It's Too Early to Shop for Christmas!

Today is Friday, September 13, 2013.

OK, they've done it.  They've crossed the line.  Kmart recently aired a Christmas shopping ad, more than 100 days before Christmas.  It's not even mid-September yet!   Maybe they were trying to beat Target, who ran their first Christmas ad last year in early October.

Apparently, the store thinks people will "start thinking" about Christmas shopping, and maybe put a few big-ticket items on layaway.  Maybe, but don't count on it.  Everyone who has not been hiding under a rock for the last few years knows that the best deals are done the weekend before the actual Christmas holiday, and they know that if they can manage not to blink until then, the retailers will blink, and reduce prices just before Christmas.

Basically, the Kmart ad has almost universally annoyed shoppers, and one can always hope that retail stores will take notice of their reaction and not plan to beat Kmart next year.  Most stores have just put their "back to school" merchandise in their regular shelves and racks and brought out Halloween items to the seasonal sale aisles, which are still quite early, considering that Halloween comes at the end of October.  Six weeks in plenty long enough to shop for candy and tacky-looking costumes, thank you very much.

I know there are people who may disagree, but six weeks is plenty of time to shop for Christmas. Just my two cents.  :-/