A few weeks ago, we shared with you a Holiday Creep mystery. A reader discovered Easter-themed ice cream on the shelf at Walmart, making us wonder: was it still on the shelves from 2013, or just early for 2014? The way things are going in retail, we couldn’t be sure. We wrote to Walmart corporate, and they didn’t answer. Then we got a response from the freezer case. So to speak. [More]
holidays
Christmas Is Coming, In The Form Of Gingerbread-Flavored Stuff
By 10.30.13
You can tell when fall is at hand, because items with pumpkin spice flavoring begin to fill store shelves. While retail has many other more obvious symbols of impending Christmas, one fits the theme of sweets flavored to taste like other things: gingerbread. No, not gingerbread cookies. Other things that are flavored to taste like gingerbread. [More]
Are These Easter Ice Creams At Walmart Very Late Or Very Early?
By 10.22.13 — Updated: 4.2.14
Update: Mystery solved. At this point in the year, we can’t be sure whether an Easter item still on store shelves is early for Easter or just lingering months after the holiday. That’s the mystery of the Mounds Eggs that Micah found on the shelves of a Walmart in Georgia. [More]
Carve Your Pumpkin, Not Your Hands
By 10.22.13
Halloween is supposed to be a scary holiday and all, but the reason for the terror should not be “I severed an artery while carving the whiskers on my cat o’lantern.” You can create beautiful hollowed-out gourds without harming yourself or your family, whether it’s with the tools you already have in your knife drawer or with a special pumpkin-carving kit. [More]
Hobby Lobby Totally Wants To Spin The Dreidel With You Now
By 10.7.13 — Updated: 2.11.14
In a statement released late on Friday afternoon, Hobby Lobby put out what it probably hopes is the last update in the controversy over the Oklahoma-based chain’s lack of Jewish holiday items on its shelves. What started as one customer’s simple search for a bar mitzvah card has become a pre-holiday public relations nightmare for the craft retailer. [More]
Two Whole Aisles Of Thanksgiving Decorations Out At Dollar General
By 8.26.13
If just ceramic turkey figurines aren’t good enough for the Thanksgiving table that you’re obviously preparing three months in advance, maybe you can use some other decorations. Perhaps fall-colored oven mitts, holiday-themed dish towels, pumpkin picture frames, owl figurines, turkey window decals, or turkey figurines. [More]
Now February and April Also Have Black Fridays
By 7.12.13
Traditionally, “Black Friday” refers to the day after Thanksgiving and the semi-official kickoff of the winter holiday shopping season in the United States. In modern times, however, traditions are meaningless and retailers have decided to just throw Black Friday sales whenever they want. Like July 12. Or even February. [More]
Thief Dressed As Deliveryman Walks Out Of Florist With 21 Bouquets On Valentine’s Day
By 2.21.13
Valentine’s Day is a chaotic time for florists, with temporary help mixing with regular staff to get everything delivered on time and to the right recipient. (Well, mostly.) In Chicago, one busy florist claims that a man took advantage of the floral fracas to walk off with 21 flower arrangements worth a total of $2,000. [More]
Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Kick Off The Holidays With Yearly Moratorium On Foreclosures
By 12.3.12
For three years in a row, we’ve been able to take note of a particularly heartwarming act by two of the country’s largest mortgage giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Just as the two companies did in 2011 and 2010, they announced today that they’ll suspend all bank repossessions of homes starting Dec. 19 and Dec. 17, respectively, running through January 2, 2013. That simple act could help homeowners ensure they can stay home for the holidays. [More]
Ditch The Hard Cookies & Tepid Eggnog — Workers Want Cash Instead Of Holiday Parties
By 11.30.12
Let’s pull up a scenario: You’re trying to weave your way through the gaudily decorated conference room toward the folding table holding a tiny tin tub with a few domestic beers still floating in it when suddenly, your boss appears dressed as Santa Claus and ho ho ho’ing it up in your face to demand you turn that frown upside down. Meanwhile, said beers disappear and all that’s left is the eggnog that’s been sitting there all afternoon and may or may not have rum in it. In another scenario: Cash. [More]
Retailers Squeezed $25 More Out Of The Average Shopper With Extra Thanksgiving Sales
By 11.26.12
The Black Friday creep seems to have paid off for retailers (even as it casts a dubious shadow over Thanksgiving), as shoppers shelled out about $25 more per person during this year’s Thanksgiving-centered sales last week. Of course in many cases, Black Friday wasn’t even limited to just Friday, with plenty of retailers hosting sales and opening their doors on Thanksgiving. Overall, shoppers spent about 13% more than we did last year. [More]
Americans Will Be Taking Shorter Holiday Jaunts To Save On Gas This Year
By 11.13.12
For those of us who don’t want to battle the burgeoning crowds at the airports or fork over big wads of cash for the right seat on the right flight this Thanksgiving holiday, there’s always the option of driving. And even though hitting the road isn’t a cost-free option, more Americans will be doing so this year than last year. [More]
FedEx Hiring 20,000 Seasonal Workers To Deal With Upcoming Holiday Rush
By 10.22.12 — Updated: 10.24.12
Tis the season to sit at home and click, click, click buy and send presents to loved ones around the world. This year, FedEx is expecting even more shipping traffic than it did last year and as such is hiring 20,000 seasonal workers to help make things run smoothly. [More]
Amazon Says It’s Going To Add 50,000 Holiday Workers To Its Ranks This Season
By 10.16.12
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]
Holiday Creep Is Inclusive: Bed, Bath, And Beyond’s Nightmare Before Hanukkah
By 10.11.12
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]
Have You Finished Buying All Your 'National HP Toner Month' Gifts Yet?
By 9.10.12
With so many things going on in this crazy world, it’s easy to lose track of the holidays. Luckily, Consumerist reader Mike recently received an e-mail from Office Depot reminding him that September is indeed National HP Toner Month, that time when families gather together by a bonfire to roast marshmallows, sip cider and swap tales of past National HP Toner Months. [More]
6 Weird Things You Probably Don't Have On Your Holiday Wish List
By 12.15.11
We’re not here to judge, but there are a few things floating around out there on the Internet that you probably won’t have on your wish list. But just in case you are searching for the perfect pre-need cremation package or perhaps an all-in-one ukulele band, this list is for you. [More]
Survey: We Tip The People That Clean Our Houses, But Not The Ones Who Collect Our Garbage
By 12.13.11
For a lot of people in various facets of the service industry, this time of year means that some customers will brighten up your holidays with a gift or a tip to show their appreciation. But new numbers from our surveying siblings at Consumer Reports break down which particular people get the most end-of-year love. [More]
