It is that time of year again when we must face “Christmas Creep.”
No, this “creep” does not refer to that “handsy” person who somehow crashed the office party. Christmas Creep is actually a blurring of the calendar by marketers who begin pushing Yuletide merchandise right after Halloween. Each year, it seems like the “festive season” starts earlier.
Nostalgia alert: Black Friday, which officially this year is November 29, was at one time the unofficial start of Christmas shopping season.
This year, stores began advertising “Black Friday” specials November 11.
The strategy behind Christmas Creep is that the sooner “fantastic, unbelievable, door-busting deals!” are promoted, the sooner consumers will part with their scarce and hard-earned disposable income. Of course, for most people, those with finite financial resources, “Christmas Creep” will merely mean they will run out of money in November rather than in December.
However, predicting spending patterns is not an exact science. One poll says Canadians will be Scrooge-like this year; another survey claims shoppers will splurge.
Meanwhile, as the Yuletide shopping season is extended, sales pitches, if they are badly timed or are just bad, can backfire. Advertisers are aware that overkill could lead to holiday fatigue. The “magic” of the season can wear off if one is repeatedly subjected to the same jingle, over and over again. How much peace and joy can a person stand?
The “holidays” can be anything you want them to be. For many, Christmas is still an important religious festival, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The season is steeped in long-held traditions, such as decorating evergreens, baking delicious unhealthy treats and donning wonderfully ugly sweaters.
Films such as “It’s A Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Carol” remain popular. And the soundtrack to Charlie Brown’s Christmas is great background music when making fruitcake. The movie “Die Hard,” the first version, is a must-see, no matter how many times it has re-run. You can have it all. Sing “Alleluia!” and deck the halls as you watch Bruce Willis take down another bad guy in the burning office tower.
Another custom, for some, is to complain that Christ has been taken out of Christmas, and has become too commercial.
Gift-giving remains a major part of “holidaying.” And local businesses rely heavily on sales at this time of year to make ends meet, and maybe turn a profit. Fortunately, consumers can find anything they want from our local businesses. Cue the “Shop Local” chorus. The “buy local” campaign is one that everyone supports.
Bias alert: We at Seaway News are not impartial on this topic, because we depend on advertising dollars from businesses to keep producing this paper and serving our community.
In preparing our Cornwall Living Wintertide magazine, which was published November 20, we were reminded of the quality and variety of goods and services offered by our local business people. While “Shop locally” has become a seasonal anthem, “mindful” is shaping up as a theme for this shopping season.
“Canadians are determined to celebrate, but they’re shopping more mindfully than ever,” says Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO of Retail Council of Canada.
With average holiday spending expected to hit $972, up by $74 from last year, 90 per cent of Canadians are carefully managing their budgets and actively seeking out deals amid ongoing inflation and rising costs, according to a poll conducted by the council and Leger 360.
In spite of that nagging inflation, 75 per cent of Canadians plan to maintain or increase their holiday budgets, according to the survey. But they are being careful, with 71 per cent adjusting gift-giving habits, buying fewer gifts, and zeroing in on the best deals.
Another poll, the BMO Real Financial Progress Index, finds that 79 per cent plan on cutting back on spending during the holiday season, 54 per cent “say thinking about holiday spending causes financial anxiety,” and, despite plans to scale-back their holiday spending, 63 per cent plan on giving back during the holiday season.
While they are tense and generous, shoppers also readily accept incurring debt. On average, Canadians believe it will take them three months to pay off their holiday bills. However, 21 per cent are not confident they will be able to pay off their holiday bills on time and 11 per cent are not sure when or if they will be able to pay off these bills, says the BMO poll.
Consumer studies consistently show that consumers love Black Friday, whenever it is, with about half of shoppers tagging it as the most important shopping day of the year. The retail council survey found that 62 per cent prefer in-store purchasing; 38 per cent are big on online shopping. But most consumers appreciate both the tactile in-store experience and the convenience of e-tail.
In a marketplace that is increasingly dominated by online giants, the key to success for any business is to carve out a niche, to offer something that cannot be found anywhere else. If you look around, you will see that local businesses are all, to use a well-used cliché, unique, in their own special way.
Certain experts who analyze sales strategies conclude that the Christmas Creep runs deeper than the pursuit of profits, that it points to an underlying basic human need – comfort in customs. The theory is that in times of uncertainty, conflict and widespread turbulence, everyone is seeking solace in tradition and connections, which involve purchasing presents.
But, in the grand scheme of things, does Christmas Creep really affect how much you spend? Let us know at rmahoney@seawaynews.media
