Why is Hobby Lobby selling Christmas Trees in August? WHY?! We can understand the tinsel and countdowns, maybe, but !@$% Christmas trees? This picture comes from Hutchinson, Kansas where it will be 92 degrees on Friday. We called Hobby Lobby for an explanation…
A disarmingly unseasonal saleswoman explained that all Hobby Lobby locations now sell Christmas trees. They’re not real, because real trees die after one month, nature’s way of telling you to slow down and appreciate Thanksgiving. The saleswoman found nothing wrong with the new arrivals, and thought it was “great” that the trees were finally available in August. Reader Justin disagrees:
From a store I’ve never heard of called “Hobby Lobby” in the small town of Hutchinson, Kansas. This picture was taken on August 12th. Seeing the Christmas trees this early literally made me sick to my stomach.
Christmas is over four months away—126 days and counting—something we’re going to remember and appreciate tomorrow as we relax on a hot sunny beach.
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Hmm… I’m having trouble seeing how “Christmas time” can be at all special, considering it’s apparently 1/3rd of all time-existence. According to these retailers, 33% of the time it’s Christmas time.
Kind of like working 8 hours a day – I don’t consider that special or worth celebrating.
Hobby Lobby has been doing this for a while now. Michaels will have stuff soon too. And after back to school is over at Target they will go to Halloween decorations and then Christmas.
@scoobydoo:
I don’t see the hypocrisy.
How does selling christmas merchandise in august and closing for sunday’s to allow your employees time to worship & spend time with your family. If anything it is the opposite of hypocrisy.
Hobby Lobby is a specialty store (think of it as a big box craft store) so it really isn’t a problem that they have christmas merchandise up. They probably also have thanksgiving merchandise up as well. The old time pottery by my house (cincinnati area) has christmas merchandise up early and for months past christmas each year.
I don’t understand why anyone gives a shit whether xmas trees are available or not. We’ve got the Famous Christmas Store that is nothing but xmas crap, so there.
Maybe your hobby is Christmas?
Oh, but they won’t sell my Festivus pole this early?
Props to Nighthawke for the reference. I think it’s time for the airing of grievances.
I think Bronner’s has everything beat:
[www.bronners.com]
By skipping directly to Christmas, Hobby Lobby is missing out on the seasonal sales for Halloween and Thanksgiving fall merchandise.
Or they just have a LOT of sales floor space and not enough warehouse space.
I used to work for a giftware/seasonal decor wholesaler, and they used to offer free shipping and other deals if customers would take early delivery of the fall and christmas orders, just to keep the shipping line busy all year long. So perhaps this is fallout from THAT.
I realize that your economy sucking donkey balls big time right now but is it that bad the Christmas rush has to start now? Christmas then Thanksgiving maybe when you get your new Commander and Chief he can get it back on track.Seems that all is not lost you do have a lot in gold… swimming metals. Con grats!
Maybe by selling them off-season they’re available at a big discount? I mean…August or not…if it costs me half as much…all the more reason to be thankful.
@BeFrugalNotCheap: Nope, it’s not. Last weekend, we visited Hobby Lobby for the first time and they were putting up all of their Christmas items.
Here’s a great article from the Wharton Business School about “Christmas creep” – though they note that it has to do with “September” being the start date. [knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu]
EBounding: Bronners! Yay. It’s a lot of fun to visit in the hot months, and close to all the fun in Frankenmuth.
Oh, one other thing we noticed. There were plenty of pumpkin and fall items up (many of them on sale). As we checked out, we realized that not a single item in the store said “Halloween” on it, just “Harvest” and so on. Seems like they might be pandering to the minority who unfairly fear the holiday.
If I didn’t have kids (8 and 10) I’d just skip Christmas. This year I will be controlling the pocketbook when it comes to buying gifts and there will be a cash only budget. All gone? Gifts to buy? Return something and get 2 smaller gifts; maybe just give a card to someone. It always seems the budget is X and ends up being several hundred more than that.
I hate to be That Guy, but I’m actually kind of excited, because this reminds me to get a prelit tree for the front room before the crazy preseason markups are out of hand.
Maybe we were ahead of our time up here in the rust belt of NE Pennsylvania, because I clearly remember seeing Christmas tree displays, fully decorated, in department stores (remember them?), in August, more than thirty years ago.
Oh, and thanks to everybody for the heads-up on Hobby Lobby. I had been hoping for one to open here, but if they are the kind of people who hate and fear Halloween, they won’t be getting any of my heathen money!
@newfenoix:
Pics of said squashing plz. Thanks.
I drive through Sioux Falls, S.D., a few times every year on Interstate 29 to visit my family in Kansas. On the Insterstate (I want to say near exit 77) there is a sign pointing to a year-round Christmas store that never stops selling the Christmas goods. I’ve never pulled off to see if it’s for real or still in business, and I don’t plan to. I’ve got better things to do when I’m driving through Sioux Falls, like try to get the hell out of South Dakota.
@scoobydoo:
Yes, this is the one. On Sundays I have to go to Michael’s.
I like to call it “Snobby Lobby” because the one on the north side of town is full of snotty associates.
