On stocking Christmas merchandise when it’s 80 degrees in October by OF I grew up in Southern Illinois, at the very tip where you’re closer to Memphis than Chicago. Thesummers of my youth were brutal and swampy: far worse than those my parents remembered, and god awful to my delicate sensibilities. Heat waves would hover over 100 degrees for days, only letting up after a cold front kept the tornado sirens running all night long. As such, summer became a season of indoor fun. My preferred pastimes were reading books, going to movies, and playing video games. I developed certain … Continue reading Seasons of Retail