Comments for Target Is Apparently Aware Christmas Isn't Anytime Soon

Target Is Apparently Aware Christmas Isn't Anytime Soon

2008-09-20T18:00:44Z

Back to school supplies? Halloween decorations? Depressing! Instead, focus on the distant future with this grossly unseasonal timepiece, a perfect gift for oblivious retail merchandisers and the counting impaired. Thanks, Target! (and Heather!)

Comment from SeeratHelva on 2008-09-26

2008-09-27T03:08:14Z

Come on, don't blame the atheists. I've seen so called "Christians" doing horrible things. YOU are the one that makes it a materialistic holiday for yourself. Do YOU have enough self control to resist? Then resist buying anything for the holiday, and let everyone else worry about their own lives.

Comment from mrearly2 on 2008-09-23

2008-09-24T04:51:44Z

@johnnya2:
Atheism is illogical.

Comment from ChuckECheese on 2008-09-22

2008-09-22T10:04:07Z

@Triborough:

A donation has been made in your name to the Human Fund.
Money for people.

Have a very humanitarian holiday and a solipsistic new year.

Comment from thelushie on 2008-09-21

2008-09-22T03:45:44Z

@johnnya2: Knock off the dissing of religion. You give all reasonable atheists a bad name.

Comment from johnnya2 on 2008-09-21

2008-09-21T21:05:08Z

@no.no.notorious: Christians spend far more of their times worrying about what other people do in their bedrooms and starting wars to worry about that, but like I said, I don't care how a store decides to decorate itself. Christmas is a marketing ploy the same as Valentines Day, Halloween, New Years, Easter, Sweetest Day, Fourth of July, etc etc

Comment from Maglet on 2008-09-21

2008-09-21T19:05:27Z

Bah... I can certainly do without trying to pick out a snowman and a doe for my lawn while wearing shorts and a tank top. I totally bought that snowman though. Sure, I'm disgusted because (a) I bought lawn decoration and (b) it's still warm out.

That was at Lowe's, btw. I have seen Christmas decorations everywhere else though--it comes earlier and earlier every year! Next year, the Christmas stuff will be out in June.

Comment from bobjr94 on 2008-09-21

2008-09-21T10:30:12Z

Our local $ store started putting xmas stuff on the shelves in July, then walmart & rite aid in Aug. Then it stays out until Feb on clearance. Who says xmas only comes once a year, xmas is here for 8 months a year with out even looking hard.

Comment from no.no.notorious on 2008-09-21

2008-09-21T09:52:16Z

@johnnya2: omg! you're an atheist! i totally get it! you're soooooo clever i wish i knew you in person.

it's atheists that have turned it into the materialistic season it is today. i've worked many retail jobs during the season and i can PROMISE you that the adults throwing temper tantrums over petty things were not Christians. (i.e. my son wants this color...my daughter wants this particular bratz doll)

i'm almost positive that a Christian was not responsible for the hanging/authorizing of that sign.

Comment from Triborough on 2008-09-21

2008-09-21T06:48:51Z

Quite simply we all need to stop giving gifts purchased at stores for Christmas. That will stop the nonsense.
A donation has been made in your name to the Human Fund.
Money for people.

Comment from Git Em SteveDave loves this guy--> on 2008-09-21

2008-09-21T05:42:19Z

@snoop-blog: Then I'd have to buy a whole new wardrobe and get mini-figs that match the season. Too much work.

Comment from BiZarRroBALlmeR on 2008-09-20

2008-09-21T04:36:11Z

Just leave it up year 'round, and reset it the day after Christmas.

Comment from ChuckECheese on 2008-09-20

2008-09-21T03:23:14Z

The retail center my brother works at in suburban Phoenix AZ has already installed outdoor Xmas decor and lights. I've asked him to take some evening photos of the place lit up in the 100-degree heat.

Comment from West Coast Secessionist on 2008-09-20

2008-09-21T03:00:41Z

@johnnya2: Hear, hear!

