[TropicalJewel]

Hi all,
Maybe y'all can enlighten me as to why there is Halloween inflation. Why is it that everything has shot up in price when it seems to me that less and less people are decorating for themselves and/or the TOTs? Many parents opt for the safer way out and take them to malls and such for tot-ing. Kids thank me for decorating and creating for Halloween cuz they feel like no one does it for them anymore.
So why the inflated prices and less and less being seen in the stores?
Just wondering...
Monique

 

[UnOrthodOx]

Well, less in stores because fewer people decorate.

This likely has an impact on the cost of creating things, since lower volume with less in the stores. This means the cost is increased per unit.

Don't get me wrong, the markup of what an item costs to what it's sold for is sometimes down right silly, but that's the logic behind it all.

 

[Frankie's Girl]

Halloween decor still has a relatively narrow appeal. Stores like Spirit and Halloween Express have to sell their stock for a higher price due to the limited time and limited amount of people that are actually going to decorate in order to make a reasonable profit.

You can find places that sell Halloween props and decor for cheap, but the quality isn't going to be excellent.

Most of us have 3 choices:

• buy expensive props and get decent stuff that will hopefully last a few years
• buy cheap props that might make it through one Halloween season
• build your own props

I do #3 more than anything now. I still buy small things that are used to build my props, but I'm over spending lots of $$$ for stuff that isn't exactly what I want, and places like this forum have so many creative people, how can I NOT try to make my own stuff with all of the support and ideas I get? Home built props are ALWAYS cheaper, unique and much cooler than stuff you'd buy anyway.



The whole TOT at the mall or the "Trunk or Treat" that some churches have started up is a whole other problem.

Times have changed. I grew up TOT during the 70s-80s in a small town. We were allowed to run free and come home at a reasonable time, but after a certain age, no adult supervision. You just can't do that much anymore. I imagine the thought-process for quite a few parents is: why take your kid(s) around to the few houses in the neighborhood that have decorated and hand out candy (that you either know/trust) when you can drop the kid off at the church or mall and not have to supervise them as closely?

My neighborhood still gets quite a few TOTs, but we're one of only 2 houses that decorate/hand out candy on our block. It's pretty sad that most folks don't feel like handing out candy at least anymore.



I'm going to continue to decorate and hand out candy for as long as it's still fun for me. I love the comments and happy faces of the kids and parents that do still venture out... and I'm a bit addicted to doing the Halloween stuff anyway, so it's a win/win!

 

[Pumpkin Torture Guy]

Is a mall really that safe? There are usually hundreds of strangers there at any given time. So why, I ask, would any reasonable thinking parent want to leave their child there unsupervised? As for inflation, it all comes down to supply and demand.

 

[jdubbya]

Hi all,
Maybe y'all can enlighten me as to why there is Halloween inflation. Why is it that everything has shot up in price when it seems to me that less and less people are decorating for themselves and/or the TOTs? Many parents opt for the safer way out and take them to malls and such for tot-ing. Kids thank me for decorating and creating for Halloween cuz they feel like no one does it for them anymore.
So why the inflated prices and less and less being seen in the stores?
Just wondering...
Monique

I think there is more Halloween merchandise in stores these days than ever before. Almost every store has some area dedicated to Halloween stuff; drug stores, grocery, craft, not to mention the outlets like Target, Walmart, Kmart and of course Spirit.
I also think more people are decorating. TOT is changing but as you mention, people like "us" who go the extra mile to make it special and memorable, wil keep the holiday viable and hopefully spark interest for others to do the same.

 

[eanderso13]

Maybe its just the Halloween industry trying to overtake the christmas industry in sales. \

Or its all our fault...the more people who see something in a store and say, "screw paying that much! I'll make a better one myself!" then the fewer are sold and the more companies will charge for it. It seems like almost every day there are new people on this and other Halloween-based forums.

And like I've heard it said before...as long as we keep it alive, Halloween won't die. We had a ton of TOTs last year, and I know the word has spread throughout the year, so it wouldn't surprise me to see more people visiting out neighborhood just for our house. Maybe eventually, when kids in the area grow up and no longer trick or treat, we'll turn into a charity-based haunted house or something instead of a Halloween-only yard haunt, but who knows. For now, all is good in our neck of the very flat kansas woods.

