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Retailers get jump on Xmas
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October 12, 1998: 2:59 p.m. ET
It's the busiest time of the year, so stores are hoping to cash in early
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Although Christmas is more than two months away, already stores across the country are putting up holiday displays and Yuletide merchandise in an effort to cash in on the busiest shopping time of the year.
But will Christmas overexposure turn shoppers off, or make them want to spend more?
"I kind of got a shock when I came into the store," said one shopper. "I wasn't quite ready for it."
But another shopper said, "I don't think it's too soon, because by the time you're done with Halloween and Thanksgiving, it's here. You don't have much time to shop."
In Milwaukee, Wi., the Carson Pirie Scott (SKS) department store has already put up its window display and stocked its shelves full of holiday items. In Paramus, N.J., the Gift Gallery has constructed a miniature Christmas village.
In New York, the racks at Pier One Imports are filled with tree ornaments and other decorations. At Nordstrom (NOBE), shoppers can buy Christmas gifts, but company policy keeps holiday displays out of the stores until after Thanksgiving.
In Atlanta, a company called 'Tis the Season has opened a dozen temporary stores aimed at the serious Christmas shopper. Owner Brenda Brooks says this gives customers a head start.
"They want to start shopping early before Thanksgiving because people now do their homes with themes," she said.
But retailers have a sole reason for getting started so early on the season -- economics. Department stores make nearly half their profits in the last three months of the year.
"We do approximately 15 to 20 percent of our total business for this type of merchandise, 'trim the tree' collectible merchandise during September and October," said Ed Carroll, executive vice president of Carson Pirie Scott. (105K WAV) or (105K AIFF)
What kind of season can retailers expect this year? Retail analyst Faye Landes said there's a lot of concern about the pace of holiday sales.
"It's hard for me to remember a year when we went into Christmas with as much uncertainty about what the consumer is going to do," she said.
But by getting a jump on the holiday season, retailers hope to woo customers with the Christmas spirit -- in an effort to soften up other shoppers who plan to play scrooge.
-- by staff writer Cynthia Tornquist
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