From Costco to CVS, many brick-and-mortar stores have been stocking Christmas merchandise on their shelves for weeks, even though it's only September. And it's not just Christmas. It seems like retailers put out their holiday displays and merchandise earlier and earlier, as competition for customer dollars gets more challenging. We saw stores selling Halloween candy in July — not sure about you guys, but we're pretty sure any candy we purchase in July won't last until October!

Black Friday in October? Yep, that's something consumers are expected to see, according to a report in Time, as stores will roll out Black Friday sales in October. It's a trend that started a few years ago, and is likely to stay, according to the article.

And you also might have noticed that back-to-school shopping is starting earlier too, with stores putting their displays up as early as July! When we went to school in the '80s, we were lucky to find a notebook before August!

In this episode of Forever 39, we discuss whether the trend of stores putting up their  holiday displays months in advance of the actual holiday they are trying to sell is something that annoys you. Do you smile or cringe when you see Christmas displays in September? How about Valentine's Day displays on December 26? Too soon?

Also from this week's Forever 39 podcast — Body image and the media. PLUS: Back-to-school anxieties. Click on the podcast player above to hear the entire episode.

Share your thoughts on all of them below, on Twitter, on Facebook or at forever39@nj1015.com.

— Annette and Megan, Forever 39

Join us for next week’s podcast when we chat with Dennis Malloy of the Dennis and Judi show about why women carry the mental load in relationships, a troubling trend concerning alcohol, and our favorite U.S. destinations.

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