A “Christmas Creep” article in the New York Times gathered a bunch of quotes from retailers explaining why they feel the need to start marketing Christmas two holidays in advance. The verdict? They seem to know it irritates you, but they don’t really care.

Walmart won’t start Holiday marketing until Halloween, but are “not embarrassed at having rollbacks available now for shoppers. We know many like to plan ahead and spread the cost of Christmas,” according to their spokesperson.

Toys ‘R Us who recently opened a “pop up holiday store” in Manhattan causing us to scream in frustration, said: “It’s understated.” “Everyone can use a little Christmas right now, after a summer of toy recalls,” Ms. Waugh said. “It’s time to remember what toys are all about.”

L.L. Bean is running an ad with red and green but no explicit Christmas references. They call it, “a little toned down.” When asked if L.L. Bean worries about irritating shoppers, their spokesperson confessed: “It’s safe to say there is always anxiety,” she said. The ad “serves the marketing purpose. It gets people thinking that the holiday is coming.”

Does “Christmas Creep” bug you? Take a photo and submit it to our Flickr pool, like vidaarctique did. The best photos will be collected and featured on Consumerist. Be sure to tag your photos “Christmas Creep.”

Stealthily, Stores Start Christmas in October [NYT via CBS News]
(Photo:vidaarctique)

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