But CHRISTMAS!!!1111!<ranty>

[Red_Dazes]

.....>.<... That is literally what I listened to for my WHOLE shift today.

You see... It is the end of November... Corporate has stopped sending us Christmas items. Seasonal items are NOT orderable, we just get what we get and that's that. We will likely get no more Christmas items...because...well... it's just about December and the vast majority of people have already stocked up on ornaments and fake trees.

We are now getting spring/garden items. (which are really cute btw)

Well...people in Spokane are stupid.... wait...rephrase that... MOST people are stupid. The smart ones were in last month buying Christmas crap like it was going out of style. We have very little left. Yes it sucks...guess what...."lack of planning on your part...." and all that.

I swear on all that is holy the next person who says <whine>"Buuuuut how can you have spring stuff! Christmas hasn't even happened yet! That's horrible business planning!</whine> or any variation of the above, will get a Christmas pick in the eye...or at the very least have glitter dumped upon them.

Get over it. We can't do anything to change it. We are not getting any more trees in, either pick from the decaying bones of what is left or move on to a location with fresh choices. Same with those ornaments..."but it was here yesterday!" is not a valid argument... wanna know why... because I just put out 2 shelves worth of seasonal candles and with in 20 min half of them were gone. Our Christmas stuff moves THAT fast. So yes... the 50% off ornaments are not going to just sit around...especially when there is just ONE left. Even the hideous ones sell.

....can I interest you in our yard and garden stuff instead? It's really cute. An Angry Gnome perhaps? He can haunt your dreams and torment your children..... I totally approve of that.... you should buy him.... he scares me and I want him out of the store....

[slavetotheman]

Not that I agree with the SC attitude of whining until you get your way (which, as you pointed out, is physically impossible unless you really can pull that ornament out of... the air), I do understand, and in some measure agree with, the sentiment behind the whining.

I mean, there's still nearly 4 solid weeks to go until Christmas and your store is running out of holiday seasonal items? IMO it's become a bit ridiculous how far up corporate likes to push holidays these days; being able to find Christmas ornaments at 50% off at any time before Christmas, let alone a month beforehand, is totally unheard of to me. All the same, if your management were competent they'd petition corporate to send them a bigger supply of Christmas stuff, since obviously there's a demand for it. But then again common sense rarely prevails at salary grades where it can be implemented ;-)

Still, if this is par for the course in Spokane (or at least your store), you'd think your regular patrons would have gotten the memo by now and know they have to plan far in advance. I mean, if you see an ornament at 50% off, and you like it, just freaking buy it already; how much more of a discount do they really want? (Note: this question is intended to be rhetorical, even though we all know it has a universally accepted answer...)

At any rate, I sympathize with your having to answer the same question over and over and over again -- good luck dealing with it in the coming weeks :-) If it's any consolation, the vast majority of people are probably just venting their incredulousness and not actually expecting you to be able to do anything about it. I've found that a sympathetic (-sounding) "I know, it goes fast but we only get a limited supply" or something like that, accompanied by a shrug and a weak smile -- such that it suggests that you sympathize with their predicament -- can go a long way with mollifying all except the most unreasonable people. And if it doesn't, that's one more story for us to read :-D

[Red_Dazes]

I've found that a sympathetic (-sounding) "I know, it goes fast but we only get a limited supply" or something like that, accompanied by a shrug and a weak smile -- such that it suggests that you sympathize with their predicament -- can go a long way with mollifying all except the most unreasonable people. And if it doesn't, that's one more story for us to read :-D

Oh trust me, it is a greatly used tactic among our work force. LOL... although I will say the one that worked the best for me happened when a woman was snarling at me about not having enough Christmas items as I was struggling to lift a shelf filled with Christmas pixs and becoming completely covered in horrible horrible glitter. I had the shelf half way picked up, and couldn't manage anything but a disdainful glare at her. She back peddled her rant quite quickly and left me alone.

[chainedbarista]

....can I interest you in our yard and garden stuff instead? It's really cute. An Angry Gnome perhaps? He can haunt your dreams and torment your children..... I totally approve of that.... you should buy him.... he scares me and I want him out of the store....

*seconds that notion*

gnomes *shudders*

[Jay 2K Winger]

....can I interest you in our yard and garden stuff instead? It's really cute. An Angry Gnome perhaps? He can haunt your dreams and torment your children..... I totally approve of that.... you should buy him.... he scares me and I want him out of the store....

...can't sleep... gnome will eat me...
can't sleep... gnome will eat me....

[NateTheChops]

or at the very least have glitter dumped upon them.

Hasn't this country suffered enough from pasty-faced glittery people from the Washington area?

[csquared]

....can I interest you in our yard and garden stuff instead? It's really cute. An Angry Gnome perhaps? He can haunt your dreams and torment your children..... I totally approve of that.... you should buy him.... he scares me and I want him out of the store....

