This trend, noticeable to many consumers, has sparked a range of opinions.
Large retail stores in North America have kicked off their Christmas holiday sales much earlier than in previous years
Some, like Washington state resident Brett McGowan, find it off-putting, likening it to a mix of Charlie Brown and Ted Kaczynski. Albertan Cheryl Qzee Erickson from Canada suggested waiting until after Remembrance Day. Layout artist Richard Coda in Arizona shared a photo of Christmas displays at Home Depot, lamenting that Halloween hadn’t even passed yet.
Critics like Texas-based retailer Peter Hensel feel this early push makes the holidays seem less special. Creator of the Shatterrealm webcomic, Hannah Rose Williams, finds shopping at Walmart feels dystopian. However, according to supply chain expert Hitendra Chaturvedi from Arizona State University, this Christmas holiday sales trend is an amplified version of previous years. He noted that retailers like Amazon are already capitalizing on multiple Christmas holiday sales events in the lead-up to Christmas.
Chaturvedi pointed out that e-commerce has revolutionized the setup for Christmas holiday sales, making it more cost-effective, and supply chains are not the driving factor
Although some consumers express discontent with the extended Christmas holiday sale season, early feedback indicates that over a quarter of shoppers would consider starting their shopping earlier. Gallup’s early September polling revealed that 41% of U.S. holiday shoppers plan to start shopping before November. Despite uncertainties surrounding this strategy and economic concerns, the early Christmas holiday sales trend could potentially reshape the retail landscape this holiday season.
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