The Saturday after the Fourth of July, I walked into Walmart with my kids to pick up a few things. Imagine my surprise to find school supplies in a prominent display!
Really? Can the kids have most of summer before worrying about back to school?
This phenomenon is not just limited to school sales though. While shopping for Halloween costumes a couple weeks ago, Walmart and Target both had a Christmas aisle up already!
Wouldn’t it be nice to hurdle one holiday at a time? I’m sure that as you’re returning a gift you got for Christmas that doesn’t fit, you’ll see the changeover to Valentine’s Day in progress.
If I were running for office, part of my platform would involve this concept: one holiday/event at a time! Once Halloween is done, I don’t mind seeing things for Thanksgiving; after Thanksgiving Christmas material is acceptable.
In our house, we decorate for Christmas during the weekend following Thanksgiving. Having Christmas decorations up for more than a month in advance seems like overkill.
The same problem occurs with clothing stores. Having children who go through growth spurts can be frustrating.
When Jayna outgrows her swimsuit that fit in May by July or Anton needs a new winter jacket in February, do you suppose we can locate some? Chances are slim. In July, the fall fashions are on the rack, and in February, I’ll probably find the swimsuit that Jayna needed the past year!
The reason for this from the stores is they don’t want to be stuck with overstock. Will winter jackets for seven-year-olds really go out of style by the next year if you’ve got an extra case in back? Everything comes back around again eventually, but many stores lose potential sales from people like me who have growing children.
Here’s my idea: a store called In Season where the only items for sale are those for that particular season, with a smattering of things for the upcoming season. You will always find winter jackets until the snow melts. Swimsuits will be available until Labor Day. And there will be absolutely NO Christmas decorations until the day after Thanksgiving (which is when everyone goes shopping anyway)! If anyone wants to invest, I’m willing to listen!
One aside before this week’s column is done. As you read a couple weeks ago in this very paper, the churches in Ellendale and Geneva are running a food drive, with representatives from each church putting their hair color up for charity.
I’m representing St. Aidan’s and hope enough is given that I’ll have to have my hair colored on November 3. There will be containers in each church, but I’ll also have one in my classroom so if my students who don’t attend church in Ellendale or Geneva would like to take part and see their English teacher with something different from brown with flecks of gray, I’ll take any donations of food or cash. I’ll take donations at school until Nov. 1. Let’s fight hunger here at home!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is remonstrate, which means to speak in opposition of something, such as, “The political candidate planned to remonstrate every point his opponent made in the debate.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!