'Christmas creep' has retailers seeing dollar signs and shoppers feeling anxious
ROBINSON, Pa. (KDKA) — Toss that pumpkin-flavored latte in the trash, because it's time for twinkly lights and oversized reindeer.
That is what some big box stores want people to believe. It is called the "Christmas creep," and it has arrived.
"I'm trying to shop for Halloween animatronics," Jamie Hails of Avalon said. "Not shopping for Christmas trees."
Hails needed some hay for her Halloween pumpkins on Wednesday and insisted, she got slapped by the "Christmas creep," which is when big box retailers put out holiday decorations earlier each year.
Point Park Professor Elaine Luther said retailers see dollar signs.
"They're trying to get there first before each of their competitors and they're expanding the season from two months to four months. And it just takes away from the specialness of it," the business professor said.
The early arrival of all things warm and cozy, while we're still wearing shorts, can cause anxiety. That's why Dr. Gary Swanson says do some self-talk.
"You have to sort of have a little inner dialogue with yourself reminding yourself about what you're doing well, what your plans are and that your plans will still work," said Swanson, an Allegheny Health Network child and adolescent psychiatrist.
He said don't let the "Christmas creep" spark panic buys or change your habits.
"You can choose to not do that," Swanson said. "I'm not gonna buy any pumpkin spice lattes for another few weeks. I'm gonna wait on that. October is when I drink pumpkin spice, not September, not even August."
Because Luther says we don't even know if the "Christmas creep" will work again this year.
"So, they shifted 10 percentage points of people to go earlier," Luther said. "That is a significant move. But that also could have been they were just coming off COVID and couldn't wait to go shopping."
