When did Easter become Christmas II?

[diddy_mouse]

~*This is totally NOT a faith based discussion! Just a retail employee's rant about the holiday from a merchandising standpoint!*~

I work retail and have noticed this week the sheer volume of people coming into the store to buy Easter gifts. And I'm not talking candy or a small gift or something like that. My store sells Vera Bradley handbags and accessories, and people are dropping like hundreds of dollars for their Easter presents. :shrug: Does this holiday seem to be over-marketed? (if that's even a word :lookaroun ) I mean, look at Valentine's Day.

I remember as a kid getting my Easter basket with the plastic eggs filled with candy and there might have been a special surprise like a movie I wanted or a video game, but that was it. Am I just crazy (or possibly jaded/bitter) to think that people should be going to such lengths in gift-giving? :shrug:

*sigh* Sorry for the rant, but I didn't know where else to direct this and I needed to get it off my mind. Perhaps I'm just reading too much into things...:shrug:

 

[Wilt Dasney]

October to April has basically become one extended candy/gift period. Wal-Mart has a constantly rotating holiday aisle that has themed crap for whatever part of HalloThanksChrisValentEaster season we happen to be in the middle of. It's kind of depressing to me, but obviously, that's what people want...or at least decide they want as soon as they see the retail setups.

 

[mousermerf]

Everyone around me is acting like i'm crazy for not really having any easter plans and not exchanging gifts with my other half.

I think they're all nuts. Like the above, i'm cool with easter baskets and simple stuff.. and there's the family dinner which is mandatory.. but what's with this other stuff this year?

 

[wedway71]

Im a Hardlines Manager for Target.Stores are closed on Easter Sunday which in retail is great.We got slammed today.Sold about 9 pallets worth of candy alone in one day.The holidays are always like that.I will say Target is closed not only on Easter but all day Thanksgiving XMAS and closed early on XMAS Eve.
I do find it funny though and very hypocritical every Sunday I work about once a month some of the people just out of Church walking around destroying the store leaving merchandise on the floor, opening boxes, bumping into team members with their carts and not saying sorry.

 

[mousermerf]

They just confessed, it's time to stock up on sin. They're out.

 

[CaptainMichael]

Supply and Demand. If it wasn't demanded, they wouldn't supply it.

Sure, it was all started by retail stores, but we (consumers) let them get away with it.

 

[disneytati]

Well, down here Easter is only about exchanging chocolate eggs. Very few baskets or bunnies. And oh, my!! I noticed the same thing about "over-marketing"! The chocolate eggs are getting bigger and fancier each year, and sometimes you have no way out, specially if you have a child. Thank God we don't have to exchange gifts too...

 

[Mikester71]

And the kids nowadays think that it is another big gift-giving holiday like Christmas. I tried to explain to my kids (10 & 14) that Easter was more of a religious holiday and they thought I was nuts. They think that they should be getting gifts and candy and chocolate and the whole nine yards. Then again, they thought Valentine's Day was for a day for showering your kids with gifts too (because they consider themselves loved-ones).

See what television and mass-marketing has done to today's youth!!:hammer:

 

[tigsmom]

Everyone around me is acting like i'm crazy for not really having any easter plans and not exchanging gifts with my other half.

I think they're all nuts. Like the above, i'm cool with easter baskets and simple stuff.. and there's the family dinner which is mandatory.. but what's with this other stuff this year?

We have to exchange gifts at Easter now?

The family does get together for a traditional Easter meal and the kids do get the chocolate bunnies (they are too big for the baskets, egg hunts, etc), but exchanging gifts? Easter celebrates His rise from the dead and a rebirth for us all, its not one big party...though I would probably throw one if anybody I knew rose from the dead. :lookaroun

 

[The Mom]

And the kids nowadays think that it is another big gift-giving holiday like Christmas. I tried to explain to my kids (10 & 14) that Easter was more of a religious holiday and they thought I was nuts. They think that they should be getting gifts and candy and chocolate and the whole nine yards. Then again, they thought Valentine's Day was for a day for showering your kids with gifts too (because they consider themselves loved-ones).

