So, I got home yesterday without a problem. In fact, the trip to and from Florida involved planes that left on time and arrived early. The flight attendants were all male and extremely amusing. I can learn to love JetBlue after this experience.But, I didn’t come to talk about flying.I was barely settled back in the house when I was dispatched to Stop & Shop for supplies. Kate and I strolled by the holiday section and what to my wandering eyes did appear but discount signs on the holiday candy. We checked the option sin case there was something we could use on Tuesday. As I turned, though, there was a floor dump display with, get this, Valentine’s Day candy.I ran across a manager a few aisles over and complained. I pointed out that it was not yet Christmas and perhaps they might want to wait until January 2 before pushing the next holiday. Oh no, he says to me. People like to get these once-a-year treats. (If that’s the case, where’s the Stollen? Nowhere to be found in the store.) I said it was too damned early and he tried to be cheerful but I was loud and got a few people watching and nodding in agreement.Morons.
It is never “too damned early” for any retail corporation to get the next promotional season underway. As I discovered to my dismay seeing promos for Christmas sales already underway before Hallowe’en was at hand, much less finished, never mind any show of respect for Remembrance Day earlier this past fall.No, I’m not naming any companies here. They might hit me with SLAPP lawsuits for pointing out the facts, after all.
This is the sort of thing that makes me comfortable expression all of my holiday sentiments once per year, and getting them all out of the way:
Happy Everything!
Happy MemorialLaborXmasKwanzaPresidentMLKColumbusGivingVeteransNewYearsValentinesHallowsDay!Bobby A
oops…. forgot PassoverEasterChanukah
I also noticed this in our local S&S, and was also quite loud to anyone in listening range. Also, on Thursday, all the holiday items at Costco had disappeared, the displays gone, the inventory shrunk, and that was 5 days before Xmas. Wait! Bathing suits will be out on Wednesday, just in time for the next snow storm!
In the defense of the people who work in the retail stores: It’s not often by choice: You either have been told to put it out by the high-muckity-mucks, you don’t have anything else to put out and the backroom is reaching capacity with other post-Holiday stuff, and/or you sold out of whatever other holiday stuff you have and are required to have something on the floor to sell, as a)we don’t sell wood, or b)it ain’t going to sell in the backroom.Having worked at Barnes & Noble for five years, I do remember some people complaining to me about a early display and I’d just be honest and say “well, if you hadn’t bought all the stuff, we wouldn’t have had to bring out the next stuff so we don’t look empty. Next time, procrastinate a bit more.” with a smile. Usually worked, and I don’t think it ever got beyond that. Plus, we did try to keep the impeeding holiday stuff to a minimum since it even annoyed us in the store, but you gotta do what you gotta to keep the district managers happy.