If you are starting to see holiday sales and holiday merchandise in stores right now, you are not alone. It seems promotions for the retail industry's biggest events start a little earlier each year.  

(ariwasabi, ThinkStock)
(ariwasabi, ThinkStock)
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Kathy Grannis of the National Retail Federation says the holiday season can account for as much as 30 percent of a retailer's annual sales.

"When it comes to competition and getting in front of their customers, this is 'the Big Kahuna,'" she said.

Grannis says their research shows 40 percent of Americans shop for holiday merchandise before October.

"In this kind of economy, it's extremely important for retailers to recognize that demand and go after it," Grannis said.

Already, Kmart is wooing shoppers with no-down-payment layaway on contracts started by next Saturday. Meanwhile, Wal-Mart is pledging to keep all front-of-the-store checkout lanes open during peak shopping hours on weekends, starting the Saturday after Thanksgiving and continuing until the weekend before Christmas.

Grannis says consumers today are just as interested in price as they are in value. So when it comes to the holiday season, buying gifts or buying trinkets for the tree or the mantle, a lot of retailers recognize that programs like layaway will go very far with someone who is interested in spreading their dollars and stretching their budget.

In addition, a survey by consulting firm comScore found that 43 percent of shoppers end up buying additional items when they go into a store to pick up an item that they purchased online.

The overall holiday retail pie amounts to nearly $600 billion, so for many stores, the earlier they can attract shoppers, the better.

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