Closing Out Christmas: When to Pack Up Holiday Displays

Pack Up Holiday DisplaysRemember when the holiday displays went up before Thanksgiving? It seems that the holidays start earlier every year. This year, I walked into a grocery store in October and saw Christmas items before Halloween. Holiday songs start streaming in stores as early as the beginning of November, and it’s common to see Christmas trees, strings of lights, and blue and silver Hanukkah displays well before Black Friday madness.

With the Great Recession still fresh in the rearview mirror, it’s easy to see why retailers took advantage of the busy holiday shopping season earlier and earlier to encourage sales in a flagging economy. It’s also challenging to put that cat back into the bag. The earlier you roll out your holiday displays, the earlier you need to consider when to tear them down, pack them up, and return your retail location to normal. When is it time to pack up the holidays? Here are a few factors to consider.

Customer Expectations During the Holiday Season

No matter how early you start adding holiday décor to your store, customers likely expect it to stay in place until the New Year. The week between Christmas and New Year’s may not be quite as busy as the weeks leading up to the holidays, but plenty of people will use their time off to hit stores in search of after-holiday blowout sales, make returns and exchanges, and use new gift cards.

This in-between week is still considered part of the holiday season, and it can bring in significant sales for retailers. So, it’s best to live up to customer expectations by keeping the holiday theme alive, even if you remove signage that is holiday-specific (with words like “Christmas”). Then, it should be a mad scramble to stash it all and create new displays for the new year.

Related Article: Seasonal Displays and POP Setup Ideas

What is Buyer Burnout?

So, you decided to put up your holiday decorations at the tail end of Halloween. This will not only annoy some customers, but it could lead to buyer burnout by the time the actual winter holidays roll around. The question is: Should you strip decorations immediately following the holidays to give shoppers something new to think about?

If you want to change things up for the week after Christmas, you could remove the holiday décor shoppers have already become familiar with over the past couple of months and replace it with a remix. For example, try switching it up if you opted for a red and green or blue and silver color scheme.

Shoppers would surely be surprised to enter your store and find new holiday-themed décor leading up to the new year. New colors and decorations will mean extra man-hours, but the “wow factor” could be enough to nab the after-holiday shopping crowd. This is also a great way to seamlessly segue from winter holidays into the new year without abruptly removing all holiday displays.

Take Advantage of the Timing

And don’t forget, while all your holiday decorations are out, clean the extra displays before storing them. By quickly wiping down wire shelving racks and other shelving units, you work to keep the holiday cleaner and fresher for next season!

How Should You Store Holiday Signs?

Packing away any holiday décor can take a while, depending on how much you have. To ensure you’re ready for next year, you’ll want to store your holiday signs and fixtures in a safe space to help protect them from sitting over long periods. Find a dry area in your storage room or closet that you can use and ensure everything is labeled correctly so you don’t have to spend time going through and organizing the mess next year. Then, you’ll be quick and prepared right before the next holiday season.

Summary

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Updated on November 18, 2024