Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas

Holiday sales before Thanksgiving can be a little annoying, but if consumers get a whiff of holiday sales weeks before Halloween, Yule logs won’t be the only things burnt out this December. Still, that’s exactly what some major chains are doing, according to a recent story in the New York Times.

“Shattering records for an early start, Wal-Mart is cutting prices on toys in mid-October, but the company is not calling it a holiday sale. L. L. Bean has started advertising free shipping — but it is shying away from the H word. And Toys “R” Us is marketing a temporary store in Manhattan, but consumers have to study ads to find the name: Holiday Express,” according to the Times.

Wal-Mart Left Holding Green Bag

Wal-Mart Stores this week introduced a recycled, reusable, washable shopping sack to help reduce waste generated from plastic shopping bags. The sacks will appear in stores on the West Coast this week, and will roll through the country eastward throughout the month.

Made from 85 percent recycled materials, the bags carry as much as two to three plastic sacks. Consumers can purchase the bags at the checkout aisle for $1 each. When they have worn thin, they can be returned for recycling.The bags are part of Wal-Mart's sustainability program, which was created to help improve its reputation as a corporate giant often criticized by labor unions and special interest groups, says Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott. Of course, Scott also adds that the efforts have not been done "as a marketing ploy."

So Scott is telling us the program was created to improve Wal-Mart’s reputation but is not a marketing ploy. Hmm? Either way, Wal-Mart deserves some credit here.