Canadians are pushing back against “holiday creep,” after eggnog and Christmas decorations started appearing on grocery store and retail shelves this week.
“It’s way too early,” shopper Jeremy Vandenbon told CTV Calgary, after spotting eggnog for sale at Safeway. “It’s not even Halloween yet and eggnog’s out.”
Shoppers at a Vancouver Costco were also irate about the Christmas lights, snowmen and other decorations that were recently put out on display.
“I hate Christmas until late December,” one shopper told CTV Vancouver.
“What’s Christmas stand for? Materialism or the good Lord?” another said.
However, one woman said she didn’t mind the early reminder about Christmas.
“it gives you that idea that, in the next few months, there’s going to be a big expense. I can start saving now,” she said.
Psychologist Joti Samra says that’s precisely why the “Christmas creep” can trigger such strong emotions.
“When we start to see this kind of heavy aggressive marketing that requires money… we get this kind of increased stress starting already,” she told CTV Vancouver.
Costco declined an interview request from CTV Vancouver. However, Safeway acknowledged rolling out its eggnog early, saying that the product was brought out in anticipation of Thanksgiving in October.
Marketing professor Patti Derbyshire says stocking eggnog early can have mixed results.
“The Christmas enthusiasts, they’ll be over the moon that they’ve got their eggnog earlier,” Derbyshire, of Mount Royal University, told CTV Calgary. “The recipe making can start earlier, the cocktails can start earlier.”
But she says customer backlash may lead to a lot of unused product because people either aren’t expecting to see it on the shelves, or are “choosing not to buy it because it’s just too soon.”
With files from CTV Calgary and CTV Vancouver
