So the other day, the 18th, my roommate and I went to Kroger. For those who don't know, Kroger is major chain of grocery stores. While we were there, I made her go down the seasonal isle and was angry to find that they had removed most of the stuff from it already. Found out they've been removing candy and stuff from there since the 10th. Really? We have to put up with Christmas stuff before Halloween and it's not even a week before and they were pulling the Christmas stuff? the Easter candy is already out. the roommate went to Wal Mart yesterday to find the same thing.
Now I'm not into the major religions, as mentioned elsewhere, I consider myself a Chocolatarian. I celebrate candy in all it's forms. How am I to celebrate the day of the fat chocolate guy, if they are already celebrating the chocolate giving rabbit day? I mean I had a hard time getting large bags of candy for scary candy day, a week before it happened. Why can't we just remove the holiday stuff, AFTER the holiday has passed. Thank god for Wal-Green's (a pharmacy store). They still had my favorite, peppermint flavored, dark chocolate covered cherries.
Comments
It's all about
maximising profit margins, remember we are no longer citizens we're consumers, so not only are we shafted by government for taxes on everything from breathing to having a poo, we're also stiffed by retailers/maufacturers/advertisers etc.
Peppermint flavoured dark chocolate covered cherries! Give me a Mars bar anyday.
Angharad
A self confessed chocoholic.
Angharad
We're not even citizens ...
... Ang, we're subjects, you and me, of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2nd. or Mrs Windsor as she's sometimes known :)
As I almost never enter supermarkets after I relinquished the shopping duties to SWMBO (at her command, I might add) I haven't noticed the withdrawal of Christmas Fayre but it would be welcome if I still shopped for food. I hated the extra clutter in the aisles, to say nothing of the shelf re-organisation, which interfered with my high speed trolley manoeuvring for fast, efficient purchasing. I'd be surprised if it had happened here because Christmas Eve is a Saturday giving people several extra hours to buy more food not to eat (or overeat) over the holiday.
But then I have a lot in common with the Grinch and ignore Christmas as far as possible. What a relief, it'll all be over in a couple of weeks and sanity will return ;) At least, today is the solstice and the sun begins its return to the northern hemisphere.
Robi
solstice
is tomorrow - see Guardian website.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/dec/21/when-is-winter...
Angharad
Angharad
welll,
tomorrow morning between 5 and 6 UTC, making this night the longest of the year.
Pedant
;)
The Solstice
Varies a little from year to year, but generally is the 21st, more often than the 22nd. Something I'm aware of as today is my birthday (I'm 51 today.)
Yours,
JohnBobMead
Yours,
John Robert Mead
that's true for the past.
that's true for the past. but over time it will slowly slip over to earlier dates.
a graphic depiction of it is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gregoriancalendarleap.png
Trolley?
"...my high speed trolley manoeuvring for fast, efficient purchasing."
Eh, what? Isn't that supposed to be a man thing?
(...or did I just turn into an old fogey?)
Penny :)
Those wire basket things ...
... which, for reasons I've never quite fathomed, seem to have castors on each corner making them almost impossible to manoeuvre. I've always called them shopping trolleys, as have all the people I know. What do you call them?
I got so used to the layout in our local supermarket I could almost grab things off the shelves without looking once I'd discovered which were deemed 'suitable for vegetarians'.
Robi
Comprehension fail
"...my high speed trolley manoeuvring for fast, efficient purchasing."
Emphasis added. Duh, I know what a supermarket trolley is (which is not the same thing, by the way, as a shopping trolley!).
What I was referring to were your alleged elite skills steaming round the aisles doing Supermarket Sweep. I thought that was something that only men did. I know I don't do that, unless I'm only in there for one or two things we forgot last time round.
Penny
What is wrong with stores?
MONEY is answer
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
Merry Easter
Yeah, when I took the rental movies back to the corner store today, I noticed the easter cream eggs display instead. That raised my eyebrow a little.
Lisa "That's illogical, Captain" Danielle
Don't worry Halloween candy
Don't worry Halloween candy should be out in a week or two.
Actually, Out Here...
...in the SF Bay Area at least, we have the Valentine hearts to go through before we get to the Easter candy. (Which means 50%-off sales on Feb 15, and 75% off by the end of the month. Great if you like heart-shaped peanut butter cups, since they tend to stick around the longest. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.)
Anyway, Walgreens, Safeway, CVS, Target and Dollar Tree all still had lots of winter holiday candy on the sales floor as of Tuesday.
Actually, as far as the disappearing displays are concerned, the candy is probably a side casualty of there being comparatively little call for holiday home decorations, plastic wreaths, strands of colored lights, etc., this close to the day. (Gift wrap, yes, but unlike candy, that's usually large enough to sell directly from the carton rather than taking up shelf space.) Most large store chains negotiate deals where they can return full cases of such things to the manufacturers (who can sell them again next year, unlike candy) for a full refund. So they don't want to open new boxes and then have to sell whatever's left next week for half price or worse.
Which means -- especially since they probably have seasonal help right now that they'll be laying off before year's end -- that it's a good time to fill those in-and-out shelves with whatever comes next.
Eric
Advanced Sales Techniques?
I've always felt that Christmas should be kept to December myself. However, sales people don't agree with me. Some of the worst offenders are the mail order sales people, of course. A few years ago I received my first Christmas catalogue through the post on May 1st! Needless to say that went in the bin, unopened, and I suspect that that was a near universal response as I've never seen another catalogue by that company. I can understand companies starting promoting sales of seasonal items a few months ahead but, really, seven months in advance is a bit much.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.
John.