Walking through the mall and seeing floral sundresses and  colorful bathing suits on sale makes me wonder if store owners have forgotten what season it its. Breaking news: it’s still February.

Even more than the sky-high prices or the awful lighting in dressing rooms, the thing I despise most about shopping is that clothing stores are always one season ahead. They are notorious for displaying cold weather clothes in the heat of summer and their warm-weather wear in three feet of snow, and it is becoming ridiculous.

God forbid I should need something for the current season. Every sweater, coat, and pair of boots were sold out in October, and now that it is actually cold outside, it’s nearly impossible to find any weather-appropriate apparel. Instead I am surrounded by cut-off shorts and feather-light tank tops, and forced to look at ads displaying models frolicking in sunny meadows and tanning at the beach.

The same issue is present all year round. I challenge even the most seasoned shopper to find a bathing suit in August that isn’t in size XXL. Even worse, fashion week, which showcases fall clothing styles, is held in early spring. Apparently fashion is perpetually running early.

It’s understandable that stores bring in clothes for the next season a little bit ahead of schedule so that shoppers can have their wardrobe prepared for the oncoming weather.  I can also see the need to have a couple out-of-season pieces available for the lucky few going on exotic vacations. That is no excuse, however, for stores to completely overhaul their entire stock with clothes that can’t be acceptably worn in at least three months, at the earliest.

If clothing stores are constantly looking ahead to the next season, then we are forced to as well. If we follow along the mall’s example and buy spring clothes in winter and fall clothes in summer and then we are forever yearning for the future and not enjoying the present.

There are pros and cons that come along with every season. Yes, winter is cold and dreary. But remember how excited we were for fires, hot cocoa, and snow days? If we can think back to what made us look forward to the current season and appreciate those things, then we will all be a lot happier. Put

down your credit card and stop shopping for the next season so that we can all truly live in the moment.