Comment from EricLecarde on 2008-09-20

2008-09-21T02:13:48Z

I've already started buying Christmas gifts. With a large family to shop for, its easier on the wallet to do it now than the last 2 weeks of the year when there is nothing on the shelves.

Besides, Christmas "sales" are just a ploy. I've worked retail before (Best Buy, Sears), and the so called "Christmas Specials" were the same price during the sale as they were before the sale. I could remember thinking,"These 30 dollar dvd players have been around for months, why are people just all of a sudden jumping on them now?" Occassionally, you'll have a great sale that will come along, but given the circumstances, after Christmas those items will stay the same price.

Comment from JoseRZ on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T23:25:49Z

Head down to Kohl's they have everything set up for x-mas in their seasonal area(Corpus Christi,Texas currently 86 degrees out). Trees, ornaments, and those little ceramic house that play music. Crazy but if people did not buy it they would not set it out.

Comment from johnnya2 on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T22:54:03Z

Last Saturday I walked into Macys and the crew was in the process of doing holiday decorating. Not surprising, but nothing to get upset about. As an atheist I don't care if its one day or 360 days til you worship things that are not real like santa claus and a guy who walked on water, had a mother who was a virgin, and died, but came back to life three days later. I outgrew believing in that stuff at 6.

Comment from Onouris on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T22:48:10Z

What's the problem here? Christmas is awesome, and the stuff is probably really cheap at the moment.

Comment from csyria on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T22:41:51Z

@mbz32190: Isn't it fair to expect that Sears has only sold enough over the past year that they've had to use the Merry Christmas bags for the past 9 months?

Comment from mbz32190 on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T22:25:41Z

Doesn't surprise me...I bought something from Sears 2 days ago (yes, Sears, but thats another story) and the bag says "Merry Christmas" on it. I don't know if they're using old stock or what, but it didn't seem lke it.

Comment from Ben_Q2 on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T21:56:08Z

Christmas is over for me. All my business for this year starts in May and ends in July. At one point I used to have all kinds of holiday stuff till my ex-XXnt took it all. Now I just give my kid money and let her buy what she wants.

Comment from BiZarRroBALlmeR on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T21:54:43Z

Where's the cat pic?

Comment from Ragman on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T21:37:58Z

@Antediluvian: "But they could use it as a counter SINCE Christmas for 100 days, or 88 if you include the 12 Days of Christmas. Then flip it over to hex and count down until the next one."
Yeah, I can see it now. "It's been XX days since Christmas. You failed to get your child the hot toy of season. Buy it now and salvage what little childhood innocence your child has left. While you're at it, buy gifts for next Christmas as well, if you want your child to still love you, you poor excuse of a parent. Thank you for shopping at Target."

Comment from nt0xik8ed on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T21:28:03Z

christmas is for suckers. what's it about again, who gets the bestest present?

Comment from Ragman on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T21:26:23Z

@snoop-blog:I realized I'm anticipating Thanksgiving dinner and Black Friday deals more than Christmas right now.

I am also glad that there are only two digits for the day on that stupid sign. Hex would be funny, if only to see the confused reactions on people's faces.

Can we get a federal law passed that limits Christmas countdowns to two decimal digits that must be no greater than the industry average credit card grace period?

Comment from FLConsumer on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T21:13:16Z

I saw in Target last night and saw the Christmas Crap right underneath the Halloween banners of Domo-Kun.

Also, what's the deal with using Domo-Kun for Halloween? Especially without pictures of kittens? I think I'll add pictures of kittens to their in-store signs the next time I'm in there.

Comment from halo969 on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T21:07:46Z

By the time Christmas actually arrives, I'm done with the holiday. It starts in September with the stores and ends in March when people finally take their damn lights down (or at least turn them off). I do not need 7 months of a holiday (unless it's Thanksgiving). ;)

Comment from nicemarmot617 on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T20:52:38Z

As long as I don't have to hear any goddamn Christmas music, I'm fine with this. It's the incessant overuse of the - what is it, a total of a dozen common carols - Christmas music is about 50% of what has led me to despise Christmas entirely.

