Photo by Jeanna Duerscherl | The Roanoke Times

J.C. Penney at Tanglewood Mall has marked down prices on winter coats as part of the department store's pre-season sale.

Call it a hot deal for one of winter's must-have items -- faux fur coats.

J.C. Penney at Tanglewood Mall swapped racks of bathing suits this month for short pea coats, leather jackets and long wool coats with fur-lined collars. The prices are marked down at least 35 percent to 40 percent as part of the department store's pre-season sale.

This selection is a sharp contrast to two tables of flip-flops and a round clearance rack of bathing suits situated directly to the side of the outerwear area.

Who's thinking of coats when outside temperatures are 90 degrees and hotter?

Retailers.

Once inside air-conditioned stores and malls, retailers hope customers will think of frigid temperatures and snowy weather.

That's likely the only way that some people can try on and even buy winter coats now.

Despite one of the hottest months on record in the Roanoke area, local stores are rolling out cold-weather sweaters and heavy coats, among the back-to-school and summer sales.

The roll-out is gradual at some retailers.

Rosa Weeks, owner of Christy's Apparel & Accessories in downtown Roanoke, already has received shipments of some cold-weather clothing, and she's expecting more to come this week.

"I'm selling fall stuff now, even as hot as it is," she said. "I think they [shoppers] are ready to buy the stuff."

Weeks already has seen the fruits of selling some cold-weather gear early, although she will wait until October to put out all heavy sweaters and jackets. A customer bought a wool jacket last week at her store.

"She bought a 100 percent wool jacket in 100 degrees," said Weeks, explaining that it was one of last week's hottest days.

Later, the customer told Weeks that "I had a great salesperson," Weeks said.

It's not unusual for retailers to begin preparing for each season months in advance. This is the time of year that parents are shopping for school clothing for their children, and "they're buying their fall clothes now," said Scott Krugman, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation.

With each season's merchandise, "it's always better to get it out on the earlier side," he said.

Frances Kahn, an upscale women's store in Roanoke County, takes the tactic of letting individual customers know when new merchandise has arrived. Store associates called or sent announcements to regular customers when the store's cold-weather clothing, such as angora Giorgio Armani coats, hit racks this month.

Frances Kahn's summer clearance sale also lures customers to the store who may buy fall and winter merchandise while they're there, said Rose Stavale, store manager.

Not all shoppers are wooed by early fall and winter finds.

At Goody's at Tanglewood Mall, store associates recently set up several racks of heavy down vests and corduroy coats, mainly because they did not have room to keep them in the store's stockroom.

"We just don't hold anything back," said Lori Kendrick, a Goody's store manager.

Asked on Tuesday if someone had purchased a coat, Kendrick said, "No, not yet."

No one stopped to glance at the coats for sale Tuesday afternoon at Goody's.

Amy Coada and her stepdaughter, Alyson, were looking for back-to-school apparel at Goody's and "something cool," Amy Coada said.

It's too soon to start thinking of winter-coat buying, they said. "I don't believe it's going to get cold" right now, Amy Coada said.

There's one glitch in a buy-later philosophy with winter clothing -- it could be gone once cold weather comes.

One customer at Christy's Apparel & Accessories purchased a thick turtleneck sweater last weekend, because she worried that "it won't be here when it's time to get it," Weeks said.

Weeks did offer some advice as her customer left the store.

"I hope you're not going to wear that today."