"Traditionally" the shopping season starts the day after Thanksgiving in America. This is because unless you're working in retail - you have a day off to go shopping. In my opinion if you have any sanity you do anything BUT go shopping that day if only because that is when it will take the most of your time standing check-out in lines.
It is also the day that it is considered 'acceptable' to start playing Christmas-music in the stores.
However this year I saw attempts at selling Christmas-related merchandise immediately-after-if-not-overlapping Halloween!
I heard on the radio this morning a DJ quoting a 'fact' that 70% of Americans still haven't begun Christmas shopping today - and it is December 22nd. i.e. 3 days before you are supposed to be giving these gifts.
If this is indeed a Fact - then no amount of lead-time is going to improve your sales. Indeed I would think that shoving Christmas down everyone's throats too early has the opposite effect from that intended. I know that I personally will walk out without buying anything if I have to suffer through too many of those torturous ditties while being forced to wait before being allowed my turn to fork over my currency.
So I say to all Marketing People - research this. PLEASE. I, and many like me, find these "Holidays" a tiresome burden. If you can find any truth in this - may we please get that month of our lives back?
My theory for this pattern of behavior is not one of laziness as much as one of managing your funds. Have you ever noticed how eager bill-collectors are at this time of year and the threatening tone that regular bills take on? I think most adults are used to this cycle by now and have adapted to the idea of holding on to as much money as you can for as long as you can & then when you know everything is taken care of - only then do you go and spend whatever meager savings you have left.
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