Retailers have completely lost their minds when it comes to the calendar. They simply cannot leave well enough alone. The moment one season hints at ending, the floor managers panic and throw everything at the customer all at once.Summer officially ended yesterday afternoon around five o'clock. By this morning, Walmart was practically throwing warm-weather gear out the door. Solid plastic picnic plates, bowls, and cups were marked down to a mere ten cents each, stacked in towering piles right up to the ceiling on the shelves. It looked ridiculous. I managed to walk out with a decent Chinese oscillating fan for nine dollars, which felt like a victory, even if it was just being tossed aside to clear floor space.
The real absurdity is what they think belongs on the shelves right now. Canadian Thanksgiving is October 12th, but apparently that is not enough excitement. The staff were shoving stock out for Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas all at the exact same time. It is only the third week of September.
Walking through the aisles, you have turkeys, plastic skeletons, and Christmas tinsel staring at you in one single view. Most of it is cheap, useless rubbish designed to sit around for a week before getting tossed out. People are expected to buy winter holiday junk while the afternoon sun is still warming the pavement outside. It is complete nonsense, but retail marches on anyway.