As families all around the United States begin to carve Jack-o-lanterns and fill their
cornucopias, stores like Target, Walmart, and Dollar tree stock their shelves with blow-up
snowman and plastic Christmas trees. That right, it is Christmas in October. It’s nothing new for
chains like these to fill their stores with jingle bells and Christmas cheer early on, but it does not
take away from the absolute comedy that comes with it.
Technically, It’s not like they are just skimming over two other national holidays like
Halloween and Thanksgiving, right? Although, this premature preparation comes with a few
questions. With the main question being why do they put Christmas stuff out so early?
There is a belief shared by many that it seems a bit foolish to put and buy Christmas
stuff out so prematurely, especially when there is a two-holiday gap between them.
Even if people think it is silly, the stores are being incredibly economically smart. There
will always be early shoppers looking for good deals on Christmas supplies and decorations. Not
to mention people are more committed to buying things in store once they get there.
Regardless of whether that’s what they went to buy Christmas decorations or not, it is much
like the principle that people are more likely to buy the more expensive item in-store when
they are already there rather than getting it online for cheaper.
However, the early shoppers who are out getting wrapping paper and ornaments in
October may be smart consumers, especially now in 2021. This is because 77% of the world’s
ports are facing blockages not to mention three shortages of truck drivers. This is mainly the
fault of COVID which is causing grid locking in ports that are stranding ships offshore for days.
Furthermore, worker shortage and backlogs in warehouses and railroads have caused
equipment shortages. For example, shipping containers are running low, which is only
furthering delays. This means stores are running off limited supply and shipments from online
stores like Amazon will be on the backlog. In consequence, all those early shoppers buying
Christmas presents and decorations in October may be making the smart decisions.
Typically, chain stores are notorious for setting out holiday supplies months in
preparation, especially for the big money makers like Halloween, Easter, and Valentine’s Day,
which makes Christmas no different a phenomenon. Even though it seems incredibly silly and
backward to be buying a light-up plastic Christmas tree in October, it may be the smart decision
because of bottlenecking in some major world ports that have been causing shortages and delays across the world.
Katie Lind // Staff Writer