Oh, yes, the Christmas Shopping Season has started already. In fact, it started down in DC this past weekend. I had gone to one of the malls, and it was CRAZY! When I was at Banana Republic, I was talking with one of the clerks, and she commented how it was CRAZY too. -And how the day before, they were practically dead. She started asking some customers why they chose to come in today, and some of them they were starting their Christmas shopping.
*And even though we're still a few weeks away from Halloween, a couple of stores here in NYC and in DC have started shifting their inventory around in order to make room for the Christmas Seasonal merchandise.
**Which is why I still marvel at Nordstrom's - They do not put up their Christmas decorations until the day after Thanksgiving. -Well, they have staff come in on Thanksgiving to decorate, but still, nary a Christmas ball or piece of tinsel until Black Friday.