Supermarkets used to be the one place you could do your whole weekly shop and much more besides, like clothes shopping, electrical goods and make-up.

But these days all the shops are muscling in. My local newsagent isn't like it would have been in the olden days (I think anyway, 'cause I'm not THAT old). You can very nearly do your weekly shop there.

Newsagents used to sell newspapers, magazines, sweets and tobacco. Now you can buy toilet rolls, pet food, alcohol, beans, frozen food, bread, bin liners, plasters, medicines. (They'll be selling televisions next !!).

I'm not complaining, it's great when you run out of something and don't have to get in the car and travel to the nearest supermarket for the odd little bits and pieces. You may have to pay a little extra though, it's called convenience commission !

But one thing they don't do is go totally overboard with seasonal goods, just a little bit for sale (mainly as they don't have the room, because they sell everything else), which is nice.

So I wonder who decides when is it that seasonal items should adorn the shops. Is it up to the individual shop owner, or does a memo go round en masse to all and sundry with dates and times etc.

There was a time when Hallowe'en sales started in early October, Bonfire Night mid October and Christmas in December. Now we get the whole lot in October!

I went into a shop mid-October to find a yearly assortment down one aisle. First on the left was a sparse offering of gardening goods, a sure sign summer was on its way out, as nobody would need gardening gear in October. So if you wanted to buy a fork, spade, or hanging basket, that was your last chance until next Spring.

To my right were Hallowe'en goodies, masks, outfits, devil-horn headbands, chocolate eyeballs and such like. Next to those were fireworks of all shapes and sizes, in locked cabinets. And the rest of the left side of the aisle was full to bursting with Christmas decorations, tinsel, baubles, wrapping paper, cards, trees and singing, hip-swinging four-foot-high Santas, and of course an assortment of gift ideas from socks to toys and electrical goods.

The thing is........ I couldn't find the Easter Eggs !!!!!

Updated: 12:57 Saturday, November 19, 2005