Eggnog before Thanksgiving? Shoppers eager for a new season scramble retail calendars
Inflationary-weary shoppers still may wait until the first weather snap to get a basic sweater
NEW YORK — After sipping pumpkin spiced lattes in August and putting up Halloween decorations in late September, Samantha Kowalczyk already looks forward to drinking eggnog-flavored coffee and filling her Wilmington, Delaware, home with cinnamon and sugar cookie scented candles and other holiday aromas.
The 30-year-old thinks seasonal flavors and scents should be available year-round. And apparently others feel the same way.
In response to growing customer demand, stores of all stripes, from Bath and Body Works and online holiday decor retailer Balsam Hill to Whole Foods Market and doughnut maker Krispy Kreme, are bringing out their festive collections weeks before the Nov. 1 start of the holiday shopping season.
Inflation-weary shoppers may wait until the first cold snap to buy a sweater or gloves, but when it comes to seeking out deals tied to events like the start of a new school year or limited-time seasonal promotions, a fair number of consumers are finding it's never too soon.
“I want the season earlier and the things that go with the season earlier,” Kowalczyk said. “I want to enjoy it for as long as I can… If I enjoy it, why should I have to wait?”
Clothing, food and home goods stores, only too happy to push the season earlier to get shoppers to spend for a longer period of time, are scrambling the traditional retail calendar in the process. And this year — with Thanksgiving Day falling on Nov. 28 and leaving five fewer days before Christmas compared with last year — that pressure to get shoppers to buy is even more intense, analysts say.
Members of Bath and Body Works' loyalty program could shop a holiday preview
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