Why are retailers already stocking their shelves with Christmas goods? - Yorkshire Post Letters

The Bank of England Governor, Andrew Bailey thinks that bank interest rates should rise again after 18 months of increases in the interest rate (The Yorkshire Post, September 7).

The run-up to Christmas season is a crucial time in the retail market as this is the time any trading losses can be reversed.

Some high street retailers and large prominent garden centre groups have had Christmas stock on their shelves since August 26, 2023, to ensure that they get a bigger bite of the Christmas market and achieve or exceed sales targets, and thus larger bonuses for directors and bigger dividends for shareholders.

This is totally ridiculous as this is putting unnecessary pressures on families.

I can remember the days when cheap Christmas stock, mainly manufactured in Hong Kong, rather than mostly these days in China, was displayed in shops after November 5 or bonfire night.

Most families have a set amount of money to be spent at Christmas, but the actions of 'greedy' high street retailers and online retailers is contributing to families going further into household debt, which is brought home when credit card statements arrive in the post at the end of January each year.

I am surprised when the current Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, predicts that inflation will be reduced and under control at the end of the calendar year.

Motorists have during the last few weeks been hit with a seven pence hike in fuel prices due to the reduction in barrels of crude oil by OPEC states

These costs affect both businesses, whether they are manufacturing, retail and more so online courier companies who are having to ultimately pass the increased cost onto the customer in order to either still exist, or make a profit for the owners, who may decide when they have more confidence in the market to expand and thus employ more staff who will pay employment tax and National Insurance contributions.