It reared its bony head in 2020, during that first, chaotic pandemic year that was rife with grief and fear but also toilet paper hoarding and questionable lockdown-inspired purchases. Behold Skelly, the 12-foot, 90-pound skeleton with glowing LCD eyeballs, on sale for $299 from Home Depot, just in time for Halloween — at least, if you can get your hands on one.
It's not enough these days for some Halloween enthusiasts to be scared by actors dressed up in spooky getups at makeshift haunted houses: They want the "real" thing.
Halloween candy sales are off to a slow start this year as U.S. consumers grapple with high living costs and eye-popping chocolate prices.
Halloween candy sales fell 6.7% in the month ending Oct. 17 compared to the same period last year, according to NielsenIQ, a market research firm.