Our lives being governed by the retail

Oh Nannyjan!
I have been rumbled!

sodapop Quote [ Ah yes Grandad1943 but do we actually want or need these things or have we been conned into thinking we do] End Quote.

sodapop, in our case we probably do? we have our three adult daughters and their husbands/partners and their four Grandchildren who all will be coming to us on Christmas day.

We then have my wife's brother and his family who always come to us for a day between Christmas and New Year.

It then always falls to me and my wife to obtain all Christmas Boxes for the now twenty-nine staff in the office which is usually a bottle of wine and/or chocolates to go along with their Quarterly Bonus.

So, there is quite amount to think about and we always start to obtain it all gradually starting about now, as like others we just cannot abide shopping malls in the last two weeks before Christmas.

Looking at this thread has started us thinking we may well find ourselves working out that Cristmas list today as we are both on a day off. ?

lemongrove go and stand in the corner facing the wall!

BradfordLass

No secret munching before C Grandad

Why anyone woukd want to buy school uniform or shoes in June puzzles me - children grow in the summer or rain.

Where's all the Hallowe'en tat?

Pumpkins not included in the tat category!

We don't start to plan Christmas until "the Scorpio birthdays" (husband and middle daughter) are over. We now have granddaughters born in September and October too so more autumn birthdays to help us put off the evil hour.

In with one thing out with another, when most of us are feeling in the now phase retailers are way ahead, it is annoying when for example you want to buy a summer top in August and half the stores are full of thicker autumn wear but that’s how they work I’m afraid, I’ve worked in retail all my life and ppl used to get so mad when coming in to buy swimwear in August and none available: our particular retail didn’t seem to understand that ppl need swimwear all year round

Me too

When I worked with families who were really struggling to make ends meet they needed to start purchasing one (or two) school uniform item(s) a week over the summer if their children were going to have a uniform in September. They found it really hard to just save the money up when the electricity was running out but could just about manage if it was bought as soon as their wages or benefits came in.
Obviously they would buy from, say, ASDA rather than John Lewis - but if other places have the "back to school" stuff out in June you can be sure JL etc will too.

When I see it in the stores, although I hate it, I'm always reminded how fortunate I am.

Christmas cards are out in Card Factory !
I used to think that was great when I used to send cards to Australia by surface mail that used to take weeks to get there but at least a lot cheaper than air!
Now there is no surface mail, the last time I posted the cards in September (as you used to have to) they arrived the second week of October ! I was getting messages to say thank you for the card, I'll put it away until nearer the time!
How did we cope when the Christmas stuff didn't appear until November ? My mum used to put a certain amount away each week to pay for Christmas presents. The year before she died, she got organised (or so she thought) and bought several presents for the GGC only to find that they were no longer interested in them when Christmas arrived !

Maybe they're getting in quick before the uncertainty of Brexit! There'll be a run on choc if stocks start to get short.

PS Hot cross buns are available all year round in my experience.

Where I live there is a Christmas shop selling all sorts of Christmas things year round, including tree ornaments and lights. When I lived in Vancouver there were 2 Christmas shops and they were always busy.
At least we don't get those ghastly green balls (brussels sprouts) at the wrong time of year.

cynical comment coming...

I think the tinned biscuits/chocs etc are left over stock from last year!

However, wish my gks would think earlier for Christmas,,, they never give me their list and links (I have to buy online now) till the last minute.. I do like my Christmas presents well in before the Christmas postal delay.

anyone else noticed how Royal Mail can deliver much quicker other than Christmas time?

The supermarkets get all those seasonal items in early as if you buy from one you have taken trade from another. Eg Tesco has sweets in now, you think oh I'll start getting ready for Christmas and look! they are on special offer what a bargain. You buy now therefore taking the trade from another store. The stuff for Christmas was probably ordered last summer and produced last Christmas. We are all subjected to the marketing gurus.

Our summer holiday to Lanzarote starts Aug 29th. I can't find shorts in any of the shops.

Its ridiculous and I think reflects society’s inability to focus on the moment....we’ve always got to be looking ahead to the next thing and I think it breeds anxiety and discontent. Last year I made a concerted effort to ignore, more than I usually do, all the early Xmas hype etc., and it was a whole lot more enjoyable.

I was appalled to learn yesterday that it is only 130+ days away!

If everyone refused to buy anything Christmassy till December, the shops wouldn't do this, would they, so we all only have themselves to blame.
I do buy presents throughout the year, if I see any bargains, but refuse to look at real Christmas items until after the dust has settled on my birthday in mid November

Should be-ourselves, not themselves! Whoops, incorrect use of pronoun!!

If Brexit really does interrupt the food supply badly, you could give all your friends and relatives as presents a pound of sausages each.

You could stock up on them now and then by Christmas they could be a really valuable present, much appreciated. ?

Oh b1zzle - Christmas is only 130 days away and I am not ready!
Now I am in a panic

Thinking about it, you could also aad few rashers of rationed or black market bacon to go with the sausages.?

And with it being oh so easy to (mindlessly) whack the cost onto the plastic then it'll sell too!

The retailers are in a win-win situation - the consumer are the losers, especially when the credit card statement comes whizzing through the letterbox.

"I can't have spent that much......!"

As children in the 60’s we all got excited about Easter because hot cross buns and Cadburys Creme Eggs appeared and disappeared! Christmas was about tins of Quality Street, ( stealing triangles) and seeing the tree decorations you hadn’t seen for a year! What do children have to get excited about these days when everything is available 24/7/365 days. Becoming rich at Fortnite, flying to Lapland, or getting a new iPhone for Xmas? We learned to get excited about the small things. I still am.

If daft people didn't buy Christmas sweets in August they wouldn't put them out.
Blame the customers! The retailers will only do what works to get them more sales.
I know someone who does all her Christmas shopping in the January sales. Makes me wonder of she ever buys anything her family actually WANT!

You can stay away from the shops and order in just what you need (then they just can't get to you).