Kmart Starts Promoting Pre-Christmas Shopping.

If you happen to be on Kmart's email list and you had time to open all your email yesterday, you would have found this invitation to start your Christmas shopping today. The sale ends July 25, 2009--that is until the next sale begins.

According to the blog The Retail Email Blog,  July 6th is not the earliest date for retailers to evoke the holiday. Last year, Hallmark earned the distinction for the first Christmas email promotion  for the 2008 Holiday season with their "Ornament Premiere Weekend."That email hit the in-boxes on July 1, 2008.. But as the blog observes, Hallmark took a subtle approach avoiding the word Christmas or Holiday Season.

Kmart is not wasting it's time on Subtly.

Of course real shoppers started their holiday shopping on December 26, 2008 when the sales were really good.

•Sears will offer up to 75% off on electronics and 50% off on Craftsman tool storage chests. Kmart will add 40% off to clearance items, already marked down 30%. •Toys R Us circulars in newspapers Thursday will bill the day after Christmas as the "biggest" after-holiday sale with deals including an $81.99 race car set for $19.99 and table games, originally $239.99, for $131.99. •Crate & Barrel has savings of up to 70%. •J.C. Penney stores open at 5:30 a.m. with twice as many door-buster deals as last year. Among the 100 deals: 70% off jewelry.

Kmart Email by way of The Consumerist by way of Gawker.