Kmart Reminder: Only 100 Shopping Days Before Christmas - East Idaho News
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Kmart Reminder: Only 100 Shopping Days Before Christmas

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GETTY B 051812 Kmart?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1378976359023Tim Boyle/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — It’s Christmas in September.

Kmart says it’s never too early to start thinking about holiday shopping, which is likely why the discounter has already started running ads on TV.

Yup, even before the second weekend of the NFL season and baseball still three weeks away from the playoffs, it’s already that special time of year again, at least on television.

The Kmart commercial that began airing last Monday features a giant gingerbread man stalking an office worker.  The message: “Don’t let the holidays sneak up on you.  Shop early with Kmart free layaway.…Kmart.  Get in, get more Christmas.”

While the layaway plan is popular, viewers were still pretty upset about seeing a Christmas-themed ad during the summer and registered their complaints on Kmart’s Facebook page.

However, the store, which can hardly afford bad publicity given its sales slumps of recent years, may be onto something.  According to the National Retail Federation, 18 percent of consumers either start holiday shopping before or during September.

In case you’re wondering, Kmart aired its first holiday ad last year on Oct. 28.

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