dr_phil_physics | Oh Deer Gawd

Sigh... Will It Never End?

First it was Christmas displays starting to be assembled in stores around Labor Day -- and yes that included dates in August. Then we had Christmas stuff crowding out Halloween candy and costumes. And tons of advertising and sale flyers during November. Finally we get to Black Friday, the go-shopping-for-one-of-three-bargains-at-a-big-box-store-at-4am the day after Thanksgiving, followed inexorably by Cyber Monday, whereupon the online stores which to make the Internet crawl and bring office productivity to negative numbers on the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Now we have... Deer Season starting this weekend before Christmas.

From the Grand Rapids Press:

"Deer season" begins Saturday, in retail speak.

That’s when the most reluctant shoppers begin venturing into stores with what Kimberly Smith calls that “deer in the headlights look,” foraging for gifts.

Okay, I Get It

I certainly understand the sentiment that not every one is a shopper or a bargain hunter, that many people (many of us? grin) put off Christmas shopping until the last minute and that it is easy to be clueless as to what to get for people. So putting on extra staff in boutique shops to add last-minute and less-than-clueful customers certainly makes sense. And I also understand all the basic economics -- retail stores depend heavily on Christmas sales to make their years and 2010 as a business year has mostly royally sucked -- so savvy retailers need to do what they can to survive. I understand, even sympathize. I worked Christmas retail at Carolina Camera Center at Friendley Shopping Center for a number of years. It's busy.

It's just that my inner Grinch is rebelling at Yet Another Cutesy Christmas Shopping Day Term. Deer Season. Get it. Funny. Once. Ha.

Can we move on, please?

Dr. Phil