See what television and mass-marketing has done to today's youth!!:hammer:

When I was a child (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and all those guys airports are named after were still alive) the candy/baskets/toys -mostly just plush bunnies - were for children, along with a new dress, shoes, and sometimes hat. After age 12....no more candy, etc but you still got a new dress, shoes, and sometimes hat. (I always wore a hat and gloves, as did everyone else in the congregation, up until my late teens, when the 60s revolution did away with all that tradition)

My youngest is 14 (just) and The Daughter is far away....permanently, this time...so no baskets here. BUT, there are some peeps hidden in the living room.

 

[sbkline]

Im a Hardlines Manager for Target.

A little off topic here, but just for my own curiosity, can you tell me what Target's position is on giving to the Salvation Army and to what degree they are "French owned"? I don't really care, but my idiot brother has decided that he will boycott Target and that only "traitors" shop there because these two issues, and probably others which I don't know about. He absolutely hates the French because they refused to help us start a war with another country, which makes me wonder why he doesn't harbor similar hatred towards all the other countries who made the same decision. So, hating the French as he does, he has decided that Target is associated with the "enemy" for lack of a better word because they are French owned.

Myself, I could care less about such petty political crap but I since I saw that you work for Target, I just thought I'd ask.

Back on topic, I work part time at Walmart and they were incredibly busy the past few days, presumably because of Easter season. Like you, I don't think I remember it being such a retail holiday during my childhood, either. My wife and I pretty much just get each other cards nowadays, although when we were dating, I would sometimes get her a basket with a stuffed animal and some other goodies. However, the thought occured to me that any junk I buy her when we are dating, is only gonna come back to the house and create clutter once we get married. So I decided to end that tradition. :lol:

 

[wedway71]

A little off topic here, but just for my own curiosity, can you tell me what Target's position is on giving to the Salvation Army and to what degree they are "French owned"? I don't really care, but my idiot brother has decided that he will boycott Target and that only "traitors" shop there because these two issues, and probably others which I don't know about. He absolutely hates the French because they refused to help us start a war with another country, which makes me wonder why he doesn't harbor similar hatred towards all the other countries who made the same decision. So, hating the French as he does, he has decided that Target is associated with the "enemy" for lack of a better word because they are French owned.

Myself, I could care less about such petty political crap but I since I saw that you work for Target, I just thought I'd ask.

Back on topic, I work part time at Walmart and they were incredibly busy the past few days, presumably because of Easter season. Like you, I don't think I remember it being such a retail holiday during my childhood, either. My wife and I pretty much just get each other cards nowadays, although when we were dating, I would sometimes get her a basket with a stuffed animal and some other goodies. However, the thought occured to me that any junk I buy her when we are dating, is only gonna come back to the house and create clutter once we get married. So I decided to end that tradition. :lol:

I have never heard of Target being French owned.There may be some shareholders since Target is a publically traded company so there may be some shareholders who are from France.We are based in Minneapolis and have strong roots in the midwest.We were Dayton Hudson at first then Target branched off. And we only have stores in the U.S. As far as traitors shopping there im a Combat Veteran from the Gulf War in 91.

Target does not allow the Xmas Salvation Army people in front of the stores however Target gave a percentage of sales from certain items sold from the stores to them which turned out to be more than they made standing in front of most stores anyway.Target is also ranked as one of the MOST charitable companies in the world.We give millions of dollars a year to schools and other minority organizations as well as giving to art foundations etc.

also there is a great website called snopes.com that lists all urban myths regarding Target.It states in there as well Target is not anyway,shape,or form owned by the French.He can look there and see what I mean and start shopping at Target again so my bonus gets bigger so I can go to WDW again this year.....

 

[Wilt Dasney]

When I was a child (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and all those guys airports are named after were still alive)

:ROFLOL::wave::kiss:

 

[Laura]

I hate what Easter has become. I see nothing wrong with doing a little fun thing like a small egg hunt to start the day, but what I saw at Walmart last night disgusted me.

