And Ahwatukee stores show how creepy it is. Target starts slowly, but at the Ray Road store, the Thanksgiving holiday dйcor is nearly non-existent as Elmo the Drummer Boy and Disney licensed ornaments share the same aisle with Winnie-the-Pooh and Fluffy Chicken toddler Halloween costumes. Nearby, a row of Christmas and holiday cards face off against Halloween candies. On Wednesday, clerks at Ahwatukee’s Pier 1 at 4717 E.
Ray Road store were unpacking and hanging their first shipment of ornaments. Gaily patterned holiday plates, cookie jars, shortbread cookie mixes, evergreen and red apple-cinnamon candles and a tree-shaped holiday candle holder are scattered throughout the store. At Prickley Pair at 4025 E. Chandler Boulevard, two white Christmas trees are in place.
Owner Rosanne Youngblood agrees it is earlier than usual, but with larger stores like Macy’s getting into the holiday spirit early, it’s a case of if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. “And there’s the problem of getting all the decorations displayed in time. Last year we put it up after November and it took us two and a half weeks to get it all up and by then it was sale time,” said Youngblood, who is heading into her second holiday at her boutique store.
“And everybody else is putting theirs up and people are wondering where the ornaments are.” She says she is compromising by placing the holiday decorations in corners and out of the way places, and as more items come in, they’ll fill the center display spaces, too. She’s not alone. The National Retail Federation, an industry trade group in Washington said 40 percent of consumers plan to start their holiday shopping before Halloween this year.