Masuk Free Press

In American culture, August is considered the final month of summer vacation and the last opportunity to relax in the sun before the fall chill sets in. But on our calendars, the autumn equinox does not start until the late weeks of September. So, why does it feel as though summer ends before the leaves even show a sign of changing?

This phenomenon could be attributed to the significant shift in corporate production at the beginning of September. Just following the earliest days of many U.S. schools are the first announcements of fall flavors at Starbucks and marketed autumn decorations. Every grocery store has aisles stocked with Halloween candy, as though the holiday is right around the corner. The world is so ready to flip the switch on summer, but autumn does not begin until a few weeks after this point.

In our capitalist nation, it is no surprise that every candy and decor company would want to jump on the season of promising sales. But why start so soon when the rest of the world is not yet ready to buy these products? The answer lies in the gap between holidays in summer and fall.

In the corporate shopper-marketing world, there have not been many exciting events to merchandise new items for since the Fourth of July and Memorial Day, when patriotic and summer product releases were in full swing. But after the bout of summer sales, there is a lull on the corporate end, leaving them waiting in preparation for the next big things: Halloween and fall. This leads to companies pushing for earlier and earlier release dates on Autumn products to increase the amount they sell. Tactics like these also spark a sense of urgency and excitement in consumers, resulting in more purchases.

“I think the beginning of September is way too early for fall items,” said sophomore Delaney Judge. “There wasn’t even a lot of a back-to-school sale. It just went straight to Halloween.”

With nothing new between summer and fall, corporate America’s only option is to release their fall products as soon as they are relevant, even if that means pushing it ahead year after year.

These companies benefit from the markets by releasing holiday products before the season begins. An important point of interest for sales comes in the form of early planners and impulse buyers. 

Some consumers like to take advantage of early releases when it comes to seasonal items because they prefer to prepare for the holiday in advance. This group tries to prevent the stress of shopping when the season truly begins and before the items they are looking for start to sell out. 

The second group falls victim to brands’ marketing tactics. These consumers are called impulse buyers. Contrasting with the other group, these shoppers make unplanned purchases, such as reaching for a pumpkin-shaped Reese’s through impulse and without reason.

Whether seasonal buys are intended or spontaneous, they make companies the most money on festive products in early September.

“I feel like [fall products] have always been released very early,” commented sophomore Alexis Tsichlas. “Especially drinks and stuff like that. They’ve always been released early because people wait year-round for them.”

There is present discourse on fall products released by franchised food chains such as Dunkin’, Starbucks, and Panera. Many temporary flavors are debated amongst patrons on whether they are worth the often high price or better to skip for the season. 

“I bought the coffee from Starbucks, and honestly, I feel like Starbucks [fall] drinks are kind of overrated,” commented sophomore Tanisha Gera. She continued,  “Fall stuff kind of just contributes to overconsumption a bit because a lot of the stuff they just move out as soon as, like, October is over.”

Even though they have faced criticism, autumn products are not without love from consumers all over the U.S. The food-chain industry still receives an uptick in sales as soon as new items are released.

“I really like the squash soup from Panera,” said Gera. “It just holds such a deep memory for me… I really love, like, the food that comes from fall.”

Consumers will always have the choice of whether they spend their money on seasonal products. Whether the fan-favorite seasonal treats or fall decorations are prepared for purchase in August or October, customers in the U.S. are ready to kick off their autumn before the equinox.