Halloween 50% Off Starting Early

[Toy Ranch]

At least at Walgreens...  all Halloween is 50% off now.

[Gareee]

drat.. two days after we bought electronic goodies and the blood bags....

course we also bought the last two they had then as well...

[aura of foreboding]

Thanks for the heads-up!  I had to go down and get that skull tree. 

[Wolf Man]

Where has everyone been looking? 

In our neck of the woods these stores have had some good stuff and deals:

Harryguls
Michaels
Another Halloween store, can't remember the name but one of those just up for Halloween. 
Target
Spencers

These are all good bets for cool stuff and deals.  Good luck and happy shopping.  Sorry to hear pickings have been slim in your areas. 

[roheimiana]

Michaels has to have the strangest sense of the seasons I've ever come across. They had their Halloween goodies out IN JULY this year and, aside from a couple of shelves of picked-over sale items, everything was gone in September. At least most other places hold out until the 31st because, for costumes in particular, the last 48 hours are supposed to be the busiest buying time of all.

What I regret is that fewer outlets seem to be holding Post-Halloween sales. Spencer's used to have a great one with prices on many items slashed by up to 70% but, in my area at least, this practice stopped two years ago. The local store manager tells me that these super-sales were the result of too much remaining inventory and now they've cut their orders so there isn't much left by the 31st. Unfortunately, this has also meant that there hasn't been as much choice to start with and this is especially noticeable with masks -- what used to be an entire wall display was reduced to only three shelves this year.

I sure miss the good old days when I could count on picking up Don Post masks and props for less than half price in November.

[Wolf Man]

Brother you are preaching to the choir.  As a Mall store owner I was very frustrated.  Just when I was getting into high gear for Halloween the Christmas music was already playing on the musac.  In my area we are lucky to have a number of seasonal Halloween stores so if you can't find a good sale in one place you just hit the next.  With the failling economy and Christmas the busiest time of year all businesses are anxious to kick it off rather than take full advantage of whatever season we happend to be in.  I know what you mean about Michaels too, if you don't get what you want in August you will miss out completely.  They are really in a hurry to get to Christmas. 

Most of these stores and their corporate offices think we are idiots.  They all hope we will be pulled in by the early Christmas music and stuff hitting the shelves.  I went actual Christmas shopping in early December and happened by a Wal-Mart only to find their shelves almost bare. 

We can blame that on the federal government.  You see, whatever merchandise a store has by December 31st they must pay taxes on.  So every store stops ordering around by December and lets the shelves go bare just when shoppers are out during the last two weeks before the holiday to get gifts.  It is very frustrating for the customers.  The best thing to do is buy all your Christmas presents before August to insure the best selection and not worry too much about sales.  Sales only frustrated people more because by the time you get to them the merchandise is already picked over and you are lucky if you find what you are looking for. 

All in all my wife and I are done shopping well before the holiday season.  We tried numerous times to order NFL merchandise only to have our orders on back order and never did receive our products.  We do not patronize that NFL supplier any more. 

On a different commercial note, I have pointed out to my wife how fuel prices change to affect the elections.  I also predicted that one day the fuel companies would get too greedy and force us to find alternative fuels.  Now it is happening.  I hope the day comes when the fuel companies are put out of business by upstart alternative fuel companies who aren't so greedy with a product our society must have. 

[lblambert]

Michaels has to have the strangest sense of the seasons I've ever come across. They had their Halloween goodies out IN JULY this year and, aside from a couple of shelves of picked-over sale items, everything was gone in September.

I noticed this trend too. Up here the July 1st weekend is the holiday and after that weekend the stuff starts coming out. First is the Lemax village pieces then a week or two later the rest of the stuff comes out. I had purchased everything from there I wanted by the middle of August when it was already on sale and the Christmas stuff was taking over.

The past few years even Walmart's gotten worse. They still put their stuff out after the Labour Day weekend but by mid-October it's all moved to a single row of shelves and the Seasonal section is full of Christmas decorations.

[Halloween Jeff]

     Here in upstate NY Micheal's started their rollout of Halloween item in late July (it was the Lemax "Spooky World" series - I mean, Ancient Egypt AND the American West?).  The decorations didn't come out until August, and when I walked in last week everything was pretty much gone, and Christmas was in full force, although at least I wasn't subjected to Christmas music.

     WalMart still has their line of stuff out, mainly candy and leftover costumes, and Christmas is slowly encroaching on that - we have a Spirit Halloween store for the first year, so will see what they are going to do this weekend - its an interesting store, but the prices are high...


Bizarro Jeff

[Toy Ranch]

Over on the HMA, HMEA posted that Spirit is having their 50% off online sale now!