It’s a traditional retailing strategy, and I think it comes from a time when most consumers planned their purchases ahead of time (i.e., bought their summer clothes before the beginning of summer).
I think it’s most prevalent in the clothing departments, but, as examples here have shown, some retailers apply that strategy to other “seasonal” departments.
I agree, it can be very frustrating, especially if you find yourself needing new winter gloves any time after Christmas. I guess I’m surprised that Target’s been mentioned several times in this thread…they’ve typically had smarter inventory strategies.
Genuinely curious - I’ve always been able to find a bathing suit in a sporting goods store, no matter what month it is. Is this no longer possible in the States?
I’m surprised people here are mentioning they’re having trouble getting togs anytime except summer- don’t you have any specialist beachwear/surfwear stores? There are heaps of them in Australia, even in small country towns (and larger places, of course) nowhere near the ocean- I recall seeing one in Canberra, which is about 300kms from the ocean, and there’s apparently one in Alice Springs, which is right in the middle of the desert, more or less in the centre of the country. :eek:
That’s what I’d consider them. There’s lots of indoor heated pools available year round.
I know that manufacturers will offer merchandise far ahead of the current season. Buyers get bored, and are looking for the next big thing for the Fourth of July, even if they could be selling, say, mittens and snow shovels THIS WEEK. On the one hand, it’s great that the buyers are confident that the stores will be open in July. On the other hand, if nothing is gonna sell for the next quarter, maybe the stores will be bankrupt when summer comes.
Try to find replacement uniforms for school. One of my biggest problems with uniforms is that they are required and there is about one month out of the year you can buy them, so not only do you have to buy enough to get them started, but you have to plan ahead for any growth or destruction.
I’m moving north in a month, I need winter clothes, I’m in Florida, I have none. I’ll prolly buy a few bikinis and sled down the mountain.
The way I always understood it is that the psychology of customers is that the further in advance you buy something, the best buy it is. People seem to think that the shorter the sales period is, the more expensive things become.
Also, since this is actually true for vacations, I think that most clothes are sold to coincide with the holiday brochures. And let’s not forget that all fashion shows are 6 months in advance of the season.
I think that all other products just follow the trend for clothes.
The last thing retailers want is left over merchandise. So they put it out a few months before the season starts so that if they have to discount it to move it, it’s still somewhat in demand. You don’t want bathing suits left in August because come September they’ll still be sitting on the shelf.
The only time I’ve appreciated this sort of thing was a couple of years ago when we were scheduled to go camping in the high desert (California) and the lows were expected to be in the 30s. I was able to get my kids warm weather gear at 75% off, because they were moving it out to make room for the swimsuits–in early January.
It’s not so much fun when you’re trying to replace the bathing suit your daughter has worn out in the first few weeks of summer swimming every day in a chlorinated pool. For some reason they keep boys’ swimsuits around all the time, but the girls’ selection dwindles to nothing after about April.
My wife and i went to the beach on Saturday, and took a long walk in the water at the shoreline. The air temp was in the low 80s, and while the water seemed pretty damn cold at first, i soon got used to it and almost convinced myself to take the plunge. Decided not to, in the end.
