The clock had barely ticked past midnight on November 1 and several retailers, in announcing holiday season sales, were tripping over themselves like Black Friday shoppers trying to buy a new television.
Yes, Black Friday sales were starting on the first Wednesday in November. The Great Pumpkin had been given its 15 minutes on Halloween and was quickly pushed aside as the retail focus head-snappingly turned to the holiday season.
It was with some bemusement that I paged through the corporate releases and press accounts of how retailers were beginning their annual grab for a share of consumer’s holiday season dollars.
Not surprisingly, Walmart and Amazon were among the first to shed light on the steals and deals each would be offered in the lead up to December 25. Throughout the year, the two retail giants have been jousting with one another trying to outdo the other with a continual barrage of new initiatives to help consumers more easily get their purchases home.
Of particular note during the early hours of the 2017 Holiday Shopping Season was the effort made by Sears and Kmart to join the fray. While parent company, Sears Holdings, made no formal announcement about its sales, the retailer did broadcast its “Holiday Blowout” on the Sears and Kmart websites.
Historically, holiday blowouts started December 26 when retailers were looking to shed inventory and make room for new merchandise for the coming year. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.
In a CNBC article regarding Sears’ early holiday efforts, a Sears spokesperson was quoted as saying the retailer’s shoppers wanted four things for the holidays: extra time, added customer service, more freebies and the whole store on sale.
The whole store? Too bad shoppers didn’t ask for the whole store to be free. That would be a sale worth tripping over.
