Retailers Keep Moving The Christmas Season Up And Some Customers Aren't Happy

The Daily Meal Staff|Oct. 25, 2014 1:21 am EST

BURBANK (CBSLA.com) — Thanksgiving used to be the unofficial start of the Christmas rush.

Now many retailers are putting the rush on the season of giving and bringing out the Christmas fare before Halloween.

Bobby Kaple reporting for KCAL9 found Friday that not everyone was thrilled with retailers decking the halls with boughs of holly — while Jack O'Lanterns are still on shelves.

Kaple said the Christmas creep is everywhere.

Sky9 spotted a 96-foot tree just put up at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. A tree also just went up at the Citadel Outlets, where their tree — 115 feet tall and billed as the world's tallest cut tree — is already up right next to a giant bow.

"I was just at the Rite Aid and they had all this Christmas stuff and I was like, two holidays away?," said shopper Breanna Martin.

Kaple asked the shopper what she thought of this rush to start Christmas.

"I thought it was ridiculous!" Martin said.

Like it or not, Christmas decorations are pretty much the norm. They've been in Costco for days — all over you can find trees, candy canes and Santa Claus.

"The retailers have to try and one up each other," says Lars Perner, USC Assistant Professor of Marketing.

He knows why the stores are shoring up their Christmas wares.

"There is a great benefit in trying to preempt people from buying from their competitors," he says, "so you need to get your holiday merchandise before they do."

At the Lowe's in Burbank, the Halloween section about 1/100th of the Christmas section. In fact, Kaple reports, the Halloween merchandise is already being marked to clear — a full week before Oct. 31st.

"If they come in here looking for other stuff and they may not have Christmas stuff on their mind yet, but it will be, it may just kick in just to buy something," says Juan Rodriguez of Lowe's.

Kaple reported if you want to avoid the Christmas rush, head to Nordstrom — that store said they won't put up Christmas decorations until the day after Thanksgiving.