http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/business/media/back-to-school-shopping-season-comes-early.html?_r=1&ref=advertisingandmarketing
My children and I were at Walmart last weekend (7/10) and my son asked "Why do they have school supplies out already? We just finished school!" I was confused myself; school only ended 30 days ago and there was more than a month to go before returning. It wasn't August, it wasn't even near the end of July. Technically, we were still in the beginning of July. It wasn't until we were leaving the store and I saw a mother and son shopping school supplies with list in hand then I remembered: Year-round schools. They start back on Monday. Of course they need supplies now!
Now I find out that it wasn't just Raleigh being targeted, but the nation as a whole. I don't know about you, but I'm a little tired of shelling out money on school supplies only to find out in two months time the supplies are gone, broken, or worse when we get to school we find out we don't have the right supplies. All the sales are over. I think retail stores would do better if they timed their sales more with the actual return to school rather than the companies' quarterly reports and budgets. The same goes for the "back-to-school tax credit weekend." Clearly Congress does not remember the finicky teachers.
For college students, it's a bit more realistic to purchase supplies now. Especially if you are living on campus or away from your parents. You still depend on your parents for many of your needs. And stocking up now is rather like being prepared. Bed Linens? Check. Desk accessories? Check. Notebooks? Check. Laptop? Check. Post-its? What do I need those for? Pens and pencils? Check. Index cards? Check. Highlighters? Check. New pair of jeans? Check. Wonderful, now you have two weeks to pack it all up before you return to school. Being prepared can be a good thing.
I am a traditionalist and it breaks my heart that Christmas is being marketed when we haven't even enjoyed Halloween. In the past the only good thing that came from early marketing was great discounts after the holiday. Now the discounts are minimal.
1. How do you feel about pre-mature sales tactics?
2. Would you run out today and purchase all the supplies you think you need when you return to school next month? Do the ad campaigns get your attention today? Did you drop everything and run because you know you will need it eventually?
3. Would you time your seasonal sales differently to appeal to the market that feels you are rushing life? Do you think that would have a negative affect on overall sales for the season?
This reminds me of my husband's aunt who buys us christmas presents all year long. She does not drive a car and relies on others to take her shopping so she stocks up when she can. It is always an interesting surprise to open our christmas package because we have an interesting variety of gifts from her shopping trips all year long. Some folks DO like to shop when it is convenient and when they can afford it.
ReplyDeleteI think that premature sales tactics aren’t necessarily a bad thing- they are great for people who are organized and know what they want, and don’t mind comparing news ads of different stores to see which stores have what you want. But as the oldest of 4, I totally get what you mean by the ‘I buy the supplies now over the summer and a couple months later, there broken, missing, or the teacher took them’ (which really aggravates me). But as far as the premature sales goes, I think that they can be a good thing- if you work them.
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Ugh..... If there was a supply that I could not find somewhere else and a particular store had it on sale then I guess I’d buy it. But I go to the scrap exchange(a reuse, green store- I always joke that it is the ‘thrift store of crafting’) in Durham and they sell binders, different kinds of papers, pencils, etc. So I go there, and if there is something that they don’t sell then I would go to a big box store while they have a sale to buy it. Ad campaigns don’t really catch my attention because frankly ive been busy and I haven;t seen any (other than kmart layaway) on TV which is surprising, and I don’t read newspapers.... And no I don’t think that there is something that I desperately need to buy that I will drop everything and rush to the store to get.
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I didn’t really understand the last question “to the market that feels you are rushing life?” I didn’t get what that meant..... Not meaning to be rude of anything.... I just don’t know what you mean.
Lovas...
Ugh can’t belief that school starts
anna*
Some pre mature sales do not bother me and I actually think it is a good thing. Like you though, it really bothers me to see Christmas stuff before Halloween.
ReplyDeleteIt really depends on the product and how good the sale is if I would drop everything and go buy it.
First of all, I have worked for a plant wholesaler for four years so I have seen this season after season. The reason companies do this is because most of the time you have a narrow window of opportunity to sell a product. By putting, for example, Mums out in the middle of July they hope that they will gain additional sales they would have missed out on. I believe people tend to get excited about things and want to buy them as soon as they come out even if it is too early.
ReplyDeleteAfter working in retail so long I generally will hold out buying items until they are way reduced in price. For example, I do not purchase any summer items until the end of summer when I know they will be 75% off.
From experience, I do know that it makes companies more money by putting these products out early. It is why we can not even get through Halloween before Christmas stuff is already coming in. You would think they are harming themselves but they are helping grab those eager customers.
I actually don't mid premature sales tactics...I think it works much better for parents than kids. I remember when I was little, if I would see a commercial about school supplies or a backpack kiosk in the middle of the summer I would cringe. However, I think it's a good reminder to parents to go ahead and get their school supplies ahead of time because you and I both know that a couple weeks before school starts, these stores are a madhouse! I really don't think this is a negative way to market school supplies....There are lots of parents who want to get it over with instead of rushing out a few weeks before school begins. If I were a parent, I would probably do my school shopping a month or two ahead of school season so that I wouldn't have to deal with the long lines and huge swarms of people!
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