No, no, no, it's Christmas

Many people think Christmas displays start too early. Photo / Chris Skelton

The 12 days of Christmas are becoming more like 14 weeks - some large-chain stores are already enticing customers with festive bargains.

Kmart and The Warehouse have started stocking Christmas chocolates and The Warehouse even has wrapping paper and cards on the shelf. And Smith and Caughey's famous Christmas Store will open three weeks earlier this year.

Farmers is already selling Advent calendars.

Dean Cook, Farmers' head of marketing, said there were no plans to increase the Christmas range before mid-October, and shoppers' ears will not be ringing with Christmas carols until November.

"Some people get a bit upset and think Christmas is getting too commercialised and starting too early."

Sue Smith, New Zealand manager of Kmart, said the store also stocks novelty chocolate at this stage. But the chain does not plan to start displaying more Christmas goods earlier.

"Customers only think of Christmas for a certain period of time.

"It's all very well having stock out there in the middle of the year but there are opportunities to sell other stock at this time."

The Warehouse marketing director Stuart Yorston said wrapping paper and decorations on sale across the chain were from last Christmas and were being sold to make way for new stock.

Yorston said the chain was in its "early-bird" stage where some confectionery and biscuits were on sale. Stores would not go "the full Monty" with Christmas until mid-October.

Smith and Caughey's special projects manager Kevin Broadfoot said the store's Christmas Shop would open earlier this year, on October 5 instead of Labour Weekend.

St Matthew-in-the-City vicar Glynn Cardy said this year could be difficult for families given the economic climate and the rise in unemployment.

"We are aware that the pressure of commercialism at Christmas adversely affects families."