One-third of the shoppers surveyed by YouGov said they believe the government should take action to set a launch date for festive products hitting the grocery shelves.
The online poll was carried out by YouGov for dpa news agency.
Of those taking part in the research, 47 per cent said their enthusiasm for the shopping season was lowered by the early appearance of Christmas merchandise in stores.
Meanwhile, 56 per cent of those surveyed in the 45-54 age group said their anticipation of the Christmas season was dampened with cinnamon-scented products arriving on the shelves in September.
Stefan Hertel, spokesman for the German Retail Association (HDE), told dpa on Monday that shoppers do purchase their Christmas goods early. He said that as shelf space is expensive for the retailer, "nothing is put out" that cannot be sold.
The majority of the 1,000 people surveyed by YouGov said Christmas merchandise should not appear in the supermarkets before November 1.
Source: esmmagazine.com
