We’d love to tell you exactly what we yelled at our computer screen when we saw the above photograph, but it would probably set off your company’s web filtering software.
Reader Jason writes:
I saw this at Target in Tinley Park, IL yesterday and thought it was funny. Guess it’s never too early to start gearing up for Easter.
Forgive us, Target, but in fact it can be too early to start celebrating Easter. You know, technically.
Arrggghhhhh.
Please send us any “Easter Creep” photos by emailing them to tips@consumerist.com or submitting them to our Flickr pool with the tag “Easter Creep.” Thanks.
(Photo:jb0)
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Maybe they were sitting there all year.
Swimsuits out at this time of the year do not bother me. I think people need to get them for the winter cruise season. Plus, with the amount of indoor pools around, they really don’t have a ‘season’ anymore.
And for the early holiday stuff, perhaps these big box stores have an area that is just set aside for holiday merchandise and nothing else??? Anyways… just because it is offered for sale doesn’t mean that you have to buy it. Sometimes half the fun in shopping is laughing at the oddities you see.
I don’t care. That’s great news to me! This just means the cadbury creme eggs are out!
I seen some at the store and my heart was singing with joy! YAY!
Simple answer that works beautifully for me…
Ignore all holidays that motivate retail.
There are still plenty of cool things to celebrate if you feel like it…celestial events, personal milestones, etc. Make up your own holidays and to heck with the commercialized ones.
I saw grills on sale for labor day ’08 at a local retailer yesterday.
On Dec. 26th I saw racks of Valentine’s Day stuff for sale at my local NYC Target. The funny thing is that there was one entirely empty sold out rack of heart-emblazoned V-Day pjs. Shoppers feed the creep. Resist, people!
The reason Target and other retail stores were pushing Valentine’s Day and Easter products is because the Christmas season is the largest buying time of the year. Consumers completely deplete the shelves and retailers do not have enough merchandise in storage to replace the purchased merchandise. Any retailer would be foolish to leave their shelves empty when they have off season merchandise in stock and could potentially make another dollar. Besides, a Christmas Eve last minute shopper, looking for that perfect gift that is sold out like everything else, might find that cute little bunny a lot more appealing.
I stopped at Target on my way home from work (in Michigan) today. They have the $1 section (which is at entrance, so customers have to walk by it) full of Valentine’s Day stuff, too.
I saw the Valentine’s Day stuff on the 23rd. I know it was the 23rd because I refused to go anywhere to shop on Christmas Eve.
The arts and crafts place Michael’s also had it out, but I can forgive them. Unless you’re superhuman and don’t work, you need to find time to make whatever you buy at Michael’s for whatever holiday some time in advance. I don’t freak out when I see green and red felt and fake holly and whatnot at Michael’s in September or October.
@Keter: Hear hear.
Saw this in a Target in Orange CA, almost snapped a pic. This pic almost looks like the one I was about to take.
At a Fred Meyer by me they had Christmas ornaments up on July 19th.
[www.fredmeyer.com]
You may find it disturbing to have Valentine’s & Easter products out already, but its done because people will buy it regardless. I work for Target in the domestics section where most of the Valentine’s/Easter products are. I put out Valentine’s products on Christmas Eve, and my entire Valentine’s picture frame endcap, which was overfilled with merch. was completely empty by the end of the day (and no, these frames could not be classified as Christmas in any way, they were clearly Valentine’s).