From Halloween to ho ho ho

Halloween is barely on the minds of schoolchildren, but retailers have begun putting up Christmas displays and piling decorations and other inventory onto the shelves. In some shops, prices on Halloween items already have been cut, and the ghosts and goblins play second fiddle to Christmas trees and Santa hats.

A souring economy made worse by the recent credit crunch has led to a slowdown in consumer spending. So some retailers began selling Christmas decorations and offering discounts in September, hoping to ring up early sales before the fragile economy took a deeper toll on consumers.

Consumers might shake their heads at the holiday hustle, but they stand to benefit. Stores will extend discounts and big sales on holiday inventory as retailers compete.

Stein Mart, the Jacksonville-based discount clothing and department store chain, was among the first retailers to put its holiday decor and merchandise on the shelves. Stores laid out winter holiday items in mid-September.

The chain plans to set up its holiday store decorations, banners and promotions by the first week in November, spokeswoman Susan Datz Edelman said.

In recent years, Lowe’s Home Improvement has started selling artificial Christmas trees and similar merchandise by Oct. 1 The retailer decided to stay in step with that strategy this year, spokeswoman Chris Ahearn said.

“We found people really want to shop early before things get busy and complicated in November and December,“ Ahearn said.

Lowe’s stores have set up artificial Christmas trees, ornaments, tree lights and 19 types of inflatables for front yards, including Santa in a helicopter. Live trees will be brought in closer to Christmas.

Dillard’s has set up Christmas displays. Dawn Zachman, a spokeswoman for the Tampa, Fla., regional office of Dillard’s, said the displays went up about the same time as last year to help shoppers get in the buying mood.

Last week, Wal-Mart acknowledged that it was jump-starting its holiday shopping season in response to the shaky economy. Wal-Mart reduced prices on some of its more popular toys, including Barbie and her dog, Tanner; Play-Doh Magic Swirl Ice Cream Shop; and Hot Wheels Trick Tracks.

Kathy Grannis, spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation, said many retailers are rolling out the holiday merchandise in October - or have already done so - because studies show that about 40 percent of consumers begin Christmas seasonal shopping before Halloween.

“While they may not be going out and buying gift cards and sweater sets, they are buying plastic Santas, mantle decorations and new tree trimmings,“ Grannis said. “If retailers know that consumers are interested in Christmas trinkets this early on, why not put it out there?“

Getting an early share of weakened consumer spending this year could be the difference between success and failure for some retailers, Grannis said.

“It takes up to six weeks to get the store to where they want it by the time the main shopping season begins,“ she said. “You don’t want it to be Nov. 1 and have nothing up. That could really hurt a retailer.“

Also, an early start could help consumers stretch their holiday budgets, she said.

Reporter Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870. Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817.