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!

They want it sold and not sitting in a warehouse after Xmas.

This is not new. Many years ago (roughly 30), I worked part time in a department store. Our summer stock-take took place the second weekend in August and the day after, the 'Christmas Team' would arrive to set up the Christmas department. Other stock would be moved around/reduced, in order to make space. Trees would be decorated (beautifully), decorations arranged artfully, novelties displayed temptingly , lights and musical decorations turned on. Four solid months of Disney trains trundling around singing Christmas tunes, Billy sodding Bass pounding out seasonal songs and tinny, musical Christmas tree lights that flashed in time with the music. Amazingly, I love Christmas, but I definitely do not miss working in retail at this time of year.

Shops have always had seasonal goods out in advance of the relevant season, used to drive me mad when dcs had a growth spurt in mid summer and I couldn't buy shorts or t-shirts for them because everywhere was selling autumn clothes. When they were at school it was common to see 'Back to School' displays before they had even finished school for the summer. It's just the way it is and has been for many, many years.

They know we'll have no money left after October.

You need more going on in your life if you are that easily distracted and led on by what is sold in the shops and by adverts. I like christmas, but find it quite easy to ignore all the stuff in shops etc because I'm busy with my life.

I only have 3 wages before Christmas. It helps to spread the cost. So it makes sense for shops to have stock at this time. Its pretty obvious actually.

I'm with you OP. If you struggle with Christmas due to loss or bereavement, you can get through it by reminding yourself it's 'just one day' but when retailers turn it into a 4-month-long holiday, it can get pretty tough!

I only have 3 wages before Christmas. It helps to spread the cost. So it makes sense for shops to have stock at this time. Its pretty obvious actually.

It’s not that obvious to me. If I know I have extra outlay in a particular month, I put some money aside in the months leading up to it.

Shops are there to sell what they believe people want to buy. They are meeting demand - they are not appointing themselves as arbiters of when Christmas is allowed to start. If nobody bought Christmas stuff in August, they would stop trying to sell it then.

I rarely buy anything at all in the way of Christmas decorations - I just re-use the couple of things we have year after year. I think buying new decorations every year is wasteful, but that's irrespective of when in the year you buy them.

I prefer to buy bits each month

Shops work in seasons, and they are usually a season ahead because that's how they maximise profits. The summer items have been in clothing stores since march, now in late august, they are selling off summer stock and are looking to the autumn/winter season.

Our Tesco has huge stacks of tins of Roses/Heroes etc. No Christmas signage, but somehow festive.

In my last job, which to be fair was church based, we started talking Christmas in June. My radar of appropriateness may therefore be skewed.

Those shops target the exact audience that'll suffer most from the COL crisis. So if they kept their stock in until October less people would buy it and retail would suffer.

Either way, cheer up!

YABU - ignore if you wish. It's hardly in your face and no one has Christmas music on repeat yet.

I'm actually on my summer holiday and have spent a few enjoyable moments picking out stocking fillers (non-Christmas themed admittedly) in the sales. Also chose my cards as I'm not going to be near that particular shop again before Christmas.

I know ... don't get it myself. My rule is no considering Christmas until the clocks go back though I did briefly discus feasibility of potential arrangements (logistics) when I saw her as hotel rooms need reservations now

I remember when I returned from my honeymoon in mid September 1990 there was a Christmas tree up in the foyer of the hotel where we’d left our car.

This is not unusual for Costco they have had Christmas stock in for weeks!

I love it, but I love Christmas, and Christmas planning, it's my happy place (and the last two years I've been incredibly glad for it, come December I've been too mired in sadness to be able to concentrate at all.)

I booked the Santa train on Monday and will buy Christmas Eve PJs this weekend. I buy a bit at a time. If I saved the money it would end up being consumed into 'the cars been stolen and we need to get a new one' or 'my tooth needs sorting, that's £300' etc. Plus it means I can bargain hunt.

Mince pies like shelves of them in Sainsburys yesterday.

Actually they may be on to something.

Christmas stuff being available over a period of months allows people to space out purchases or buy before their energy prices go up in October!

I never, ever do anything Xmas related until after DC1's birthday in Mid November but this year I may need to start earlier.

I do caveat this by saying it's fucking insane to see Xmas stuff on display already!!

I tend to agree OP but as we barely celebrate Christmas I just roll my eyes and ignore it. I never buy anything new anyway. The few decorations we put up are years old and in some cases older than me (early 60s).

I doubt if people will spend much on tat this year, unless they really don't already have stuff from previous years.

I noticed yesterday that a convenience shop near me has mince pies and hot cross buns on display together 😂

I'm sure I read somewhere that most mass produced decorations come from one huge factory anyway.

Could have dreamt it up though 🤔😅

Same every year
Nothing new.

Would of thought ppl would be worrying more about the cost of living this year than Christmas.

My local big Tesco have had their big tins of chocolates out for at least 3 weeks now. I get that people like to spread the cost, but buying foods for an event over 4 months away just seems really daft.

I will be, fairy lights use hardly any power to run and it will be so dismal if nobody does! The winter season is so depressing and miserable, there must be some forced cheerfulness, surely?!

You know when the signs say "was x, now y"? It has to have sold at that price for a certain time, I think its 28 days?, before they can drop it. So they get the stock out early at the higher price to when drop it later in "xmas shopping time".
Plus, there are massive backlogs of stock issues. Those who usually shop on xmas eve are going to be in for a shock this year.