• by Thom Forbes  @tforbes, September 13, 2013

With back-to-school sales not yet in the rear-view mirror, retailers are already pressing the pedal on Holiday Shopping Season 2013 (and, thanks to the Internet, consumers can get in the mood by listening to the likes of the Andrews Sisters “Christmas Island” on a handful of radio stations 365/24).

But there seem to be a few glitches, and grinches, ruining the spirit of even the best-laid layaway plans. Take the reaction to a Kmart spot promoting its layaway program that broke Monday. A report by ABC News’ Rebecca Jarvis and Susanna Kim on a “Good Morning America” segment yesterday begins:

“Kmart should be ashamed for airing its first holiday commercial some 100 days before Christmas when temperatures topped 90 degrees in much of the country, some shoppers say. ‘I do not want to see Christmas ads when it is still SUMMER,; wrote a customer on Kmart's Facebook page. ‘I will not be shopping at Kmart this year due to your advertising this early, I don't care what the reason.’”

Most of the comments to the John Luciew’s piece on PennLive.com are negative (e.g., “Sadly, Tim Burton's fantasy is now our reality”) but one ardent shopper says, “Bring it on. I am ready… Christmas could be present 365 days a year for me.”

Ad Age’s Natalie Zmuda had the story Tuesday: “A Kmart spokeswoman noted that the ad is being ‘tweaked,’ though she declined to comment further, adding that Kmart is not ready to start talking about its holiday plan and strategy just yet.”

A YouTube video of the spot embedded in Zmuda’s story has been “removed by the user” and could not be found elsewhere on the Web this morning.

In other developments, Toys R Us wisely confined itself to a press release announcing “a number of compelling reasons to shop early this holiday season.” They include: 10% Back on toy purchases for Rewards R Us members, free layaway, an extended return period and new pricing initiatives, Including online price match, among many reasons for gift-givers to get a head start …’” according to a sub-head.

“In a move clearly aimed at rival Walmart's aggressive toy pricing, Toys R Us said ‘key items’ will be marked ‘Hot Price Every Day,’ so shoppers know they are getting a good deal,” reports USA Today’s Jayne O'Donnell. “The company recently rolled out a ‘Red Hot Deal’ program, which regularly offers what the store says are big savings on certain products.”

For it’s part, Walmart released its “2013 Holiday Top Toy List” with a twist. For the first time, the retailer says, it “brought together 1,000 kids ages 18 months to 10 years to test, play with, and help select the top toys for the season.”

"Kids told us they want interactive toys as well as classic brands,” according to Scott McCall, SVP of toys and seasonal at Walmart U.S. “After hearing this feedback, we did what we do best. We made price investments to offer absolutely great savings...”

Furby and Elmo are back, and “the Barbie Dreamhouse is expected to be a favorite among girls.” New toys on the list include Go! Go! Smart Wheels Train Station Playset, Sofia the First Talking Doll and Animal Friends and the Flutterbye Flying Fairy Doll.

Time’s Brad Tuttle puts it all in perspective by asking: “If Christmas creep annoys customers so much, why do retailers try to expand the season year after year?” His answer? “Well, it’s pretty clear that the early ads and marketing pushes don’t annoy everybody -- at least not to the point that they hurt sales.”

Tuttle cites an observation made by Ted Marzilli, global managing director of BrandIndex, to CNBC’s Allison Linn a couple of years ago:  “I don’t think there’s a whole lot of downside for the retailers… Until there are really people outside stores picketing I don’t think the trend will abate.”

Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s Joshua Brustein, meanwhile, links to an IDC report that forecasts that “worldwide tablet shipments will surpass those of PCs for the first time during the fourth quarter… making holiday-season shopping something of the beginning of a gradual dethroning of desktops and laptops.”

The good news for consumers is that prices are coming down.

"At a time when the smartphone and tablet markets are showing early signs of saturation, the emergence of lower-priced devices will be a game-changer," according to Megha Saini, a research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker.

That’s apparently something you cannot say about the Furby or Cabbage Patch Kids, which last December were apparently selling at about double their price from Christmases Past. Whatever charms it may otherwise possess, it’s hard to cuddle up with an iPad Mini.