Last year, discount retailer and aspiring landlord Kmart kicked off its Christmas marketing early. Really early. Last year, the chain waited around until September 10 to start airing its first Christmas ad. This year, they moved that start date up, presumably so people who chatter about retail would complain about the early start date and embed the ad. You win, Kmart. [More]
christmas
I Can’t Return This Christmas Gift Without Upsetting My Mom
By 1.13.14
Lies can get you in trouble. Even when you mean well, sometimes they catch up with you and you get stuck in an impossible position. That’s what John learned when he lied by omission about a Christmas gift to spare his mom’s feelings, and is now stuck with an expensive GoPro camera that he can’t return. [More]
Another Christmas, Another Porn-Filled Nintendo DS Under The Tree
By 12.27.13
When you buy what is supposed to be a brand-new piece of electronics from the world’s largest retailer, it really shouldn’t come loaded with someone else’s content. And when the supposedly new device is a gift for your 8-year-old son, it certainly shouldn’t come pre-loaded with other people’s porn. [More]
These 28 Kids Are Not Sure Who This Santa Claus Guy Is, But He Is Definitely Terrifying
By 12.23.13
Every year, kids around the world chirp and buzz and otherwise make delightfully adorable noises about how excited they are to get presents from Santa Claus at Christmas. But the holiday reality of actually meeting the man in red? Well, that’s not always a cause for celebration, as these 27 photos of Consumerist readers’ kids clearly demonstrate. You try meeting a large stranger with a bunch of white stuff on his face and see how you’d feel. [More]
Forget Christmas: Time To Buy Valentine’s Day Crap
By 12.23.13
This weekend, two readers sent us very similar “holiday creep” photos from two different kinds of retailers. Secret Consumerist synchronicity? Maybe. Or maybe the week before Christmas is now the universal time to put Valentine’s Day stuff out. [More]
How To Not Suck… At Last-Minute Christmas Gifting
By 12.20.13
Maybe you’re lazy. Or a procrastinator. Or a lazy procrastinator. We’re not judging because most of the time, that’s fine. But there are only a few sands left in the hourglass before Dec. 25, at which point you find yourself without gifts to give, promising your loved ones that you’ll get them something really nice at one of the after-Christmas sales. Fear not. Consumerist is here to help in your time of need — so your family doesn’t think you don’t give a hoot. [More]
More Shoppers Concerned About Getting Fat During The Holidays Than They Are About Going Into Debt
By 12.20.13
For many Americans, the last two months of every calendar year inevitably involve eating too much and spending a lot of money. Given the still-choppy economic waters, you might think that consumers would be more concerned about their bottom lines before thinking about their waistlines, but you’d be wrong. [More]
Will There Be Anything Worth Buying On “Super Saturday” This Weekend?
By 12.17.13
If they haven’t done so already, most online retailers will have closed their guaranteed-to-get-it-by-Christmas window by the time this weekend rolls around. So a number of bricks-and-mortar retailers will be having “Super Saturday” sales for those of us who haven’t finished buying stuff. Question is, will there be any be good deals? [More]
How To Not Suck… At Saving For The Holidays
By 12.17.13
The holiday season is still in full swing, and we’re willing to bet you’re not done spending money yet. What’s more, some of you will be paying off your holiday spending on credit card bills for months to come; the holiday cheer followed by the January credit card bill blues. Break this nasty cycle by planning ahead for the next holiday season. [More]
Christmas Ordering Deadlines For 25 Top Online Retailers
By 12.12.13
Still working on your Christmas shopping? If you’re going online to buy those gifts, you need to be aware of the sites’ wildly varying cutoff dates for placing orders in time to get them under the tree on the big day. [More]
WestJet Santa Asks Passengers What They Want For Christmas, Airline Gives Gifts Upon Arrival
By 12.10.13
Usually if someone asks me what I want before a flight the answer is going to be something like, “The gift of no one kicking my seat back repeatedly during the flight” or “A free drink to get me through turbulence.” But a WestJet Santa Claus took it a few jolly steps further. [More]
3 Holiday Purchases That Tend To Drop In Price As Christmas Approaches
By 12.6.13
While there are a number of popular products that get significantly less expensive after the holidays, consumers may be able to save on other holiday shopping list items if they’re willing to play a game of chicken with Dec. 25. [More]
All Americans Want For Christmas Is A Radio Station That Plays Holiday Tunes Constantly
By 12.5.13
While you probably work with that guy who just can’t wait to start blasting Christmas music right after Halloween, many radio stations switch to an all-holiday format right after Thanksgiving. And despite the inevitable Grinches bah humbugging* at the first strains of “All I Want for Christmas,” that trend isn’t going to change as it’s paying off for radio stations. [More]
The Total Cost Of Doing The 12 Days Of Christmas? $114K
By 12.2.13
Since nothing says Christmas like a home full of hundreds of random birds, musicians, and overactive landed gentry, it’s time to once again consider the actual cost of giving your true love every item listed in “The 12 Days of Christmas.” [More]
Mall Santa Accused Of Groping Elf Co-Worker Due In Court Christmas Eve
By 11.26.13
In a story that seems to be ripped from the North Pole’s headlines, a mall Santa Claus has been ordered to stay away from his place of seasonal employment after allegations that he groped a coworker over the weekend. According to some reports, it appears that the 18-year-old woman he’s accused of harassing was playing an elf. [More]
Kmart Has Customers Jangling Over Men Jingling Their Junk In New Ad For Joe Boxer
By 11.19.13
Another day, another ad that could be seen as either clever or so suggestive that social media is roaring over the indecency of it all and how could you put that on TV, etc. This time it’s Kmart’s turn to face the Internet firing squad over an ad that features men jingling their junk like so many melodious bells in Joe Boxer shorts. [More]
Walmart’s Nightmare Before Christmas: Cereal Edition
By 11.14.13
In practical terms, there isn’t much of a difference between one sugar-coated breakfast grain product and another. There’s even less of a difference between Cap’n Crunch products for different holidays. Somehow, though, we still find this combined cereal display spotted at Walmart just as amusing as an honest-to-Santa Halloween tree. [More]
City Turns Out To Decorate For Christmas Early So Boy With Cancer Can Enjoy The Holiday
By 10.29.13
Usually here at Consumerist HQ we’re totally anti-Christmas Creep — we rant and rave about Halloween and Thanksgiving getting ignored just so stores can break out the holly as early as possible. But when it’s an entire town turning out to decorate to make sure that a 13-year-old boy with cancer gets to celebrate the holiday, well, that’s an entirely different matter. [More]
