ROANOKE, Va. – You might think the only thing scarier than a haunted house is finding out Halloween is already in the stores, but that’s exactly what’s happening.
“What’s going on? It’s summer, we aren’t even back to school yet… I should not be seeing candy corn until September,” one shopper remarked.
From cobweb-covered shelves to aisles packed with ghosts, it seems retailers are eager to get a head start on the Halloween season.
Jadrian Wooten, collegiate associate professor with the Virginia Tech Department of Economics, explained the early Halloween push. “It helps the competition. If I can sell those Halloween things sooner than my competitors, that lets me get that money versus my competitors. But for a family, I think it’s really helpful.”
However, bringing in the Halloween spirit too early might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
“I love Halloween, but I think it’s kind of weird, save it till September,” said another shopper.
Yet, some are embracing the early fall vibes and are ready to start shopping.
“It’s too hot, I’m ready for fall,” one person shared. “I always try to do my fall shopping now because you know when fall gets here, it’ll all be gone.”
Jadrian Wooten commented on the potential for an even earlier Christmas. “Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if you see Christmas in a couple of weeks actually. As soon as Halloween stuff goes out, people are buying their decorations now; they see it, they are going to grab some things. Sort of the earliest I’ve seen Christmas popping up is September, mid-September to late September.”
So, when you walk into retail stores, you can have your pick of all the Halloween decorations you could wish for, and so much candy corn that even the Tooth Fairy might start taking notes.