The supermarket spokespeople say that they’re putting up the eggs and hot cross buns earlier because people are asking for them. Who the hell is asking for easter eggs and hot cross buns on New Year’s day? I’d like to meet this person.
I agree from an aesthetic standpoint that it’s gauche for stores to foist this stuff on us well before it would occur to most of us to want it, but honestly most of them survive on holiday spending and they’re doing the logical thing by maximizing the time that each holiday can make them money. In other words, they wouldn’t do it if people weren’t buying the stuff. Not just one or two, lots of them. Those spaces at the store are worth a shitload of money per square foot. If they weren’t making it back by selling baby chick candle holders and riveted cardboard articulated bunny decorations they would sell something else.
Me too, although i’ve hardly ever noticed them here in the US. At least, i don’t ever recall seeing them in Baltimore. In Australia, they’re everywhere at Easter.
Henry’s Markets usually have some around Easter. I don’t buy them often, because my kids don’t like dried fruit, but the ones I tried were pretty good.
You’d have a point if we were talking about “general goods” stores, but somehow I don’t think that Woolworths and Coles (Our two biggest national grocery store chains) require the $$ from Easter enough to justify putting up their displays before most of us have gotten over our new year hangovers…
I’m a marshmallow-aholic, and the earlier advent of peeps ‘n’ things is disastrous to me. I’ll just have to start practicing averting my eyes a month or so sooner, I guess.
I would have thought you were already a goner. Over the past few years I’ve seen Halloween Peeps and Christmas Peeps, as well as the usual Easter ones. That would mean you’d be averting your eyes approximately August through the end of April. (Assuming there aren’t 4th of July peeps, too, which I’m not placing any bets on.)
Sure they do, it helps them lower prices on the regular groceries that make them seem attractive. Come for the $3 a lb steaks, leave with Easter crap. It’s all sorts of win for them to do this.