Sometimes retailers’ sense of timing confuses the dickens out of me.

Case in point: Our little portable electric heater gave out over the weekend, probably from overuse since we ran out of fuel oil back in January. So we decided to go get a new one because evenings here are still pretty cold.

What did we find at WalMart? Fans. Lots of fans. There were tall cylinder fans, oscillating stand models, dual window fans, 20-inch box fans, and some new types I had never seen before. They also had all the swimming pool equipment prominently on display. What they DIDN’T have was any type of portable heater.

Fortunately, a quick stop at Dollar General paid off with a few electric heaters left on clearance. But why don’t stores stock “seasonal” items during their own seasons any more? Come summer, when those pool items will make perfect sense, that aisle will be filled with Christmas decorations. I know this because that’s when I first saw them last year.

I understand that retailers want to rush their merchandise out there to get a jump on the competition, but c’mon, guys! Sometimes people need things relative to the time of year it actually IS rather than whatever season is yet to come. I guess I’ll start shopping for a new winter coat in July when it’s sure to be the first thing on my mind.  Oh, and those fiberglass columns  for the front porch posts?  I’ll save those for the dead of next winter.