It seems as if every year the presence of Christmas falls upon retail stores earlier and earlier. The “Christmas creep” is a term used to describe retailer’s exploitation of Christmas through the commercialization of the season and the tendency to begin offering “holiday discounts” earlier each year. Specifically in Canada, retailers will be competing against offers in American retails by dispensing their own Black Friday price cuts.
However, the “Christmas Creep” is a phenomenon that is more than often met with ambiguous feelings. On one hand, it takes away from consumers’ propensity to enjoy and fully emerge themselves in a holiday. A professor from Le Moyne College pointed out that “saturating public space with earlier and earlier holiday fare is upsetting,” as it decreases the holiday’s “distinctiveness and special features.” Nonetheless, as suggested by this article, the “Christmas Creep” comes as a “survival of the fittest” race for retailers. The Huffington Post claims that offering sales early decreases the possibility of competitors “eating away at their profits” if these competitors too, were to offer discounts.
Researching more on this topic, I found that it’s not only the Christmas season that is brought upon customer’s earlier each year. This phenomenon also applies to Valentine’s Day and Back-to-School sales.
Sources:
- The Huffington Post Canada. “Black Friday Comes To Canada November 29, 2013.”The Huffington Post. N.p., 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/12/black-friday-2013-canada_n_4261026.html>.
- Quirk, Mary Beth. “Why Does Christmas Creep Bother People So Much?” Consumerist. N.p., 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://consumerist.com/2013/11/04/why-does-christmas-creep-bother-people-so-much/>.