That's quite by design, of course. But many shoppers began holiday buying even earlier, some retailers said.
"The trend has been for the last couple of years to start earlier and earlier," said John Holub, president of the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association, the advocacy group for retailers.
Holub said that retail sales over the last 10 years have increased an average of roughly 5 percent annually.
"This is the first year (since 2002) when analysts (are) predicting less than 5 percent," he said.
Holub said a mixture of things could be the cause, including a weak housing market, credit crunches, and increasing home heating and energy costs.
Prudent shoppers
"I think consumers are going to be a little more prudent in their spending," Holub said. He added that he recently saw a survey of retail shoppers, and 40 percent of the respondents said they started their holiday shopping before Halloween.
"I think that's part of it, too," he said. "You're seeing these promotions much earlier and earlier. Black Friday might be the traditional kickoff, but people are out shopping typically before that."
Steve Restivo, a spokesman with Wal-Mart, said the company's stores began setting out small amounts of Christmas items around Halloween.
"It allows us to preview what's new across a variety of categories," Restivo said. He added that 15,000 products were marked down before November, including toys, electronics and home decorating items -- and they sold.
Restivo said the company marked down high-end goods such as laptops and plasma TVs under $1,000 on Nov. 2.
"In a majority of the stores, those items sold out at 10 a.m." on the first day of the sale, he said.
Corporate picture
Economic news for some companies hasn't been positive.
Retailers J.C. Penney Co. and Kohl's Corp. each recently reported a drop in third-quarter profits.
Plano, Texas-based Penney reported that third-quarter profit fell 9 percent, hurt by weak sales in September and October.
Kohl's, based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., said its profit dropped 14 percent, with a double-digit dip in sales of outerwear, sweaters and other cold-weather items during the unseasonably warm fall.
The showings don't bode well for the retail industry in the all-important holiday season, said David Heupel, portfolio manager for Thrivent Investment Management Inc. in Minneapolis. Rival Macy's Inc. said on Wednesday that it expects lower same-store sales for the year.
"This solidifies it's really going to be a difficult holiday season," he said.
Other large retailers, such as Minnesota-based Target, haven't promoted holiday sales earlier than usual.
"Sales and displays for holiday items (in) stores have been consistent with years past," said Anne Rodgers, a Target spokeswoman.
"It's really just that we're well positioned to perform," she said, adding that Target attributes this to consistent marketing and distribution of circulars.
