First of all, don’t be fooled by that 00:00:00 countdown in the photo accompanying this post — it’s part of an email forwarded by Consumerist reader Kaleb, and presumably the ticking clock works in the offers sent to customers on the OfficeMax mailing list. But let’s not lose sight of what it really is, at its essence, which is a countdown clock to a “halfway to Cyber Monday” sale. Yes, holiday shopping creep is a thing now and we’ll all have to deal with it. [More]
“Halfway To Cyber Monday” Countdown Ushers In New Era Of Holiday Shopping Creep
By May 21, 2013
Now At Walgreens: Stocking Stuffers For Your Easter Stocking
By March 18, 2013
If a sign advertising “stocking stuffers” is up in March, does that make it incredibly late or incredibly early for Christmas? Is it Christmas Creep or plain old laziness? Maybe it’s something else altogether: it could be that Walgreens is trying to synthesize an all-new holiday tradition. [More]
Valentine’s Creep Is So Last Week— This Stop & Shop Is Bringing The Easter Bunny In Early
By December 26, 2012
We were shocked — shocked! — when readers started sending us photographic evidence of stores stocking Valentine’s Day items even before Christmas. But apparently one Stop & Shop decided to take that as a challenge and has upped the ante with Easter Creep. Yes, Easter. As in springtime, bunnies and the next major holiday after Valentine’s Day. Yikes. [More]
In The Arms Of The Enemy: 24 Photos Of Kids Who Really, Really Don’t Like Santa Claus
By December 24, 2012
What began with one friend’s photo of a child terrified of Santa Claus has burgeoned into the final gallery of 24 photos submitted by you, our game Consumerist readers. Whether you had one child or two, tears or outright hissy fits, we’d like to thank you for bringing a dash of humor to the whole situation and for being willing to contribute to our bit of holiday fun. Better luck next year perhaps? [More]
Kmart Tracks Down Reader After 2-Day Shipping Became 2-Week Shipping, Tries To Help
By December 19, 2012
You may remember reader Linda, who ordered a computer from Kmart with 2-day shipping as a Christmas gift for her mother. Kmart’s idea of “2-day shipping” that they charge extra for turned out to be “2-week shipping” once they actually got around to shipping the computer. That wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t, you know, a Christmas gift, and if Kmart planned to ship it before December 24th. Based on the information in the post, the nice people at Kmart’s executive customer relations department tracked Linda down, which is impressive and only a little bit unnerving. [More]
Forget Christmas. This Kmart Has Already Moved On To Valentine’s Day
By December 17, 2012
By now, you’re all familiar with Christmas Creep, the insidious inching of the holiday shopping season earlier and earlier into the year. But there’s a lesser-known holiday creep that is already showing up on the shelves of at least one retailer. [More]
Most Macy’s Stores Will Stay Open For The 48 Hours Leading Up To Christmas Day
By December 7, 2012
If you listen very carefully, you might be able to hear groans of “Aww, man… Really?” coming from retailers other than Macy’s. That’s because the department store company has announced it will have most of its stores open continuously for the 48 hours leading up to Christmas Day. That kind of move puts the screws on other retailers to follow suit with similar plans if they want to grab any of your last-minute dollars as well. [More]
Moving Black Friday Up A Week Could Save Thanksgiving
By November 13, 2012
We don’t know when the warm water finally started to boil, but it’s safe to say that Black Friday now begins shortly after dinner is served on Thanksgiving. But rather than continue to fight this trend, we think that the only way to restore Thanksgiving is to have Black Friday sales begin a weekend earlier. [More]
6 Holiday Gifts You’d Be Better Off Buying Some Other Time Of The Year
By November 12, 2012
We’ve told you before that while there are plenty of sales on Black Friday, it is rarely the best day to get the lowest price on quality goods. But a new report claims that you’d be better off buying some common gift items outside of the holiday months. [More]
The Most Delicious Christmas Creep Backlash You’ll Ever See
By November 5, 2012
From the enchanted holiday village that is Reddit, here’s a delicious bit of Christmas Creep backlash. No, not delicious in the sense that justice can be delicious, but delicious in the sense that this humble plea to celebrate one holiday at a time is rendered in frosting and chocolate chip cookie bars. [More]
Amazon Says It’s Going To Add 50,000 Holiday Workers To Its Ranks This Season
By October 16, 2012
This is the kind of Christmas Creep we can be down with: Although it’s still only mid-October, retailers have been announcing how many jobs they’ll be adding to the rolls this holiday season. And Amazon just dropped a doozy of a number, which should make plenty of people’s season’s bright — it says it will hire 50,000 workers this year as part of its seasonal hiring plan. [More]
Target Decides Mid-October Is The Perfect Time To Start Airing Holiday Ads
By October 15, 2012
While most major retailers usually wait until Nov. 1 to start clogging the airwaves with a blitz of red and green commercials — and this year, many are waiting until after the election — the folks at Target have apparently just decided to embrace Christmas Creep to its fullest, launching its first holiday-themed ad over the weekend. [More]
Holiday Creep Is Inclusive: Bed, Bath, And Beyond’s Nightmare Before Hanukkah
By October 11, 2012
Holiday Creep may be a retail scourge, but at least it’s an inclusive one. Reader Meredith spotted this seasonal display at Bed, Bath and Beyond, demonstrating that in the end, we’re all really supposed to follow one national religion: retail. [More]
Campaign Ads Are Keeping The Christmas Creep Off TV
By October 2, 2012
Whatever your political persuasion, you’ve probably already had it up to here (imagine me holding my hand slightly above my head) with the campaign ads flooding the airwaves. But in the grand Consumerist tradition of looking for a silver lining around every storm cloud, there’s good news for people who hate seeing holiday-themed ads in October. [More]
American Retail, Where Christmas Comes Six Weeks Before Halloween
By September 27, 2012
The kids are barely back in school, but in American retail, it’s Christmas. Here are two new entries in the annals of Christmas creepiness: department store Kohl’s and closeout chain Ollie’s. [More]
My Run-In With A Creepy, Scammy Locksmith
By September 14, 2012
You don’t need a locksmith right now. That’s the best time to look for one, so take some time today to ask your friends and colleagues, search Yelp, and do whatever you can to learn which locksmiths in your area are reliable and reasonable. Then put their numbers in your phone contacts. This will help you in your time of need, so you’re not stuck with a scammy, creepy bait-and-switch artist in an emergency situation. That’s what happened to Rob’s daughter recently in Washington, D.C. [More]
Just In Time For Labor Day: Christmas Trees At Sears
By September 4, 2012
Michael was wandering a midwestern Sears when he saw it: a small, bright forest in the seasonal section. A shimmering flame-retardant mirage beyond the flimsy plastic appliances. Yes, his local Sears has already put up their Christmas tree display. [More]
Get Your Back-To-School Stockings In Time For Christmas Creep
By August 27, 2012
Martha sent along this small, but festive photo that she took at Value Drugs. Sure, most kids aren’t even back in school yet, but someone somewhere is waaaay ahead of schedule and already shopping for Christmas stockings. We’re not sure who that person is, but evidently they shop at Value Drugs. [More]
