Christmas in July sales beginning in the month of June seems to be the norm as I am listening to QVC's programming the last few hours offering up Holiday Sale items this Friday night leading into Saturday's all-day event.
Harry Slatkin comes up at midnight with his Today's Special Value Candles.
I see the flicker of blinking holiday lights on the tv catching my attention as I am browsing the Hallmark Ornament Premier mailer that arrived earlier today...and as I suspected, I am not thrilled at what I am seeing.
Other than food and shelter, everything else is a luxury and more often than not, unnecessary.
Case in Point. I have purchased Hallmark ornaments since 1987. See, Bath and Body Works is NOT the only place I spend money for things I don't need.
I have collected many specific collections for gifts and for myself as tiny over-priced pieces of colored plastic usually do make me happy. That is until this year.
After losing our daughter and the main reason for many of the purchases, I have curbed the collecting down to two collections. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation and Mary's Angels.
Occasionally there will be an ELF added to the bag but for the most part, the hundreds of ornaments I have can accommodate the decorating I like to do.
When I stopped in earlier this year to get the Hallmark Ornament Dream Book, I saw that the pricing on the two I was interested in were much higher than ever before. I asked for a form to fill out my order and had a discussion regarding the prices shown and upcoming tariffs. The owner mentioned that she hoped that was the only increase to come, that even if they are showing the price on the order form, she wasn't sure that they won't cost more at the premier.
I wanted to browse the book before completing the form so after our chat I was left wondering what exactly that meant...could cost more. I understand the catalogs were possibly made pre-tariffs...and the ornaments were also made; pre-tariffs and they will be priced the same as the catalog. Did she mean that when they come in, she will be upping the price sticker with a different one?
It left a bad taste in my mouth...honestly. I left the Dream Book and the Form on my desk all this time and didn't think about it again until tonight. Between the warm Hot Chocolate and Christmas in July (June) on TV, I took a look at it...and todays mailer and saw each ornament that was already much higher in price was now another $6 more...each.
I like overpriced plastic things like the next guy...but for $32 before tax that National Lampoons Christmas Vacation Clark Griswold Ornament themed --- him in the attic wearing a blue hat holding film reels --- better do more than play some silly line from the movie. That's only one ornament. And like a new car, the minute I pull that bad boy out of the box, its value is depreciated.
Scrolling Facebook while mulling these thoughts over in my head I see some comments regarding Halloween items --- at a store I think that is going out of business...and it was discussed that they were holding those items back before putting them out for the 50% off because they were adding NEW price stickers with a higher price on it and removing the original tag.
I know business, and I get all of this. But I also know the value of a long-time customer and how hard it can be to keep them when you as an owner are put in the position of increases. Yes, there will always be those customers who will pay whatever they need to --- to keep that thing that makes them happy coming.
And there will be me...who will figure out that happiness doesn't need to come at such a high price.
Life Notations: This blog is a space for me to share all that I chose to archive --- fragrance musings --- along with having a place to share all of those other things in my life worth noting.