If they're participating, but they say that they refuse to participate, but that means they ARE participating, which means they're lying, but if they're lying they aren't participating and therefore cannot be lying, in which case they ARE partip

COMPUTE ERROR! COMPUTE ERROR! #DIV/0# #ENDLESS RECURSION# COMPUTE ERROR! COMPUTE ERROR!

I'm happy to see that there isn't a cloud around this silver lining.

Nordstrom kicks ass. That's cool to see a major retailer doing one holiday at a time.

(FYI: I don't work there, but know people who do.)

A small, tasteful sign on the door is hardly self-promotion.

There aren't many good guys left among large retailers. Nordstrom is one of them.

@sixninezero: 1) If people only talked about things that exist, you'd never have heard about unicorns, dragons, or Bigfoot. 2) The proof is in the business sales, not the complaints. If there was really something "wrong" business wouldn't do it. You'd like to see the bottom line sales figures? Trust me, Wal-mart, Sears, and every retailer (including Nordstrom) already has, and they're making decisions based on what's best for business.

I'm irritated by C.C. as much as everyone else, but it seems like people have been complaining about it as long as I can remember. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, and I'm not about to argue with a flood of highly unscientific anecdotal evidence provided by commentors. Overall I like Nordstrom's ad, although obviously it's a conscious marketing decision on their part.

Someday, Nordstrom. Someday.

Good job, Nordstroms.

a href="#c3017565">zarathustra333: This poster has two posts, both touting Circuit City sales. Shillbot. Kill it please!

We could debate about the actuality of Christmas Creep until next Christmas, but the point is the Christmas stuff shouldn't go up until the day after Thanksgiving. The proof is in the complaints, if consumers are upset enough that Nordstrom has to post a sign and we are having this discussion, it means something is wrong. What I want to see the the bottom line number for sales for stores that start Christmas in October and stores that wait until the day after Thanksgiving. I would venture to say the Nordstrom makes their sales goal regardless of their lack of participation in Christmas Creep.

good for nordstrom........there are no nordstroms in our area, but it would be refreshing to go into a store w/o all that christmas stuff in september.....b y the time christmas is actually here, i'm sick to death of it...

It seems one major retailer (coughWal-Martcough) was starting to show out the Christmas stuff as soon as their back-to-school season was over and went into "high gear" as they were taking down their Halloween seasonal displays.

I'm sick and tired of this "holiday creep" getting earlier and earlier every single year. I fully expect the marketing and media blitz to make it to Labor Day in the not too distant future...

Good for Nordstrom! I heard Christmas music today. Now, it's just about the right time right now, but do they HAVE to play it before Thanksgiving?

@yahonza: You remember Christmas starting much earlier than I do. I have too many papers to grade tonight to do much research on the topic, but here's a little:

This newspaper article cites the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and America's Research Group, a consumer behavior marketing firm: [www.signonsandiego.com]

This site has comments from a marketing professor at Wichita State University: [www.wichita.edu]

Hard data? No, I don't have it. I'd hazard that those professors are basing their statements on something concrete, though.

I used to really believe in Christmas Creep. But after hearing it being complained about for decades, I came to realize that if it were actually true, Christmas would be starting in January by now.

I suspect it actually runs in cyclical trends, but the pattern will always be the same.

Your quote only proves my point: before November there is a "selective sampling" or a trickle of Christmas items. The flood happens after Halloween. Nothing new there.

Also, Thanksgiving is not in the way of christmas retialing because 1) it is not a decoration holiday to the extent of Halloween and Xmas, and 2) Thanksgiving is a the first holiday in the Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's eve trifecta, all part of The Holiday Season.

"Although our busiest Christmas sales weeks will occur in November and December, we have been placing a selective sampling of our Christmas items into stores early in the season for several years," confirms Wal-Mart spokeswoman Tara Raddohl.
[www.citynews.ca]

I think the problem here is you see the first item of Christmas as being proof that creep does not exist and the rest of us see the flood of items as proof it does.

The flood has been coming earlier every year. Maybe it is global warming that is causing this.

I think the standard response to "you hate Christmas" if you don't like Christmas Creep should be "you hate giving thanks for another year of life!" Seriously, people need to stop trampling over Thanksgiving.

No, I am in my forties, and I am and have been very observant. People have been saying "Christmas gets earlier every year" at least since the seventies when I first heard it. My personal observation over the years during the seventies and eighties is that Christmas retailing starts tricking in in October, floods in after Halloween (or a few days before Halloween, then peaks and plateaus after thanksgiving.

That's every year for the past twenty five years at least.

I challenge anyone to come up with historical retail industry data that shows Christmas creep.

Just wait until Bill O'Reilly hears about this. I'll bet he issues a Bill O-Boycott against those smarmy libruls!

It's not even Thanksgiving and all the related merch has been 50% off for at least 2 weeks.

@Moneypenny:

i eat lunch almost daily with nordies and can tell u they dont work on thanksgiving nor are they up all night wednesday putting up decorations. however the store opens 7 or 8am the day after. yikes!

