Trick-or-treating used to be a tradition that kids, parents, and neighbors looked forward to each spooky season. Now, it seems some are abandoning it altogether over the cost of items like Halloween candy and costumes.
The downfall of trick-or-treating
Over the last several years, neighborhoods all over the country have seen the number of trick-or-treaters waning.
Not to sound outdated, but back in our day, you could rely on kids roaming around the neighborhoods in cute, scary, or clever costumes and knocking on neighbors’ doors who were ready to greet them with a big bowl of candy.
Kids went back home to bask in the glory of their haul, trade candies with friends, and eat more sugar than necessary in one sitting.
Tweens grappled between whether the trick-or-treating experience was still for them or if they should do something “cool,” like staying in and watching movies with friends.
But these longstanding traditions don’t seem to be quite as embedded in our culture as they used to be.
Some neighbors are leaving their lights off to discourage visitors. And those who eagerly await kids in costumes are lucky if they get a dozen visitors, Axios reported. Plus, many cities have implemented curfews and age limits for the activity.
Instead of trick-or-treating, parents and guardians are turning to community events and weekend activities (since Halloween can often fall on a weekday).
Candy is just too expensive
On top of that, TikToker Heaven Kimmel (@heavenkimmel) said that the price of candy is also affecting the time-honored tradition, making it financially inaccessible for some households to participate.
On a recent visit to Walmart, Kimmel was taken aback by how expensive a bag of Halloween candy is. When she was a kid, the bags were about $12 a piece, and now she’s seeing prices get to double that.
At $24 a pop for a mixed bag of fun-size chocolates, one family could easily spend $50 to participate in Halloween.
“People can’t afford that. That’s insane. Any kind of holiday activity or anything you want to do is $50,” Kimmel said.
Why is Halloween candy so dang expensive?
ABC News reported that candy and chocolate prices have partly increased due to a cocoa bean shortage. This shortage has been caused by changing weather patterns in West Africa that have affected bean growth, upping the price of the raw good.
Americans are expected to spend about $3.5 billion on candy this Halloween season.
A CNBC tracker showed that the price of a metric ton of cocoa surged from $4,200 at the start of 2024 to $11,500 in April and has come down to $7,210.
“Unfortunately for chocolate lovers, this means candy is about to get more expensive as dwindling supply impacts prices,” said the National Association of Convenience Stores, a trade group, told a Jersey newspaper.
On top of that, like nearly everything, candy companies are leaning into shrinkflation. In 2023, the Guardian found that Mars shrunk its Galaxy chocolate bar from 110 grams to 100 grams.
@heavenkimmel Just insane! 🫥🥲 #fypage #spookyseason #walmart #candy #inflation ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show
How to spend less on candy
Given the hike in cocoa prices, experts recommend skipping chocolatey items altogether or opting for generic names.
You’re also more likely to find a candy deal at a dollar store or a big box retailer like Costco versus the grocery store or a retailer like Target.
Commenters react
“I literally can’t afford Halloween,” a top comment read.
“Trunk or treat is also a big factor. I would still spend the money on candy if I knew there were gonna be trick-or-treaters, but there hasn’t been so what’s the point?” a person said.
“My local Walmart has so many Halloween items and candy still on the shelves. no one is buying,” another wrote.
The Daily Dot reached out to Kimmel for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message.
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