• USA Today, Friday, September 8, 2006 12 PM

Holiday decorations, lighting, gift-wrap packs and 45 toys pegged to the holiday season are already on sale at Costco stores, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls--which started selling everything from Christmas stockings to holiday figurines in the third week of August. Last week, J.C. Penney began distributing 8 million copies of its Christmas 2006 Big Gift Book. More than 21 percent of shoppers do some Christmas shopping before the end of September, says a National Retail Federation survey. And though the NRF has not released its official holiday spending projection yet, it says last year's 6.1 percent spending growth--which amounted to about $435 billion in sales--is not likely to be matched this year. Both facts could help explain the rush to put out some holiday merchandise. The early jump on the Yule season has its critics. "It creates a disconnect with the consumer," says retailing expert Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group. "The consumer wants to buy now and wear now, but the retailer wants to sell six months in advance."

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