 

[Junit]

I can't add anything that hasn't already been well stated. With fewer people handing out candy, may be because candy has gotten smaller and smaller in their packages while the price keeps going higher.

It's a sad that everything has to be so overpriced, but I think that is what set me off on making things myself. So there was one positive for it all

 

[UnOrthodOx]

Ya know, speaking of candy...it's jumped quite a bit this year.

We typically buy full-size at Costco to hand out. Several years ago, that was $.28 per bar, last year it was $.35. It's up to $.42 or more this year. With 500+ ToTs, it's going to be questionable whether we can swing it this year or not.

Don't really want to go fun size...gotta look for good sales, I suppose.

 

[halinar]

Ya know, speaking of candy...it's jumped quite a bit this year.

We typically buy full-size at Costco to hand out. Several years ago, that was $.28 per bar, last year it was $.35. It's up to $.42 or more this year. With 500+ ToTs, it's going to be questionable whether we can swing it this year or not.

Don't really want to go fun size...gotta look for good sales, I suppose.

I haven't noticed a drop in stuff this year but then again almost nothing is out yet. I don't buy anything at Michaels unless it's 1/2 off as it is and I make almost everything myself so I spend more at Home Depot than any Halloween store.

Now candy has gotten really ugly this year. I've been stocking up when I see 2 for 1 sales and of course the M&M's free chocolate give away's on fridays.

 

[kprimm]

Yes, alot of the store bought props are just too expensive for the cheap quality that alot of them are. I would much rather make my own stuff. I do love all the stuff that comes out and if not too expensive or cheap i'm sure gonna be interested in buying new stuff. Example; when i see a stirring witch prop going for 2-3,000 that is just crazy. I built mine for maybe 200 with very nice death studios mask and hands and is way better built than the super expensive stuff.

 

[Junit]

Dang UnOrthodOx! I hadn't done the individual bar pricing. That's getting crazy, maybe we should picket for some of the Bailout $$ for cheaper candy which would then give kids more incentive to go toting instead of going out and vandalizing or using drugs - whatever it is they use to promote youth programs now!

 

[Skelly215]

We switched from a mix of full-size chocolate bars and giant pixie sticks to just the giant pixie sticks last year because the cost of chocolate seemed to skyrocket! And anyway we had noticed that the TOTs seemed to like the giant pixie sticks just as much, if not more, than the chocolate. My personal theory is that they are attracted to the flat-out SIZE of the pixie sticks, since they make so much more of a visual impact than a full-sized chocolate bar. Even the teens love 'em! Even better, they cost around $.10 or $.15 each when bought in bulk at Smart & Final. We cut our candy bill in half, gave out 50% more pieces, and I don't think a single TOT was disappointed by the switch. That's what I think of as a win-win situation!

 

[Muffy]

WE too are starting to make more of our props than buying stuff. I'm not real good at building but Jerry is, so I find the projects & he builds & I work on the smaller projects. I still pick up some stuff, but not much...... as we have a long list of things to build & are trying to get a few done each year.

As far as candy this year. I usually give out the small bags with 6-7 pcs. in them but this year I'm making my own candy. We have the small chocolate company & most folks around here know we make candy for stores. So I decided this year even tho it will be a bit time consuming, I'm making the bags up of candies we do, also I have about 35 different halloween molds. I will do a small novelty bag, a dipped pretzel, some halloween bark & maybe a 2pc. peanut butter bon bon & caramel nougat(like Snickers).

We also are doing a 4 pc. candy for the adults this year. Its much cheaper for me to make my own chocolates than to buy them. But let me share with all of you that candy has gone up greatly in the candy making business. I was paying $183.00 for 50 lb. cases of chocolate, then they went to $237.00, now they are $287.00, all this in a one yr. period.

Then I went to a domestic chocolate, actually Hersheys commercial brand known as "Peters". Started out at $147.00 a case, then went to $183.00/ case ........so thats whats happening with chocolate. We wholesalers are feeling the crunch to. I mean ya just put out your catalog for the year & then all the chocolate prices go up like crazy, been a rough year for us. Everyone's complaining to the distributors. Also shipping prices are paying a big roll in this.

Muffy