Oct. 27--Once again, shoppers can buy their reindeer and scarecrows at the same time.

Most retailers have been busy stocking shelves with Christmas and Halloween decor, a holiday phenomenon that's become more common in the past several years.

It seems that shoppers' opinions on the strategy are an even split. For some, an early Christmas is a welcome treat, reflecting their own shopping habits.

"I never stop shopping," says Shanee Pigate, of Yorktown. "I keep a gift area in a closet that keeps small items and stocking stuffers."

For her large holiday purchases, she waits until the day after Thanksgiving, commonly referred to as Black Friday. She says she loves the Christmas holiday, though, and gets excited for it whenever the decor starts showing up on shelves.

But for Kathy Slade, of Smithfield, it just doesn't feel like Christmas in October.

"It really disturbs me that Christmas merchandise is out so early, because we still have days in the upper 70s and it does not feel like Christmas yet," she says. "It also stresses me out to think that Christmas is only a couple of months away, and I am still decorating for fall and Thanksgiving with pumpkins and scarecrows."

As for the retailers, getting customers in the Christmas spirit seems to help the store's bottom line.

"Most customers know our trends, so they come to expect one holiday to immediately follow the other," says Jeff Bishop, sales floor manager for the Target in Newport News. "People will come into the store just to see what the new stuff is."

He adds that his store hasn't completely finished putting out their Christmas display, but that customers should expect to see the complete setup by Halloween day.

Even with an early start, the National Retail Federation predicts a 1 percent drop from 2008 holiday sales. That's better than last year's 3.4 percent decline, but a significant drop from industry's 3.39 percent average increase.

To combat shrinking sales, stores are likely to cut back on inventory this year, says Dan de Grandpre, editor-in-chief of dealnews.com, a bargain hunting Web site known for its Black Friday predictions and news.

"Inventory will be plentiful on Black Friday," he says. "Expect it (low stock) to affect the week before Christmas. Last year, you could walk into any Macy's two days before Christmas and find shelves completely stacked with stuff, with even hard-to-find sizes. At any Wal-Mart, the toy section was stuffed with toys. This year, the selection is likely to be much poorer."

So, if you have specific items on your list, you should buy early, he advises.