Easter Creep: Target Hauls Out The Easter Products On December 26
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.
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(Photo:jb0)
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Comments:
I saw Easter stuff in Target here in L.A. on the 21st. It wasn't a huge area but it was there tucked in next to the Christmas stuff. What day is Easter next year? I am not Christian so I don't follow thier holidays much.
Easter is on March 23, 2008. This means you have less than 3 shopping months to get all your Easter goodies.
Easter is not really a holiday we spend any money on except for candy for the kids.
To be fair, Easter is pretty early this year, March 23. Not that that excuses this clearly early Easter items. What, no MLK Day? Valentine Day? President's Day?
@Mindshadow: I saw Valentine's Day stuff front and center at Target on the 24th and had pretty much the same reaction. At this rate I expect to see Halloween decorations up by January 5.
Easter is in April. By my calculations they should have the Halloween stuff out by then, and christmas stuff out but july 4th.
I wouldn't call it "Easter Creep." It's just some bunny/chick figurines.
The Target by my house was putting out bathing suites on December 22nd! It was pretty annoying!
@emilymarion333: I believe we sell bathing suits all year long at my Target. It would make sense if we were in the South, but it's definitely in southeast Michigan. :P
I actually had to put out a bunch of Valentine's Day and spring-themed merchandise today. All of the guests gave me strange looks. :)
It's never too early for PEEPS! MORE PEEPS!
@Nemesis_Enforcer: Forty days after the beginning of Lent, or 41 after Mardi Gras. Unless you're Messianic Jewish, which makes Easter the Sunday after Passover.
Starting the week before, there is Palm Sunday (3/16), Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday (3/19-3/22).
Are the St. Patrick's Day beer accessories out yet or is Valentine's Day trumping that?
BTW: Valentines Day stuff out in one Nashville, TN area Wal-Mart on Dec. 26...
@ConsumptionJunkie: I was about to agree with you but then I saw the multi-colored eggs on the second shelf.
I'm not sure what occasion other than Easter calls for pastel eggs.
This reminds me of the Wal-Mart South Park episode.
They reason they put it out is that we buy it in enough quantity to justify doing it. This goes for all the holidays. If they didn't move enough of the product, they'd put something else there and wait until demand is sufficient. Believe me, they carefully track that stuff.
Hippitus Hoppitus Deeeeeeeeeus!
@mindshadow: Maybe you would be if it was funny. See, there's funny, introspective race humor (Dave Chappelle, Richard Pryor) and then there's unfunny, tasteless race humor (Carlos Mencia). That was definitely on the Mencia side of things.
nah, that was funny. Especially since I thought he was talking about St. Paddy's Day, not MLK day.
Yeah, same here. V-Day stuff at Target on the 24th. Sigh.
Just what I wanted... 3 month old chocolate bunnies! Thanks grandma!
Can we just degrade "Christmas/Easter/Valentines Day creep" to "Holiday Creep"?
They had Valentine's Day stuff out yesterday (12/26) at Borders in Chicago (Clark & Diversey). Too bad i didn't have my camera.
Our Target had bathing suits out two weeks ago. I didn't see any Easter or Valentines stuff today when I was there. They did have lots of left over Christmas stuff everywhere.
I thought it was interesting that they put the entire lineup of Bratz merchandise on clearance. Maybe those things will finally go away for good.
@trollkiller: On MLK day I bust out the Dreamcast and play games all day whilst sucking away on a dreamsicle.
Side Note: Upon opening said dreamsicle on MLK day before laying lips on the dreamy goodness one must proclaim at the top of your lungs "I HAVE A DREAMSICLE!"
Maybe you would be if it was funny.
@youbastid: Only funny people go to Hell? I should read that with a "n't", right?
@STrRedWolf: We could, but then it would be year round. Easter Sunday begets Mother's Day/Father's Day/July 4th creep, those "holidays" beget Back to School creep, which begets Halloween creep, which begets Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years creep and the cycle starts anew...After all, there's always gotta be something in the seasonal aisle at Walgreen's.
There is some irony in this, the day after the celebration of the birth of Christ- retail stores are preparing for the observance of the death of Christ. I'm not a Christian, but I know inappropriate when I see it. It's like when my neighbor put a cross next to the nativity scene- I was like WTF!?!
@ARP: Nothing against you, but you know the world is in a sad state of affairs when an a logical statement is referenced by South Park. I'm just sayin...
And to think I was pissed when I saw my entire mall loaded down in Xmas decorations the day after Halloween...
Oh, Target puts out everything early. They had Valentine's Day stuff in the dollar bins a few days before Christmas...
I was at Target today and saw Valentine's creep... I thought that was bad. Guess not.
@youbastid: I can't shove a sense of humor into your skull, but getting your panties in a bunch about race only helps perpetuate racism. "OH LAWDS, HE SAID SOMETHING DEROGATORY."
Seriously, those were bad times and I happen to live in the city that those famous photos of the civil rights movement folks getting hosed were taken (Birmingham, AL). It was a horrible thing, but dwelling on it helps nothing, and neither does saying it's taboo to make a joke about them.
This is totally off topic though, and I apologize if I offended anyone. If you were offended, however, you might need to lighten up.
Jeeziz, I can't believe the stores are going to oppress us with early easter items. IS there no end to their evil?
Stupid topic and a waste of time, just like the Christmas creep topic.
@mindshadow: Hm, no, I didn't say I was offended, I said it wasn't funny. You did insinuate it was a joke you would go to hell for, and I said nope, it's not.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me....2 ceramic bunnies and a partridge in a pear tree.
I guess Target will have school supplies on clearance before school is even out for the summer. OfficeMax had school supplies in stock before school was even out here.
Shops inside Disneyland (California) had Valentines merchandise out on December 26, right next to the 50% off Christmas stuff. Some of the Valentines stuff is pretty cute.
Well down here in New Orleans it's Mardi Gras creep. As pointed out earlier in the post, Mardi Gras is 2/5. I'll see if I can get some photos from my local Target.
@rasbach:
Not actually a celebration of the death of Christ. Just sayin'.
As far as creep: you really have to ask, what else are they going to put there? The biggest Xmas creep violator this year was Lowes, which started in late August. They were clearancing summer stuff and had to replace it with something. What else would logically go in the seasonal section if not the next holiday people buy a lot of crap for?
Hahaaha.... Hobby lobby and Garden Ridge are putting out their summer items.
Living in Texas summer comes in march.
CVS had peeps on Dec 24th right in the middle of all the
Christmas stuff! although I do believe peeps should be available all year round :-/
@youbastid: then there's unfunny, tasteless race humor (Carlos Mencia). That was definitely on the Mencia side of things.
Why, was that a stolen joke?
Even the tasteless race jokes show the absurdity of people that REALLY believe in a racist doctrine.
@rasbach: retail stores are preparing for the observance of the death of Christ. I'm not a Christian, but I know inappropriate when I see it. It's like when my neighbor put a cross next to the nativity scene- I was like WTF!?!
In the early days Christ's birth was not celebrated. The early church added the celebration so as not to screw up the party planning of the newly converted pagans. Christ's death and resurrection are the cornerstone of the Christian faith, not his birth.
I was just at one of our local Shopko stores here in Lincoln, NE(Shopko is a midwestern midsized department store similar to Target) and they had a St. Patrick's day display set out on an endcap.
I saw Valentines stuff at Wal Mart on December 24th. I was kinda like "Oh, wow.. they're starting early."