Just everywhere you looked swarms of people pushing each other and fighting to grab easter baskets and candy and stuffed animals and presents. It was disgusting. I spent maybe $5-$10 on some stuff for my kids and got the heck out of there. I hadn't planned to get ANYTHING for my kids, but since the world has turned Easter into a big Easter bunny nonsense day, my 5 year old would have been crushed had the Easter bunny not shown up at the house this morning. As soon as he's old enough to understand what the holiday is actually about and accept that and be happy with it, we will NOT be making a big old fuss over the commercial aspect of the holiday whatsoever.

Trying not to break rules and discuss religion, but Easter is a celebration of a very siginificant part of Christian history, and it seems that people only think about that from 10 a.m. till noon while they're at church, and spend the rest of the week (month?) obsessing over making sure they have the cutest outfits to show off their kids in on and making sure they get the best candy and the most presents and the biggest easter baskets.

It honestly annoys the crap out of me.

 

[diddy_mouse]

We have to exchange gifts at Easter now?

The family does get together for a traditional Easter meal and the kids do get the chocolate bunnies (they are too big for the baskets, egg hunts, etc), but exchanging gifts? Easter celebrates His rise from the dead and a rebirth for us all, its not one big party...though I would probably throw one if anybody I knew rose from the dead. :lookaroun

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one that feels this way!

 

[MouseMadness]

We hunted for eggs, and the girls all got 1 small toy, but other than that :shrug:

They can try to turn it into Christmas, but quite frankly, I don't have the energy for doing that twice a year. :lol: Eggs and chocolate bunnies are plenty.

 

[wedway71]

I hate what Easter has become. I see nothing wrong with doing a little fun thing like a small egg hunt to start the day, but what I saw at Walmart last night disgusted me.

Just everywhere you looked swarms of people pushing each other and fighting to grab easter baskets and candy and stuffed animals and presents. It was disgusting. I spent maybe $5-$10 on some stuff for my kids and got the heck out of there. I hadn't planned to get ANYTHING for my kids, but since the world has turned Easter into a big Easter bunny nonsense day, my 5 year old would have been crushed had the Easter bunny not shown up at the house this morning. As soon as he's old enough to understand what the holiday is actually about and accept that and be happy with it, we will NOT be making a big old fuss over the commercial aspect of the holiday whatsoever.

Trying not to break rules and discuss religion, but Easter is a celebration of a very siginificant part of Christian history, and it seems that people only think about that from 10 a.m. till noon while they're at church, and spend the rest of the week (month?) obsessing over making sure they have the cutest outfits to show off their kids in on and making sure they get the best candy and the most presents and the biggest easter baskets.

It honestly annoys the crap out of me.

I agree totally.You would not believe the amount of people that wait untill the day before Easter to but EVERYTHING and then get mad since we have sold out of most items.I had a guy say he was calling Target Corporate since we ran out of EASTER grass an hour before we closed-I gladly gave him the number and my name(I was manager on duty) and kinda laughed as I walked away.

 

[dandaman]

Know what I did for Easter? Searched for a lot of mini chocolate eggs around the house, went to church, and had a scrumptious ham dinner. Doesn't get any more laid-back than that :wave:

(Well, besides the egg hunt... there's a battle rivaling that of the 300 Spartans. :lookaroun)

 

[Mikester71]

When I was a child (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and all those guys airports are named after were still alive) the candy/baskets/toys -mostly just plush bunnies - were for children, along with a new dress, shoes, and sometimes hat. After age 12....no more candy, etc but you still got a new dress, shoes, and sometimes hat. (I always wore a hat and gloves, as did everyone else in the congregation, up until my late teens, when the 60s revolution did away with all that tradition)......

:ROFLOL:I hear ya! If me and my brother were lucky, we'd get a kite or maybe a football or something small like that besides our Easter basket. But we couldn't play with or eat anything until we got back from Easter Sunday Mass.

 

[CaptainMichael]

I got my hollow milk chocolate bunny...I'm more than happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The new George Strait Live CD was nice too