I worked for a rival department store years ago, and oddly enough, was in charge of the christmas department. One day a woman came in, bearing that same advertisement, telling me *I* could learn a lesson or two from Nordstrom's....I went to my store manager who had worked for Nordstrom's in the past. Apparently, while all of us who had already decked the halls would be eating turkey, they were decorating....

Now, bear in mind, this was about 12 years ago. Things may have changed...but if they're still using the same ads, I doubt it.

sorry for the crookedness, i had to zoom in and zoom out and happened upon this sign giggled and took a quick click. didnt have time for a redo.

i work at a rival department store, but these are the reasons why i love nordstrom:

1. bloomingdales stock minus the bitchy pretension

2. anniversary sale... booyah!

3. personal hand written thank-you notes mailed to your door whenever you buy something :o)

4. insanely generous return policy

It might piss-off many consumers, but unless people stop buying Christmas things when they're set out early, Christmas Creep will be here for the foreseeable future.

It's all about marketing and economics.

This is great. I like Nordstroms even better now.

And this happens every year in your memory? Come one, yahonza, how old are you? I'm betting you are under 21.

@WorkingOnYourInvoice:

The thing that strikes me as odd was being in Australia for Xmas several years ago and they were playing "White Christmas"!! Who is Oz is looking forward to a white Xmas?

My wife, a european, used to remark that Thanksgiving was great, because Christmas couldn't start until after it. She is used to it starting arouund the end of october. This year, she noted "Christmas is like at home this year"

Good going Nordstorm.

I was at a new Macy's in Illinois, and saw Christmas wreaths up in July. No jokes. Good for Nordstrom's, for refusing to be muscled into Christmas.

@yahonza: My, you must be a young'n. (Or very unobservant). Sorry, but it's getting earlier. In my youth, Christmas Crap came out around Thanksgiving, and we complained that that was too early. Now, it comes out around Halloween. My calendar tells me that Halloween comes before Thanksgiving.

Wegmans, yes the "venerable" Wegmans, had all of their Xmas stuff up at the front of their stores the first week of October. They had a sign out for a few days (I only saw it once) that said something like they "respect the rights of people to shop early for the holidays" and "apologize for any inconvenience."

Really?! Who shops for a fake christmas tree and lights on Oct 2nd? WHO?!

THERE IS NO CHRISTMAS CREEP!

The Christmas holiday retail marketing pattern has been exactly the same forever, IT IS NOT GETTING EARLIER EVERY YEAR.

Yay for Nordstrom! I honestly haven't shopped there for two decades. This might get me back into their stores. (That is, if we had a Nordstrom in our city.)

I wish this was more common. One of the DC radio stations is alreay all Christmas, all the time. It's just too much

But for the average person, they may see that sign and think... WTF? Why did I see Christmas decorations at Macy's before Halloween? Some shoppers may be wondering if Nordstrom is anti-Christmas since they don't have decorations up. This sign clear states their position and their reasoning- which most anyone could agree with.

In my opinion Nordstrom is raising awareness of Christmas creep- commendable indeed!

Do I see spam? KILL IT! YARGGHHHH!

@loueloui: Funny, I liked working for Wal-Mart. Of course, Oklahoma doesn't have a Nordstroms. Or a Costco for that matter.

Yay Nordstroms! I know their promoting the fact that they're not promoting Christmas early is just smooth marketing, but since I agree with it, I don't mind at all.

Seriously, as much as retailers try to promote Christmas way ahead of time, as to override other holidays, people seriously don't have money to spend. The economy really sucks right now (relatively speaking, as in prices for everything has gone up to hell and our incomes haven't matched them for quite a while) and after the loan meltdown, that puts even normally capable people in the hole too. Better keep everything in red and pray for a better economy in due time.

@DallasDMD:

Seconded. Also,

Good for Nordstrom's !

I think it is a wonderful idea. I have never been to any of their stores because there just aren't any in my area. However I'm going to make a special trip just to show my appreciation.

Eventually the marketing idiots are never going to take the Christmas stuff down. I resent having Christmas shoved down my throat at any cost. What will they do next year? Just have all of the staff lying prostrate on the ground? Enough is enough.

I am always disappointed how the unwashed masses just buy indiscriminately. By purchasing an item from a store which does not respect its customers you are furthering the problem of bad retailing. Everyone complains about how lousy Wal-mart treats its employees, loots good American jobs, and destroys local economies, and then they load up the SUV, with made in China garbage.

Think before you buy.

You people would bitch you were hung with a new rope.

I am going to make an effort to purchase at least one item from them. Maybe, just maybe other retailers will see that you don't have to start Christmas before Halloween.

Poorly done, Nordstroms. Poorly done.

Nordstrom has never put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. They also have one of the most liberal return policies in retail. They go above and beyond the call of duty for their customers. More stores should model themselves after the Company.

This is Nordstroms way of saying that they did not order their Christmas merchandise from the suppliers early enough.

I am sick of Christmas Creep Creep!

Its ten times more annoying than the supposed "Christmas Creep" we are all so farging oppressed by.