The south side one is better.
@madamdalriada: It’s at the Hutchinson Mall. And it was there in 1999 when I went to school in McPherson.
@kaptainkk: One word: the elderly. Ok, two words. But I was once told by a store manager that put out the holiday stuff early that their elderly customers liked being able to buy Christmas supplies slowly, instead of all at once.
@ChuckECheese: Ahh, the charms of a craft store better than Micheal’s. Hobby Lobby and Braums being two of the things I miss most about living in Oklahoma, now that I’m stuck in California.
@scoobydoo: Quomodo?
@tracilyns: No, you’re not.
@Major-General:
“…I’m stuck in California.”
Trade ya.
Love,
Stuck in Missouri
@MissPeacock: I used to work at hob lob. They do 50% off because they mark up the price tags 100% after purchase. So the dolts who come in and buy things at full value they just made a 100% profit. Even in a 50% off sale they still make a 50% profit and get rid of useless merchandise only people with no taste would buy anyways.
@Con Seannery: Festivus Pole? Head down to yon Home Depot or Lowe’s posthaste. Everyday is Festivus there.
@Starfury: It’s heavenly. I actually flip a coin to decide if I’m going to bother to put lights up outside.
Just go into Costco the day after Labor Day, Sept. 2 this year & they’ll have all sorts of Xmas stuff out there.
Granted, much of it is geared to sell to smaller stores for their own decorating, but every year, it’s the same thing.
Hobby Lobby probably jumps straight from Vacation Bible School season (summer) right into Christmas because they have been phasing out Halloween more every year. I am sure this all has something to do with them being owned by Dominionist Christians. Ours has slowly become the creepy christian craft store of sub standard Chinese imports. I finally looked up Hobby Lobby, found out about the religious association and no longer shop there unless I can’t find a specific art supply anywhere else (so basically never).
I bought artificial trees for a different chain for 8 years. There are 2 (main) reasons that retailers buy Christmas seasonal goods early:
1. There are surprisingly very few factories that produce this type of stuff at any sort of decent quality. They’re booked solid all of the time. If you need a large run (like HL and their 400 stores do), you MUST order and ship very early.
2. Some factories give additional discounts if you order and ship VERY early, because they can buy raw materials in the off season, keep workers busy, etc, etc.
Like many of you out their say Christmas stuff at a hobby store is okay this early. If you sell crafts during the Christmas season then you have to start early. It takes time to make crafts. Christmas creep only counts for non craft stores.
@Marshfield: The hobby lobby in my town has enough room for Christmas, Halloween, and thanksgiving decor out all at once.
They’ve been up a good month at least in the Waco, Tx store.
But, But, But, -.-
wasn’t it just X-mas in July?
@madamdalriada:
Hutchinson Mall. It’s getting bigger now, which is pretty much the only store it’s got going for it.
I haven’t been into the store in question for a few months now (not since June, when the area that the trees are surely occupying now was filled with VBS things) but it’s not uncommon for them to be up in July, and it surprises me that they were this late in getting them up this year.
Any other Hutch consumerists wanna go in and buy some ornaments some saturday?
@Sevarious:
You are not old.
Maybe they will have their “Christmas Clearance Sale” in October, just about the time they start stocking the store with Easter decoations.
I’ve got to get started on crafting some Easter baskets. Anyone know where I can get some hollow chocolate bunnies and plastic multicolored eggs?
Perhaps it’s cheaper to order and ship fake Christmas trees from the distributor in August? Also, it’s CRAFTS STORE and the reasons for carrying holiday merchandise year round has been explained. Exhaustively. Across at least two posts.
Consumers for Christ!
Consumers for Christ!
Consumers for Christ!
Consumers for Christ!
Consumers for Christ!
Consumers for Christ!
Consumers for Christ!
Oh…honey…they had the ornaments up late July.
We have a Christmas Tree Shop here that’s open all year!
If seeing Christmas trees in August literally makes you sick to your stomach, I think you have it pretty good.
All this Christmas Creep crap (ha!) is such an overreaction. Nobody’s forcing you to buy it. I don’t see what’s so offensive about it. Is it ridiculous? Yes. I don’t get all the ire, though.
@avantartist: LOL.
@adam_w: Oh, well that makes sense.
they just put one of these in by me in ohio. looks like it’s going to be an interesting store to save the least. what’s next after xmas in summer? swim suits in december?
I was at Sam’s Club last night, (8-21-08) and they have large packages of Christmas Ornaments out already. It gets earlier and earlier each year!!
What the heck is wrong with all you people? Let them sell the products they want whenever they want. If people are willing to buy the products, let them sell! Seriously, there are articles about “Christmas already!” every single year. Get over yourselves.
So many sad/mad people in this world. Christmas is about our Savior and whether you like the merchandising or not doesn’t change that. Buck up, people and leave the stores alone to do their thing(s). Everyone knows that the commercial side of Christmas has gone the way of all things but this doesn’t alter the real meaning of the celebration one iota. If you don’t like it, don’t go in there. For me, I watch Christmas build in Hobby Lobby all year and enjoy seeing evidence of the coming season no matter how early.