Pools are still open, temperatures are pushing 90 degrees, and it is late August — but pumpkin spice season has already arrived.
Starbucks, Dunkin, and Krispy Kreme have all brought back their fall offerings, and customers are buying them despite the heat and the calendar.
I visited Dunkin this week, where I grabbed an iced pumpkin spice latte — because it was simply too hot for anything else (It was also almost $6, but that is another topic for another day).
Krispy Kreme has also brought back its pumpkin spice glazed donuts, and customers are snapping them up.
"You think it's a little early for starting pumpkin spice? No no, I wish we could have it all year long actually!" one customer told us.
The good news, if you are not a PSL fan, is that Starbucks says it has no plans to make pumpkin spice a year-round flavor, as that would take all the excitement out of it.
WATCH as retailers and customers react to pumpkin spice season starting so early:
More than just pumpkin spice: welcome to "Summerween"
It is not just coffee and donuts. Home Depot, Lowe's, and Michaels are already stocked with Halloween and fall decor, and Walmart's Halloween shelves are going up now.
It even has a name: "Summerween."
Retail experts say it all comes down to money: fall and Halloween has become a $12 billion business.
Without fall merchandise and Labor Day sales, store sales would be very slow in late August and early September.
Michaels' manager Amanda Reinfelder said the trend — sometimes called "fall creep" — keeps moving earlier every year.
"No need to wait till October 1st anymore, it's Summerween, of course!" Reinfelder said.
Consumer demand shows no signs of slowing. Starbucks is adding a new iced banana bread latte for 2026.
Dr Audrey Guskey, marketing professor at Duquesne University, said "there are people who love the pumpkin latte and all the different fall drinks don't care if it's 100 degrees out there."
So as you sweat during next week's heat wave, you can at least pretend it is a chilly fall day with your fresh pumpkin spice latte.
As always, don't waste your money.
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