‘Christmas Creep’ Creeps in Early in West Des Moines

With a summer-like temperatures in the forecast for the foreseeable future, Christmas seems a long way off. And it is, though you might not know that from the inventory already in stock in some West Des Moines department stores.

Some of them timed their Christmas displays with Labor Day.

A Des Moines Register report says Von Maur, one of the Valley West Mall anchors, not only has decked its halls, but has stocked a larger inventory of Christmas home decor items than for Halloween, the next big decorating holiday and still almost two months away, and Thanksgiving.

“Christmas creep,” as the trend is called, responds to consumer buying habits. A recent National Retail Federation survey found that 41 percent of respondents plan to start their holiday shopping before Halloween. Retailers ay their experience shows that even when they put merchandise out in September, people buy it.

Younkers, which has stores in both Valley West and Jordan Creek, also plans to get its Trim the HOme holiday shops stocked early this month.

“Customers like to see what we have to offer each year, especially the collectibles,” Mary Kerr, spokesperson for Younkers parent company Bon-Ton Stores Inc., said.

However, store decorations won’t go up until about the third week in October, she said.

According to the Register report, J.C. Penney, which has a store in Valley West Mall, will hold out until early November to offer holiday merchandise.