Retailers noticing early start to Halloween costume shopping

Despite Halloween still being more than two months away, some costume stores are already seeing an influx in customers looking to find the perfect costume.

Kitchener’s Kind of Magic, which has been open for 20 years, said a new trend has become clear this summer.

“This year more than other years, we are starting to see people come in earlier which we love because it makes us be able to help them the best,” Sarah Cox, the general manager of Kind of Magic, explained.

Cox said most shoppers tell her they’re coming in early because of money. They’re either looking for an early deal or hoping to spread out their holiday spending.

“Obviously financially it’s becoming harder and harder for people,” she said. “You want to be involved, you want to get costumes and have fun at Halloween. You also have to choose to buy a full costume and go all out, or pay rent.”

She said by shopping local, people can get a hand in finding the best deal for them.

“If you come in and say ‘I have a budget of $20 and I want to be a devil’ then we will find a way to make you a devil for the budget of $20,” she said. “The earlier you come, the more choices you have.”

Another reason for early Halloween shopping is a TikTok trend called ‘Summerween.’

“There’s a bit of a trend where people have started to decorate in the summer for Halloween and have Halloween parties, and this is something that’s sort of caught on with a lot of youngsters so you’re starting to see some sales because of that,” retail analyst Bruce Winder said.

Winder said in the U.S., some stores are putting out Halloween costumes and decorations as early as March or April. Canada isn’t quite as early, but he said there’s definitely been a shift in recent years.

“You see the holidays starting to move forward. People are starting to get involved in the holiday earlier and retailers love that because they need the off-season sales,” Winder said.

Winder said major online retailers like Amazon and Temu sell costumes year round and often for low prices. He said small local stores can compete by offering an experience for shoppers.

“The only was they can really try to compete is through creating sort of an atmosphere in store. Trying to get unique items for their customers,” he said.

“You might be able to find the odd, unique item [in store] and you can talk to someone about it, or you might go there because it’s fun and you like shopping there. People are dressed up and you get more of a feel for the theme of the store for sure.”