Monday, July 27, 2015

Boo! (Hoo!)

Seen yesterday afternoon, Sunday, the 26th day of JULY:


Now, since I can't hear you screaming, I have to assume what your response might be. Perhaps it's one of these:

* "Oh, Fred, what do you expect these days? No one cares about the calendar; they just want to be the first to get in on the big Candy Corn Bonanza, even if it means putting out Halloween candy more than a quarter of the year before Halloween."

* "Oh, Fred, you went to the dollar store again, didn't you? You know ordinary rules of time and space don't apply in the dollar store."

* "Oh, Fred, everyone loves Halloween! What's the big deal?"

* "Oh, Fred, Halloween is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know."

* "Oh, Fred, show some kindness toward the Halloween candy loving community, which has suffered these long nine months, waiting for the first candy corn like a tired Alaskan looking for the first crocus of spring."

* "Oh, Fred, it's the dollar store, right? It has probably been sitting there since last year. Blecch."

* "Oh, Pete -- wait, your name is Fred? I thought it was Pete."

* "Candy corn? AIIIIEIEEEEEE!!!!!"

I complained a couple of weeks ago about companies pushing the hands of time, specifically starting back-to-school sales in July and, in the case of Hallmark, Christmas ornament previews. But school is starting in August for a lot of kids, so it was a short jump from July compared to Halloween, and Hallmark --- I sometimes think they sort of consider their stores to be Christmas-themed shops that just happen to have other stuff. (If you've been in the kind of American town that has lots of pricey little stores you know there's always a Christmas shoppe running all year long.)

There is no reason to whip out the Halloween candy at us before September, I say. Mid to late September at that. And I don't think it was leftover from last year. Maybe the dollar store in question was too eager, but I'll be on the lookout in other stores. Don't make me write a nasty letter to the local paper, stores!

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