Seasonal Retail Items

Today at work we began receiving Christmas And St. Patrick's items. And it's only early January. Valentine's Day hasn't even happened yet, and now these other holiday items are starting to arrive. I'm guessing this is true at other retail stores. I was at the Dollar Tree (where I once worked) while off yesterday and saw Easter and St. Pat's items there along with Valentine's. That got me wondering when Home Goods was going to get these holiday items. Sure enough many came in today, including signs with St. Patrick's logos and shamrocks. For Easter there were boxes of wooden Easter Eggs, rabbit figures and tubes of plastic eggs. There were also dinner wear items with St. Pat's and Easter designs. The linens with these designs should be too far behind. I'm not sure what holiday merchandise will arrive, as it seems to too early to be sending in the July 4th stuff in either February or March. April, at least will be three months ahead. Not a lot of items under the seasonal department number (47) came in last year, mostly kitchenware and linens. About the only Department 47 items we received for this holiday then were little mice (we get these for almost every holiday) in read, white and blue clothing, toting around mini USA flags. And believe it or not, Halloween merchandise arrives as early as Memorial Day or later--up to five months ahead of time! And--need I say it-- as soon as Halloween nears, in comes the Christmas stuff. I have yet to see other stores such as Wal-Mart, Target or Rite Aid, but I expect that next time I get to one of those I expect to see what's left of Valentines and to see some Easter and St. Patrick's (if they have things for that one).