Halloween is right around the corner, and you know what that means: stores are in full panic mode, pushing themed decorations, mountains of candy, and costumes that’ll probably rip before midnight. The message is loud and clear: buy, buy, buy. But seriously, is this what Halloween is supposed to be about? Spirit Halloween popping up in empty storefronts like some kind of retail ghost, only to vanish a month later. Party City sells costumes that barely survive one wear.
This summer I worked at a local store that sold everything from local produce to plants to gifts like housewares and jewelry. My job focused on caring for the greenhouse plants, however as summer concluded, I was assigned other tasks, like pricing gifts. I got to see the vast amount of Halloween decorations we sold. Some fall decorations were cute and reusable, but many were cheaply made, Halloween-specific, single-use items.Â
While my coworkers fawned over a thirty-dollar floating witch’s hat that was already losing its sequins, I couldn’t get past the sheer amount of Halloween products we had. Why do we need all of these products just to celebrate a single day?
Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT anti-Halloween. The holiday can be an exciting experience that allows for family gatherings and a night that feels special to children and those who are still a kid at heart. Like any holiday, Halloween brings fun and memories, which I fully support. Still, holidays like Halloween have become more about how companies can make money than about making childhood memories.
The average American household is expected to spend around $114 on Halloween this year, from costumes to decorations to candy. Individually, this might not seem like a lot, but added up, it means more than $13 billion will be spent on just one day.Â
Spending all this money won’t even get you products that last. We have all experienced buying a Halloween costume that didn’t fit right, looked incredibly cheap, and started tearing at the seams no matter how much it cost. This poor quality forces people to buy new costumes year after year.
This is not only a problem with costumes. Massive blow-up decorations from Lowe’s break after a month, light projectors burn out before Halloween even arrives, and foam gravestones lose paint after the first rain. Prices keep climbing, yet the quality only seems to be declining.Â
These companies are not only forcing customers to overconsume, they’re participating in overconsumptions themselves.
If you walk into a Spirit Halloween you’ll see rows and rows of stuff. Costumes for every possible character and theme. Decorations stacked to the ceiling. Jewelry, accessories, themed cups, things you didn’t even know existed. There’s so much merchandise it would be impossible to sell it all.
But these stores are only here for a few months, after Halloween they disappear until the next fall season. So what happens to all the leftover product?
Spirit Halloween claims all unsold items are packed up and returned at the end of the season, with some reappearing the next year. On the other hand, an employee claimed on Reddit that Spirit Halloween actually destroys and throws away extra products. While the claim isn’t proven, it draws attention to how much waste Halloween creates for both individuals and companies.
As Halloween approaches, I’m asking you to really think about what you’re buying. Do you actually need it? Will you use it again? Or is it just going to end up in a landfill by November?
Halloween is turning into this massive consumerist trap, but it doesn’t have to be. We can push back. Even small changes matter. Let’s get back to what Halloween should be about, the magic, the memories, the fun, not just how much stuff we can cram into our shopping carts.