Kmart is getting some heat for airing its Christmas shopping ads while it’s still summer,
ABC News reported Thursday.
While temperatures are still hovering in the 90s across many regions in the country, some shoppers are venting about Kmart’s unseasonable timing.
"I do not want to see Christmas ads when it is still SUMMER," wrote a customer on Kmart's Facebook page. "I will not be shopping at Kmart this year due to your advertising this early, I don't care what the reason."
But Kmart isn’t breaking a sweat yet over the harsh comments it has received for airing ads on September 8 for its promotional Christmas holiday rollout.
In a statement to ABC News, Kmart said, "Customers can plan in advance in order to take advantage of layaway for holiday purchases."
Another Facebook user told Kmart, "There is no reason to make the holidays into a consumer nightmare. You should be ashamed."
Walmart got into the Christmas shopping spirit even earlier. On Aug. 22, it promoted a free layaway offer beginning Sept. 13 through Dec. 13.
Many retail companies ring up 20 percent of the year's sales during the Christmas shopping frenzy.
"The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the shortest it can ever be on retail selling days. [Retailers] have to start earlier," Jan Kniffen, retail analyst and CEO of J Rogers Kniffen Worldwide Enterprises told ABC.
Black Friday sales are beginning earlier and earlier each year. The National Retail Federation says more than 40 percent of holiday shoppers start buying before Halloween.
Online discount personal shopper ShopitToMe analyzed 585,000 markdowns from over 150 online shopping sites through 2012. February is the best time to buy online, with President's Day discounts averaging around 48 percent.