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Forget Black Friday, Kmart Wants Christmas Shoppers Before Summer's Over

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Labor Day's less than a week behind us, so clearly it's time to start luring in Christmas shoppers, right?

Wait, Christmas ads in September? It's not just an exaggeration about the ever-increasing length of the holiday shopping season. For Kmart, it's their new strategy to get a leg up on the competition, even if they won't admit it outright.

WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports the narrator of the new TV ad – uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday – says "It's too early for Christmas, so just to be clear, this is not a Christmas commercial."

Instead, the ad (above) makes a very tongue-in-cheek attempt to disguise its true goal.

"Let's say you have an event in late December that you need a lot of gifts for. Like, maybe your entire family is having a birthday on the same day. Now's the time to go to Kmart and put those gifts on layaway, and then pick them up just in time for the big non-Christmas celebration."

Nevermind the reindeer pulling a man in a Santa Claus costume and sitting on a riding shopping cart, the evergreen tree with twinkling lights, the two guys with pointy ears and elf costumes, or the TVs in the background showing a burning log in the fireplace.

Kmart even came up with a new slogan: "Merry Birthday."

Christmas seems to come earlier every year, doesn't it?

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