During my visit to the mall today, I realized something was different. Most retailers and stores now stock a range of Christmas decorations, and some even decorated the store. Retailers like Target and Canadian Tire offer Christmas products just recently, but Costco was first to have Christmas trees readily available to purchase as early as before Halloween. But what’s the hurry? Why are retailers racing to fill their shelves with Christmas products when November just began?
Linking to a few classes ago, I can imagine this race is a response to results based on market research. My assumption, in response to the results of the resarch done, retailers are trying to match consumer demands for early Christmas shopping. In fact, it is true that there is demand for retailers to begin early. Based on the survey done by National Retailers Federation, 40.4% begin Christmas shopping before Halloween and 40.9% start in November. The reasons for shopping early: 61.9% agree that early shopping helps spread spending, 51.7% avoid holiday crowds, and 51% want to avoid stress of last minute shopping.
I understand that retailers are responding to consumer demands, but is it truly demands raised by consumers? It is debatable whether early Christmas shopping is influenced by retailers, promoting the sense of urgency for consumers to conform. I consider November as a month for remembrance, for Remembrance Day is on the eleventh of November. I strongly believe that retailers should display Christmas products only after Remembrance Day as a tribute to remember and respect the brave soldiers who fought for our freedom. Brett Wilson (ex Dragon on Dragon’s Den) also strongly believes that retailers should hold off putting Christmas decorations before Remembrance Day.
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