Rushing Ahead

I walked into Target today and was greeted with large signs shaped like pencils covered in school-related slogans. Say what?! Does Target not know that it's only July 5th?? Our local schools finished the school year less than three weeks ago. Do they honestly think anyone is ready for back-to-school shopping? Who wants to buy school supplies when they just got summer started? NO ONE.

Trust me, I know this is nothing new. Doesn't it seem to be getting a little out of hand though? Obviously it would be inconvenient if they didn't start selling school supplies until the day before school starts, but we're not even close. We've just barely started to enjoy the summer and they're packing up the bbq tools to make room for spiral notebooks. Why are these stores in such a hurry to get to the next season??

The worst part is that the stores force your hand by setting up for the next season so far in advance. You can't wait to shop for stuff like backpacks or lunch boxes at the normal, reasonable time to purchase school supplies because all the good stuff is gone already. It's the same with swimsuits and winter coats and boots. If you want new boots for the fall you have to buy them in August. Here in southern California you might not even get to wear the darn boots until November but if you try to buy them then you're up a creek because no one sells boots in November. That would be insanity. Think about it. Why on God's green earth would you sell a product during the season when people actually use it??

I wish that we could focus on what we need right now and not have to worry that if we aren't planning months in advance then we won't have a prayer of finding what we need. That's my rant for today. I'm done now and I feel lighter.