Christmas in September? 14 Percent Have Already Started Shopping

Say it ain't so.

Mirelle/Shutterstock

Mirelle/Shutterstock

Christmas seems to come earlier and earlier every year. Last year I saw a Christmas commercial before Halloween. (Before Halloween!) Corporations, I know Christmas is your biggest opportunity to sell things we probably don’t need, but at least wait until it’s cold outside to start your Christmas promotions. It’s going to be 88 degrees in Philly today!

But some Americans would disagree with me. A new poll by CreditCards.com found that 14 percent of consumers have already started their Christmas shopping. If extrapolated to the American populace, that would mean 32 million Americans have begun shopping. What’s more, 2 percent — or 4.6 million consumers — are already finished their Christmas shopping. Wow.

Still, plenty of Americans refuse to shop for holiday presents during the summer or fall. More than half (55 percent) won’t finish until sometime in December, and one-in-five won’t be done until Christmas Eve. (If you see me with a deer-in-the-headlights look at the Franklin Mills Mall on December 24, say hi!)

But maybe those retail promotions starting earlier and earlier do have a some value for consumers. Almost one-quarter, 23 percent of consumers, will finish their holiday shopping by the end of November. Good for them, I’ll just wait until the last minute like always.