Christmas is Coming - Updated 10-19-08
It’s Sooner Than You Think
There was a day when it was considered sacrilegious to even mention Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Well, like it or not, those days are over. Malls are decorated for Christmas long before the Thanksgiving feast begins.
Retailers that wait until Thanksgiving miss the opportunity to help their customers get a good jump on their shopping “chore”. No, it shouldn’t be seen as a “chore”, but the longer it is put off, the more of a chore it becomes.
Macy’s Ala Moana Gets It
Yes, people have started shopping. Retailers do their customers a big favor by giving them the tip to “start now”. A retailer told me today that she and some others had decided to pass on Christmas this year. I can’t think of a year where some added holiday shopping was more welcome than it will be this year.
Last minute shoppers face these challenges:
-The malls are crowded.
-The weather is bad.
-The merchandise is picked over.
-The prices are inflated.
People on the average have 25 people to shop for. The sooner they get started the more enjoyable it will be. Here are some things that you can do NOW to get the customers to start their Christmas shopping in your store TODAY.
Make a countdown sign.
Start Now, Say, “There are ONLY 65 Shopping Days left before Christmas.” Update it EVERY DAY. Go to iGoogle and get my Countdown Gadget. <<< Click There!
-Provide a wrapping station with paper, ribbons and cards.
-Start decorating now; small at first, and then go all out after Thanksgiving.
-Provide a printed shopping list to help people remember who they are going to be shopping for.
-Start the Christmas music playing right after Thanksgiving.
If you are in Hawaii remind customers that a gift from Hawaii will be the most unique gift under the tree.
Remember what they say about the early bird.
September 18th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Now I know that Ron has lost his marbles. Nobody wants to see Christmas come any earlier than it will anyway. I’d actually prefer that it never came again. At least if you wait until the snow is on the ground, a good shot of Christmas Cheer can warm your innards.
Go ahead; call me Scrooge, you won’t be the first.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:37 am
I never thought I’d agree with Reality Check, but gee, Ron . . . Christmas music already?! The holidays seem less special when they are spread out over a three-month period. I know you’re trying to help your retail clients, but . . . gag!
September 19th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Yep, that’s reality. I have used Ron’s countdown starting at 100 days before Christmas for five years now. My customers are shocked at first, but appreciate the heads up and thank me. They also start shopping. That saves them a lot of stress.
I do wait until Thanksgiving to start the music, but the malls in our town are all full blown Christmas even sooner than I am. I understand the dinosaur mentality that exists, but reality is real. If I don’t start the season early, the web will wipe me out. Get with it.
If you are my competitor, I urge you to wait until the last minute.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I’m with Pam and Reality Check. Dump it all together. Promoting sales through a religion is wrong. Not everyone is a Christian you know.
September 21st, 2008 at 10:19 am
Really deck the halls. Spread holiday cheer throughout your entire home with seasonal decorations, no matter what holiday you celebrate. Beautiful flowering plants, candles, tiny lights, and natural decorations don’t have to be associated with any one holiday unless you make them so. When you make a special effort to create beauty in your home or store, you set the stage for festivity, an authentic quality of Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, and Kwanzaa.
Read O. Henry’s Gift of the Magi or A Christmas Treasury by Jack Newcombe or 365 ways to Prepare for Christmas by David E. Monn with Marilyn J. Appleberg. Hold a Christmas classic-film fest. Share your blessings with a shelter for women or homeless.Find your star. Follow its Light. I you really want a star you can call your own, you can have one. Contact the International Star Registry, 34523 Wilson Road, Ingleside, Illinois 60041; 1-800 282 3333, watch it’s a Wonderful Life, get inspired, boost the economy, where’s your spirit? each day is a gift….Char
September 21st, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Yes; start now. Get Ron’s daily countdown gadget to Christmas on your iGoogle page and tell customers how many days are left. Make a countdown sign and keep it current. We have been doing this (starting at 100 days) since the first Christmas that Ron visited us. Customers love the reminder. They are shocked sometimes, but hey, time flies by pretty quickly. The sooner they start shopping the longer the season is. We want them shopping now before the snow starts falling.
September 21st, 2008 at 12:05 pm
OMG - Snow! I guess you are right, time does fly, wasn’t the start of summer just yesterday?
October 20th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Thanks for the added reminder Ron. It’s hard to believe that another 30 days have gone by since you first gave us this “heads Up.” We ARE reminding customers, and they ARE grateful and ARE buying. We are planning for a big holiday season.
Thanks again for all that you do.
October 20th, 2008 at 8:51 am
It’s so refreshing to see Christmas at the top of your Blog rather than politics. I think the election should be held in May so as not to take our attention away from the holidays.
We are counting down and people are happy for the reminder.
October 20th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Good Idea Ron!
Today, stopping into City Mill and Ross in Hawaii Kai for a couple of small items, it is obvious they are getting ready for Christmas shoppers.
It was stress free to choose a couple of items. There was plenty of merchandise, the stock was fresh and new, and there was even some Christmas music at City Mill playing in just that section.
Because it wasn’t overdone, the shopping experience was pleasant, without the usual Christmas panic. I found good parking and had minimal line wait time.
November 27th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Black Friday…
Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money. -Anon :o) Happy Holidays!…