By the middle of July, shoppers looking for tools for their next DIY project at a local hardware store may find something unexpected: a 15-foot-tall animatronic headless horseman towering over them.
This is just one of the first signs that fall is creeping in, even as summer remains in full swing. While the season officially begins on Sept. 22, many stores start selling fall items weeks earlier.
For businesses, the fall marks the beginning of an important period for consumer spending.
“During Q4 [October 1st to December 31st], consumer spending skyrockets, especially around major shopping events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the holiday season,” Autus Consulting reported. “Holiday promotions, limited-time offers and seasonal products are crucial for drawing in customers.”
Many companies capitalize on the increased spending that fall brings, from retail giants like Walmart and Costco to local coffee shops and dollar stores.
Back-to-school deals and Halloween decorations begin appearing in late August. By the end of October, stores are already shifting their focus to Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping.
Not to mention, pumpkin spice becomes a staple of seasonal menus everywhere, particularly Starbucks and Dunkin’.
But stores aren’t the only ones getting a hard start. For some students, fall arrives long before the calendar says it should.
“I’m not going to lie, once I feel that little breeze, literally the moment September starts, I put on my sweater,” Xavier Aybar, a junior marketing major, said.
Sophia Rocha, a senior interprofessional health sciences major, agreed.
“I consider it fall when in August, I start feeling a slight breeze,” she said. “If I start to feel chilly, that’s when it's fall for me.”
For others, however, the early arrival of fall is less welcome.
Layla Thomas, a freshman theater and history major, thinks the rush toward fall-flavored products in August comes too soon.
“I think that, especially Starbucks with the pumpkin spice latte coming out in August, it’s just crazy,” Thomas said. “I feel like if you celebrate fall too early, you’re just not really appreciating it. You lose the value of what fall is.”
Aybar shares that sentiment.
“I feel like once the peak of the summer is over, you already start hearing about Halloween,” he said. “Especially here in Jersey, it’s cold here for way too long. Summer, it feels like a dream.”
Rocha, however, is ready to embrace the season as soon as possible.
“Personally, I want to start getting the decorations up as soon as possible. I want to enjoy my fall to the maximum,” Rocha said. “The first day that Dunkin’ released their fall drinks, I was the first one there. I feel like fall is just perfect.”
For Rocha, part of the appeal is “the vibes” that come with the season.
“Everything is orange and it’s not too cold or too hot,” she said.
Thomas enjoys the season for another reason: family celebrations.
“My birthday is in fall, my sister’s birthday is in fall, there’s Thanksgiving and Halloween,” Thomas said. “It’s kind of just the best three months for me.”
For some, fall begins with a cool breeze. For others, it starts with a pumpkin spice latte and buying Halloween decorations.
Whatever the official calendar says, fall arrives when people are ready for it—even if the summer season is still hanging on.
Matthew Koroski is a writer for The Setonian’s Features section. He can be reached at matthew.koroski@student.shu.edu.
