Pumpkin Spice Oreos are arriving in August – ready or not

When it’s August, it must be time to flood the market with pumpkin-spice-flavored goodies.

Too early you say, with fall still several weeks away?

Still, the people who make Oreo cookies want to get a head start.

Oreo Pumpkin Spice Sandwich Cookies are hitting shelves and are expected to be available nationwide by August 15. They were first introduced in 2014 and were last available in 2017.

And consumers can expect many more fall-themed products to hit shelves earlier than ever this year — due to the uncertainty created by ongoing supply chain issues, says Timothy Calkins, a marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University.

“So a lot of manufacturers are seeing big delays in terms of shipping, storage space and just moving things through the distribution channel,” Calkins said. “This will result in manufacturers moving earlier than ever with these seasonal items, giving them more time to get the items on shelves and to consumers.”

So get the product out early and hope for the best.

“We’re going to see pumpkin spice from a lot of companies in August, and then we’re going to see Halloween items in early September, and we’re going to see Christmas items popping up just as quickly as they can get them out after Halloween,” he said.

What if the seasonal items don’t appear in the quantities you hoped for? Consumers have been conditioned to know that seasonal goods are available in limited quantities and for a limited time, Calkins said.

“People understand that if they don’t come out, they could miss out on these seasonal items,” Calkins said.

Off Color Brewing, which makes beer in the Hermosa district, launched its Oktoberfest brew Waddle on Friday. It’s not early for her.

“This is actually a pretty traditional time for Oktoberfest beers to hit the market. … It takes time for beers to be brewed, packaged and packaged [distributed] to shops. The overarching thought process would likely be that it’s better to have them in stores early and ready so they’re all available for the Oktoberfest season than…possibly missing that window,” said Ben Ustick, a spokesman for the company.

Calkins said some companies may choose not to launch seasonal items given supply chain issues “just because it’s so unpredictable right now.”

The riskier outcome for manufacturers is overdoing a product. Calkins quotes Weber, the grill manufacturer. In order to meet the demand during the pandemic, the Palatinate company went into production at full speed.

“Now everyone’s like, ‘We already have a grill and I want to go to Europe this year instead.'”

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