Comment from 3eyes on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T20:40:41Z

@sw4383: That's because there was over 100 days til Christmas and they didn't have room on the sign to keep track of that much time left.

Comment from Antediluvian on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T20:40:17Z

Well, at least they can't put this sign up any earlier than April 14, and that's assuming it displays in hex (FF = 255 days before Christmas is April 14 by my math). So there could be 100 days WITHOUT a countdown to Christmas.

But they could use it as a counter SINCE Christmas for 100 days, or 88 if you include the 12 Days of Christmas. Then flip it over to hex and count down until the next one.

I think what offends me most about this sign is it looks so damn cheesy. It's like it was designed by a first year design school dropout.

Comment from snoop-blog on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T20:08:41Z

@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->: You should totally put your avatar on the cards!!!

Comment from Git Em SteveDave loves this guy--> on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T20:06:31Z

Damn, this reminds me I still have bottles of Christmas wine I didn't send out for Christmas '07. I also have to get on making my cards.

Comment from snoop-blog on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T19:42:59Z

You know you're not a kid anymore when you like Thanksgiving more than x-mas. Mmmmm Thanksgiving...

Comment from lol_wut on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T19:39:43Z

I saw that Christmas Countdown thing in the Target near me in St. Louis. It wasn't turned on, though, it just said Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho on the display. This was like a week or so ago.

Comment from BeeBoo on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T19:30:20Z

@snoop-blog: I'm with you and have basically stopped buying and giving Christmas presents.

Why? Primarily, everyone I know has too much stuff and is trying to get rid of it. I am tired of holidays being nothing more than consumption and consumerism. That photo summarizes the problem: Christmas is a shopping event with red and green decorations and a deadline.

Either I give something I make (food) or a card and a donation in their name to a charity of their choice. (Yes, I ask them.) There are plenty of people who had rather see the humane society or their university or church food pantry get a donation rather than receive another something they don't want or need.

For birthdays and other times when I need or want to give a gift, it is either a CD I know that they would like to have (yes, I ask!) or a gift certificate for the iTunes store if it is a surprise party.

If I had kids, I would restrict their gift-getting severely. I know people who have houses where almost every horizontal surface is covered with childrens' toys, games, books, clothes, etc. It makes me sick to my stomach. The children are worse for it.

Comment from sleepydumbdude on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T19:29:45Z

I am so glad that I don't work in retail. Those holiday noise makers are so annoying. I also hate when the update the music to holiday music in stores.

Comment from DigitalMariner on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T19:17:12Z

I've had so many customers asking me when I'll be getting holiday CDs and DVDs that I'm tempted to start ordering them this week. And that makes me feel all kinds of dirty inside. But sales are down so why shouldn't I give the people what they want???

Who knows, maybe my store will end up on the Consumerist in a few weeks.

Comment from snoop-blog on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T19:16:23Z

Because of the pinch on my budget, this year I'm baking everybody x-mas cookies from scratch. I'll buy a box of cheap christmas cards and be done with it already.

Comment from no.no.notorious on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T19:14:14Z

@ChelseaCosta: ironically, wasn't target the store that was stern on saying "happy holidays" instead of "merry christmas?"

Comment from ChelseaCosta on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T19:06:43Z

Well, since the economy has been up and down (moreso down than up) this year, Target just wants to be "ahead of the game" and remind you that Christmas is still a time the kids look forward to. (Translation: Take me to your monies.)

Comment from Candace Parker's Secret Lover on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T18:36:13Z

Where's the Hanukkah sign? Damn anti-Semites...

Comment from GreatCaesarsGhost on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T18:24:08Z

Haven't we been through this? The standard for when it is appropriate to sell seasonal merchandise is whenever people will buy it.

Its interesting that people are buying christmas stuff this early, but I don't get why Consumerist is so bothered by it.

Comment from pmcpa2 on 2008-09-20

2008-09-20T18:20:24Z

This surprises any of us?