Halloween Candy Sales Sputter Amid High Prices

Halloween candy sales are off to a slow start this year as US consumers grapple with high living costs and eye-popping chocolate prices, per the AP. 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. Nielsen also noted an 11.7% decline in candy sales in mid-September, erasing the preseason gains that Halloween candy enjoyed the previous two years. Small bags of candy were the only sizes seeing sales growth through mid-October. Large and extra-large bags were seeing the biggest declines.

US candy prices have been climbing faster than the rate of inflation for several years. As of September, candy and gum prices were up 44% over a five-year period, according to government data. Prices for all food eaten at home rose 22.5% in the same period. This week, discount grocer Aldi was advertising a 135-piece variety pack of Mars Inc. chocolate bars—including Milky Way, Trix, and Snickers—for $19.87. That's almost the same price consumers paid for a 250-piece variety pack five years ago. Cocoa prices are the main culprit. Global cocoa prices reached a record high of $10,710 per metric ton in January 2025.