Local stores facing costume shortage ahead of Halloween
The ongoing global supply crisis is leaving many last minute shoppers scrambling to find a costume ahead of Halloween.
Costume shortages have been reported across Canada and the United States, leaving stores with dated products and low inventory. Many customers are complaining about the small selection, saying they can only find costumes that were popular last year.
“The super heroes, the new licences, things like Squid Game, Money Heist, we’ve just been unable to get what people really want,” Philip Cox owner of King of Magic said to CTV.
Cox said he’s made new orders but none of the shipments have arrived yet. He added that suppliers have been jacking up prices in wake of the high demand.
“We spoke with one of our suppliers who increased all his prices across the board 10 per cent,” Cox said.
Rose Hoffman owns The Costume Shop in Cambridge. She said the costume shortage is making it harder for brick and mortar businesses already competing with online stores.
“People will shop online first and when they can’t source it there, they start calling stores like ours,” Hoffman told CTV.
Store owners are asking customers to think of several costume ideas in case their first choice isn’t available.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.