How about a Gnome-be-gone

I know! The next person that says "But CHRISTMAS!!11!!!" slap a pointed red hat on them and hope the Gnome-be-gones can't tell the difference.

[MoonCat]

I want that gnome! I want to put him in my yard with his snarling face looking toward my neighbors....

...except I don't know whether to point him at the nosy busybody on the one side, or the were-weasels on the other...

It's true that if you want Christmas decor you have to get it early...last year I went looking for those new LED lights on December 3rd...they were already sold out. This year the Orange Apron had a deal, bring in your old lights and get $3 off the new LED ones per set. So I did that two-three weeks ago. Learned my lesson.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I mean, there's still nearly 4 solid weeks to go until Christmas and your store is running out of holiday seasonal items? IMO it's become a bit ridiculous how far up corporate likes to push holidays these days; being able to find Christmas ornaments at 50% off at any time before Christmas, let alone a month beforehand, is totally unheard of to me.

This is probably what happens when all your Christmas stock is made in China or overseas. It has to be produced, loaded on a container, shipped to the U.S. via container ship, trucked to the distribution center, or travel someplace else by rail and then get trucked to the DC. For some reason, these products are always reaching the U.S. sometime in the summer and can't just sit in the DC until October or November because of everything else coming in.

And you can't just order more when you run out. You'd probably first get it sometime in March.

Shit, this week or next we're going to really start condensing down the Christmas stuff we have in the backroom, and filling in with Christmas stuff we still have in the backroom. Generally speaking, all our Christmas stuff has to be out of the stockroom by December 10 or so.

Yes, it sucks to have the holidays pushed down your throat so early, but this is how it is in retail. Shop earlier next time.

[Android Kaeli]

Some of Random Craft Store's Christmas stuff starts to roll in around July 4th. I've always joked that if the Christmas Lemax Village Collection isn't set by then, then it's late.

Even with all of the sales going on since last week, there's still a crap load of Christmas out. Some of it has even been clearanced out already, while people are buying the stuff left and right, some of it just won't come back into until next year.

[Kristev]

You know what destroyed the "Sunbeam" corporation?

Convincing businesses to order for winter in the summertime. Then fulfilling all their orders for winter in the summertime.

This sounded great, at first, and in summer, profits were abundant. But come winter, "Sunbeam" bankrupted, because next to no one was buying winter stuff from them. I think that fits here.

[slavetotheman]

Yes, it sucks to have the holidays pushed down your throat so early, but this is how it is in retail. Shop earlier next time.

Whaddaya mean, I should shop earlier? How dare you dictate to me when I should do my shopping! I'll shop for Christmas during the Christmas season and if your store is out of Christmas-y stuff by the time that rolls around because of "how it is in retail" being out of sync with reality, well, you just ruined my Christmas! I hope you're happy!



P.S. In case it's not evident... [/sarcasm]

[Red_Dazes]

I'll shop for Christmas during the Christmas season and if your store is out of Christmas-y stuff by the time that rolls around because of "how it is in retail" being out of sync with reality, well, you just ruined my Christmas! I hope you're happy!



P.S. In case it's not evident... [/sarcasm]

Buhahaha! I love ruining Christmas! It makes my cold, cold heart feel warm and alive again for a few bitter moments!

[auntiem]

Hasn't this country suffered enough from pasty-faced glittery people from the Washington area?

That ridiculousness is soooo not out fault - the woman who wrote those books had never even been here when she placed her "shiny happy vamps" in our area - and btw - those shiny folks are on the other side of the state and should in no way reflect badly on Spokane.
Also, Spokane suffers from "biggest small town syndrome" - I swear corporate for every major company thinks we are this little podunk town when in fact it is the biggest town from Seattle to Chicago on our latitude. Hence the ridiculously small amount of stock sent.

OP us "509ers" have to stick together - let me know if you need back up - I'll be home for x-mas.

[Red_Dazes]

That ridiculousness is soooo not out fault {mr. Snippy came to visit} and btw - those shiny folks are on the other side of the state and should in no way reflect badly on Spokane.
Also, Spokane suffers from "biggest small town syndrome" - I swear corporate for every major company thinks we are this little podunk town when in fact it is the biggest town from Seattle to Chicago on our latitude. Hence the ridiculously small amount of stock sent.

OP us "509ers" have to stick together - let me know if you need back up - I'll be home for x-mas.

Oh my god It is ALL SO TRUE! Twilight has made me ashamed to admit I live in Washington "Oh isn't that were Twilight was set!" gah! At least Patricia Briggs redeemed Washington with her Moon Called series ((The Tri Cities are closer to us anyway buhahahaha!))

It totally floored corporate for The Lobby when we knocked the socks off of every estimated sales goal they had set for us opening month. They didn't realize just how big Spokane actually is.

^_^ Yey 509! I would love back up, but thankfully (and sadly) I will be going away for x-mas to visit The Beau's family ((he hasn't been home in 3 years)) I think they need to see him. ^_^