there!

but you know you have PLENTY of time to make one!! 😁

I saw advent calendar the other day in paper chase.

I used to think this when I saw Xmas cards out in the summer. Having spent the last x number of years overseas and usually back in the UK in the summer I do appreciate being able to buy Christmassy bits to take back to whatever country I'm in where Christmas may not be celebrated. This is especially true with cards where often the ones on sale are stupidly expensive/very slushy Hallmark ones.
If I'm really organised I'll write the UK cards out and get parents to post to save on cost of postage/slow/unreliable mail services.

I am already making a list of Christmas gifts, planning a buffet menu for Christmas Day and looking for the one "special" decoration to buy this year. 2022 has been a hard year and predicted to get worse. With all the predicted shortages and price increases, I am stocking up now on some ingredients for our special holiday recipes.
Christmas is the season of Hope. Sometimes hope is all we have.

Shops are always ahead, look at the clothes stores, they are selling Autumn and winter stock.
I work in a store and we often get this complaint yet l can tell you come xmas eve the amount of disgruntled customers complaining nothing left on shelves, you just can' t win.

Maybe the shops think they have to sell us tinsel and tat now because by December we will be struggling to pay for heating and lighting.

I think its fine. No one will be able to afford anything in December.

I think it's fine. I love Christmas (and autumn and winter) and really look forward to it.

Nobody will be using lights outside this year. Way too much cost. I can't see councils paying for lights outside either.I really hope they don't and spend the money to help people.

What on Earth is stopping you enjoying the summer? No one is forcing you to ‘consider’ Christmas. Go for a walk, have an ice cream, the sun is still shining in most places.

I will wheel out the same story I wheel out every year since 2001. On September 11th, everyone knows where they were when they heard about it. I was working in a large, now defunct, home store putting out the Christmas stock. It has been like this for almost 30 years. The back to school/summer stock goes away after the bank holiday and the Christmas stock comes in.

Places like Home and Bargain and B&M are usually packing away their Christmas decorations by early December. Most of their customers (I am including myself here) have out their decorations up by November. (The first Sunday of advent is usually in November BTW. If the church is allowed to celebrate Christmas for four weeks running, so am I!).

They wouldn't be wasting valuable floor space if there wasn't a demand to but it now. And given the cost of inflation, the threat of general strikes as the year progresses and concerns people have about budgeting in the winter, I can see the value in people building up their Christmas bits and pieces now. And given that you aren't being frogmarched down the Christmas aisle and it is only the purity of your summer months being polluted, then YABU.

I wonder if they are trying to shift some stock while it's still warm, before the autumn/winter energy bills start to kick in for people and the nation's disposable income is wiped out?

“resent being forced to consider Xmas now“

That is all on you. When I see Xmas related items in the shops has zero impact on how I feel. Try it.

I bloody love it 😂 I'm begrudgingly doing Halloween this year, but I'm 100% in the Christmas mindset. I swear I felt a chill in the air this morning! Nothing makes me happier than that first glimpse on tinsel 😂

On a more practical side - there's only three paydays until Christmas (sept / oct / nov) unless you get an early December pay, a lot of people want to be able to spread the cost and buy a few bits each month, which makes sense to me. Or some people are like me and put decorations up in November.

I love seeing the Christmas stuff in the shops. The build up starts now for me as the seasons start to change and the kids are about to go back to school. I love the autumn and winter period so want to enjoy it for as long as possible. Shops wouldn't be putting the stuff out if people weren't going to buy it.

I saw some Hot Cross buns in a supermarket last week.
I did wonder if they are for Easter 2023 or just slow-moving stock.