To think it's silly that shops are already replacing Halloween stock with Christmas stock?

[Cantheowneroftheredcorsapleasemovetheircar]

Yesterday, so 25th October, I took my daughter to The Range so we could choose some new Halloween decorations for Friday night.

Walked in and it was like Christmas exploded in there. Christmas lights, trees and decorations everywhere, Christmas music playing. Halloween decorations shoved into a corner with reduced stickers on.

Now I don't mind Christmas decs being out, I see why they do it. Trouble is, the Halloween decorations were by no means sold out yet or even depleted, people very much still wanted them. There were massive piles of them shoved into the corner, it was a busy Saturday there were loads of people crowded round the Halloween decorations, trying to buy them, but unable to properly look at them because they were all piled onto one tiny section with everyone crowded round it.

Hardly anyone paying any attention to the Christmas stuff, which filled the entire shop.

Picked some Halloween stuff, took it to the counter, and the lady said "it's good to buy it now, when it's all reduced, isn't it? It means you can put it away for next year!"
I'm like.... Halloween isn't for a week??!! They're for this year??!!

WTF? Makes zero sense.

At least a got a discount I guess 🤷

Yep drives me nuts, or when they run out of stuff a few days before and even on the day. Loads of people go last minute. I hate all this rush to get to the next event.

It's endemic the past few years. If you ever feel the need to 'escape' from Christmas commercialism - visit any high street store (non food) in the 10 days before Christmas...

It’s stupid! I love all the autumn home decor but saw it during the summer holidays in stock so I said I’ll come back when it’s closer to the time. Went back late September and it was all bloody Christmas and only a tiny section of autumn decor!!! Bloody sick of Christmas already haha it’s only going to get worse after this week!

It doesn’t make any sense! It’s not like Halloween is something people prepare for ages for, it’s definitely something you might run out on the day of the party to get an outfit for. It feels so logical to to the stock until 31, then Christmas stuff from November!

It’s not like Christmas where you decorate 2-3 weeks before, I’ll put some Halloween decs up with the kids at some point this week! It’s daft

YANBU. There was hardly any halloween stuff in my town at all.
All the shops seem to have gone straight to Christmas!

Maybe decorating for weeks before is what were being encouraged to do. My NDN have had theirs up since 1st September and a couple of others on my street have had theirs up a couple of weeks.
Back in the 1950s, people don't put their trees up until Christmas eve, that's well and truly over.aybe the world of retail are encouraging a similar shift.....

They've probably sold it all.
Retailers actually seem to sell less seasonal stock these days.
They want it in, sold and gone.
(if you have a Poundland that hasn't closed down they all seem to have loads left)

It’s very annoying that shops these days seem to be in a hurry to get through everything- that you can never buy for a day or season at the time you might be decoration/ preparing for that season.

I’m a bit of an advance planner but it does seem really daft even to me!

Stores don't want to store stock until next year. They reduce and get rid. Who puts decorations up for only one night? It seems it happens earlier and earlier. Halloween is a step too far for me.

No, because of you read my OP, they very much hadn't sold it all. There was tonnes and tonnes of stock left, but to make way for all the Christmas stuff which was dominating the entire store, they'd had to shove it all into one small section, where it didn't even fit, so they were piling it all around the tills.
People were paying no attention to the Christmas stuff that was everywhere, and crowding round the Halloween stuff, trying to look at, choose things and buy, but getting irritated because it was all so crowded.
It was utter madness, quite honestly.

I loathe it. I refuse to buy everything ahead of when I actually need it and it's a pain. You can't buy summer clothes in August because the shops have decided it's time to prepare for Winter and have all their coats out. Fucking horrible way to try and make us live.

Most people??
Halloween decorations are generally a one night thing for trick or treaters aren't they??

Yeah super annoying. I had a spooky sleepover for my kid last night. Went to the Asda on Friday and couldn’t bloody find any of the Halloween themed sweets etc- all the Christmas stuff had replaced it. Christmas starts FAR too early commercially for me. I love the season, but feel really stressed by everything being “out” so long before I’m in any way engaged with it. Makes me feel on the back foot massively!

Shops are very good at maximising sales. They have a lot of data, and they use it to their benefit.

If they have moved it and reduced it, it's because in general, they have passed the peak of selling Halloween items, and it makes financial sense for them to do that.

I’d rather the unprepared miss out than they make so much lots is in landfill

I see houses dressed for Halloween for a couple of weeks now. It's all the inside decor you see eg glass pumpkins etc. I imagine people have all this up for longer.

Me! It’s the point of Halloween, it’s one night only. One night when the veil between the living and dead is thinnest and allows spirits to roam.

Decorations go up at fall of dark on Halloween night and are taken down around midnight. So they last around 6-7 hours maximum not even one full day.

Ruins the magic if you can see Halloween decorations still up looking sad and damp in the morning of 1st November.

Also to the OP agree it is bonkers but also want to go to the shops for reduced stuff now.

I'm at an age now where all this decorating stuff drives me a bit mad. OK I admit it, I'm a total and utter grinch! But then again I've no kids so that may be a factor!

I live alone and turn off all the lights and draw the blinds on Hallowee'n, to deter callers. I drop a few bags of goodies to the two little girls next door early in the afternoon and that's that. Sorry.

I also leg it mid December to mid January to a nicer climate, so no Christmas shite here either.

I love my life like this.

I feel the shops know their own business model better than you do and are not stupid, silly etc as called on here. It is all about maximising profit and presumably this model is what works for them.

The unprepared weren't missing out, there was plenty available to buy. You're missing the point entirely

That is lovely that you do that for your neighbours children. Where I used to live, as a child, a lovely, lady, used to come and give me a bar of chocolate, or some boiled sweets, occasionally. A really nice memory.

I'm not entirely sure they do though.

Noone was paying attention to the Christmas decs which Dominates two floors of the shop. It had to been seen to be believed. About 10 Christmas trees just at the entrance, rows and rows of baubles on the shelves, huge blow-up Santas and light-up reindeers in the middle.
Piles of Halloween decorations were shoved to one side, and there were crowds of shoppers looking at them and buying them, getting irritated with being so squashed in and getting arsey with each other. They wanted the Halloween stuff, not Christmas. It was plainly obvious the shop missed the mark.

I don't celebrate Christmas in November at all, but I understand if it was Christmas central in the shopping world from 1st November.
People don't want it before then though.

They must miss out on a lot of sales. On 1st August I took my DD shopping for clothes to wear on holiday and almost all the summer clothing had been replaced by knitwear and winter coats! There were just a few bits left on the sales rack. I ended up getting swimwear etc when we got to France where the shops were still in full summer holiday season.

I think they must do too.
People are saying they must know their business model but it was very clear to me yesterday that it was at odds with what customers wanted.