Rant about shops

[kags]

This is more of a rant than a question - I have just been to buy shorts and sandals for my daughter for our holiday, only to discover that there are no summer clothes left, all I could buy were long sleeved tops, and winter shoes. It is the start of August for goodness sakes.No doubt there will be plenty of shorts on sale in January (but no gloves and scarves). Does anybody else think the retail world has gone mad?

[coggles]

Couldn't you even find some shorts with reindeer on? Surely the shops must have loads of Christmas things in by now ; ) I am with you completely on this one Kags.

[trionam]

I am so glad you asked this, same thing happened to me this weekend am going away end of august couldnt find anything except for a few tops left over from the sales, trying to get a bikini was impossible will probably have to buy one at the airport.I wish the retail world you cop on and realise people want to buy summer clothes in the summer and we certainly dont want to see christmas stuff in septembe/october.I could rant on forever about this. but I'll shut up now.

[andy hughes]

Yep, me too Kags. The whole retail industry is two or three months ahead of reality - 'back sto school' stuff in August, Christmas stuff in November, and as you say, summer stuff gone by August. On the basis that shops are in business to make money, and this trend is used by the major chain stores, it must suit the majority of shoppers, although not yourself, or coggles, or myself, or a few dozen others who will no doubt add their agreement in the next few days.

[number8]

During my impoverished student days, I supplemented my grant (yes, we use to get them back then!) by working the night shift at Safeway's. The warehouse would begin getting Christmas stock in by August, with a view to putting it out by mid-late September. As soon as January arrived, the Easter Eggs began arriving.

[Casey]

don't say that, i was going to go holiday clothes shopping next week! It has gone mad it's ridiculous. Then when you want nice warm clothes for winter, all you can buy is skimpy little summer tops!

[flirty41]

Totally agree, kags! The world's gone mad! Argos have their 'Winter' catalogue out now, so anything remotely 'summery' is now unavailable. I saw Xmas deccies in Woolworths about 3 weeks ago. Easter eggs are available in February. Why can't we buy things when we want them? Why should we have to think in April or May that we might have a blazing hot summer come August and get our t-shirts/bikinis then? It's absolutely ridiculous! Not sure what we can do about it though!

[smudge]

Yes, I totally agree with you Kags. The world IS going mad! There were still some summer things in Asda today though.

[Toffee]

Just to put a different slant on things, Ive a daughter who's been working in Antarctica for nearly two years and won't be back until next year. It's mid-winter down there now, and we've been trying to put together a 20kg. box for shipping and have had to include Xmas presents. It's been frustrating that there have not been enough Xmassy things in the shops! In any other circumstances I'd agree with everyone else.

[jakesi]

Who actually buys Xmas stuff in summer and easter eggs in February? come own up, tell us why?

[Ewood27]

"You're the twentieth person I've told today - there's no demand!"

[enigma]

Yeah , it is a bit nutty. On the plus side though , I feel that our summers are starting a lot later now - best weather in August ( or at least where I am in Scotland anyway and let's face it we're not renowned for geting the best weather. Why , even Billy Connolly has joked about his natural skin colour being blue and turning white in sunny weather ! )and this means that when the shops are getting rid of their summer stock around mid to late july , I can pick up clothes for my kids , hubby and I for next to nothing - which is great when you have young little muckmonsters like I have who go through clothes at a fast rate of noughts with various embedded stains and tears in them through daredevil stunts on bikes ! I absoultely refuse to do my Christmas shopping just now though just because the shops are starting to fill up with new stock. A friend of mine starts her shopping in January and buys a little bit every month over the course of the year. Where's the fun in that ? There's something to be said about shopping in the last minute run up , feeling drained , screaming , pouty kids by your side whining about everything under the sun , regretting that you didn't leave them with someone to babysit , fighting your way through endless queues of equally harrassed parents on the quest for the new "must have " toy and nearly passing out with the heat in stores - staring at the now serving screen displaying the message "now serving no 65 ..... when you're number is 95 !!!! As you have probably guessed i'm not really a lover of Christmas shopping and make a New Year's resolution every year to be more organised but sadly never stick to it. Maybe this year though ( hopefully ! )