Wal-Mart has decided to move the date of Black Friday, just like the government decided to move the date of Daylight Saving Time. Apparently I need to get a more important job so that I, too, can play with the calendar.

Wal-Mart has announced it will have its Black Friday "day after Thanksgiving" sales this Friday, November 2. A company press release issued on Halloween, October 31, 2007, at 6:55 AM MDT begins:

The nation's largest retailer officially kicks off the Christmas season today by granting a valuable holiday wish to its customers -- savings on the gifts they want to give.

Today? Look everybody, Halloween is the official start of the Christmas season now!

Later in the press release:

In-store, the experience for Wal-Mart shoppers will be fittingly festive. Christmas Shops offering holiday decor and gifts and onsite product demonstrations open this weekend. And, for the first time ever, Santa will visit all Wal-Mart Supercenters and discount stores. [...] The retailer will also literally wrap several stores across the nation in festive holiday style including 10 x 3.5 -foot bows to brighten the buildings.

Uhm, what? My Black Friday "day after Thanksgiving" "three days after Halloween" sales come with a Christmas shopping experience? A Santa line at Wal-Mart? Wrapping entire buildings with wrapping paper look-alike?

The sales were announced early Thursday morning (it is already Thursday in EDT) and are now online at http://www.walmart.com/secret. While I'm always up for a sale (one item being offered is an Acer laptop with 1 GB of memory for $348), I don't really want to be shopping in a Christmas "experience" two months before the holiday.