When it comes to seasonal store displays, the holidays can't come fast enough for some department stores. Nowhere is that more evident than in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, where a number of storefronts are begging to show their Yuletide spirit even before the Halloween season begins.
Christmas is the strongest retail season of the year, and many department store chains have embraced this fact by getting an early start on the holiday season. CBS Philadelphia claims that a number of big name shops have already broken out everything from light strands and tinsel to wholesale ribbon and gift bags in an attempt to woo those especially early holiday shoppers, as well as those who may be looking to improve their decorations around the home.
"Never seen it this early," one shopper at a local Kohl's told the news provider. "They’re just pushing it harder and harder and harder. Pretty soon it will be out all year."
Other stores getting a jumpstart on their holiday store fixtures include K-Mart, Big Lots and Walmart, which even started its Christmas layaway program a full month earlier than 2011.
Despite the considerable lead time, this is not the earliest that department stores have embraced the yuletide spirit. USA Today reports that as a number of big-name retailers, notably Home Depot, Sears and J.C. Penney, launched holiday displays as early as September 1 in 2011, with many eyeing similar dates for 2012.
The International Council of Shopping Centers claims that holiday sales represent roughly 25 percent of the annual profits raked in by many department store, with much of that income stemming from the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday.
