Wally World Christmas Already

[thcri]

Went to Wally World last night. Now it is not even Thanksgiving and the music over the loud speakers is Christmas music. Tonight I drive by again yes, christmas trees are out in the parking lot to be sold. Now don't get me wrong, I love Christmas just as much as the next guy. But, can't we wait until Thanksgiving is over.

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

murph

 

[txdon]

Yep, been getting Christmastized for two weeks now. I'm ready for New Years. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[turnkey4099]

They were already putting the Christmas stock on the shelves 2 weeks ago.

As for timing??? Well I already decorated my outside display, just one 16' spruce right by the highway. I do have a valid excuse tho. I am scheduled for surgery (hip) on Dec 7 so wo't be able to do much for at least a month. As for the tree, it is decorated but not to be turned on until a reasonable time.

Harry K

 

[BB_TX]

It ain't just Wally World. Most all the stores are getting a head start now. And one of the local radio stations has already started 24 hr Christmas music. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Hank]

They wouldn't have it there if it wasn't selling.

Yesterday's NYT had an eye-opening article on just how much WalMart knows about us and our shopping habits. They have something like 460 terabytes of data stored on mainframes in Arkansas, twice as much as the total available on the Internet.

When the hurricanes hit FL this year, after Charley, they took stock of what sold pre-hurricane. Not surprised by batteries and flashlights, they were somewhat surprised to find a seven-fold increase in strawberry Pop-tarts, and the number one seller was beer. So, when Frances loomed, I-95 was full of supply trucks with toaster pastries and six-packs headed for FL stores.

 

[HickoryNut]

The company I work for is a Top 100 Vendor to Walmart. Since they comprise 34% of our business we must dance to their tune. We download point of sale info every 10 minutes reflecting what has just sold and build an order on the fly until it builds to fill one of their many thresholds or daily, whichever comes first Then we must ship and have it to whichever of their distribution centers within 24 hours, crossdock labeled and ready to be sorted by store. They can have product on the shelf anywhere in the lower 48 within 72 hours of manufacture. With the kickoff of their RF ID project starting in January and the resulting streamline of their distribution centers, that lag will drop to 48 hours.

Any faster and they will have to develop a private rail network or an air freight system. They don't like missing a sale because they don't have any on the shelf and if it isn't selling it comes off the shelf and the vendor will have to buy it back. Therefore, the Christmas stuff is on the shelf because we put it there. No speculation on Walmarts behalf, the data tells them we're ready to buy it now.

 

[Hank]

An interesting side note from that NYT article. It turns out WalMart's data mining and collection may actually work against them in a class-action lawsuit filed by female employees, charging sex discrimination. Their HR database details performance reviews, who worked where, when, and got paid how much, so it can be used to compare how men and women were paid and promoted for similar jobs in similar locations and stores. The database can also be used to calculate back pay and benefits, if those are awarded.

 

[RobertN]

Poor Wally world gets whacked a lot around here, including by myself.

What I find interesting, is that an overwhelming majority of the Christmas decorations, fake trees, ect, come from China. This is not dig on China or Wally World. I just find it interesting that all this christmas stuff is made in a country where only a very small itsy bitsy minority might celebrate the holiday.

I wonder what the folks there think when they make all these decorations? I wonder, what they wonder, about us and others around the world, of these odd gizmos and what they are for?

 

[eee]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> I just find it interesting that all this christmas stuff is made in a country where only a very small itsy bitsy minority might celebrate the holiday. </font> )</font>

I think it is even odder they are the biggest maker of American flags.