Holiday Sales Freak You Out Already?

Whoa! People are talking about holiday sales already?!?!Economists are apparently worried about how retailers will perform this holiday season, which is about as surprising to us as hot weather in Phoenix. "The holiday season will be bad - if not worse than the last year," says Bernard Baumohl, managing director and chief global economist at the Economic Outlook Group LLC.The article says that sales have spiked recently due to government rebate checks, but that will decrease as the housing slump continues, consumer credit deteriorates further and employment worsens. Some are forecasting the retailers will present deep discounts to give consumers the incentive to shop.Is it too early to be worried about holiday sales already, or do retailers need to be prepared for the season year round? Do you have any predictions so far, or do we need more time to predict how it will shape up?