AMAZED shoppers at a Boucher Road bargain retailer did a double take yesterday as they watched staff put the store's range of Christmas goods on display – in July!

Homeware specialists The Range had already raised eyebrows by putting out their Halloween range of goods at the start of the month. And while Christmas has been appearing earlier every year in the shops, in laying out their Yuletide home decorations in the middle of summer it's thought the UK chain has claimed the record for First Festive Fare.

FRIGHT SITE: The Range has had its Halloween section up and running since the start of the month
2Gallery

FRIGHT SITE: The Range has had its Halloween section up and running since the start of the month

While the extended Christmas phenomenon is looked at askance by most shoppers, some personal finance experts have pointed out that early festive shopping can help people on limited incomes as it allows them to offset the brutal cost of Christmas by spreading their spending out over a longer period.

Giant supermarkets like Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's have been wheeling out pallets of Christmas chocolate tins like Celebrations, Quality Street and Roses a few weeks earlier every year. The first were spotted last year in early October. But The Range has gone full Ho-ho-ho! before many people have had their summer holidays.

Christmas trees, Santa Clauses, candy canes, snowmen, baubles, reindeer: the festive section in the huge store is a veritable Winter Wonderland – but with customers browsing in t-shirts, shorts and sandals as the daytime temperature outside this week reached the early 20s.

"It's a bit much," smiled one customer. "It used to be that the start of November was the beginning of the Christmas season in the shops. Now it's a free for all."

"They should just get it over with and have Christmas in the shops all year long," said another. "I know it's about money and I know they wouldn't be doing it if people weren't buying the stuff, but even so, it's completely over the top."

Can it be long before the Easter eggs are out?