{
  "id": 12427935,
  "title": "Halloween has gotten so expensive, 1 in 5 shoppers plans to finance it",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/halloween-has-gotten-so-expensive-1-in-5-shoppers-plans-to-finance-it",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-06T17:15:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91619071/halloween-has-gotten-so-expensive-1-in-5-shoppers-plans-to-finance-it"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The holiday of Halloween has become notably pricey this year, with a significant portion of consumers planning to finance their festivities. According to a survey of 1,500 U.S. consumers conducted by Deloitte, the average person will shell out roughly $285 to celebrate the spooky occasion. Of that amount, $219 will go towards retail purchases, and $66 will be allocated for experiences. Most shoppers anticipate spending this money in physical stores, with 67% planning to shop in person and only 33% opting for online purchases. The majority of Halloween spending is expected to occur at mass merchants, big box stores, supermarkets, grocery stores, and specialty Halloween stores.\n\nMore than a third of the surveyed consumers plan to spend more on Halloween this year than they did in 2025, while only 11% anticipate spending less. This increased spending is not due to a perception of affordability; 71% of respondents believe they can comfortably afford their planned Halloween celebrations, but around a third expect the costs to be a financial strain. This trend aligns with previous research from Bain & Company, which found that retail sales in November and December are expected to grow by 4.5% year-over-year, reaching $1 trillion for the first time ever, driven largely by inflation. Consequently, about one in five consumers plan to finance their Halloween spending using buy now, pay later options or other financing methods. Interestingly, AI is also making its way into Halloween shopping, with 20% of consumers planning to use generative AI tools for recommendations and comparison shopping. Among those who intend to shop early, 32% plan to leverage AI's advice to optimize their Halloween spending.",
  "summary": "Halloween has gotten extra scary — scary expensive, that is. While this year, the candy and the cobwebs will be much the same as the years before, the prices have gotten a bit more chilling. According to a new survey of 1,500 U.S. consumers from the professional services network Deloitte, the average consumer will spend around $285 on the holiday that celebrates spookiness (while hoping not to…",
  "key_points": [
    "1 in 5 U.S. consumers plan to finance Halloween spending",
    "Average person will spend $285 on Halloween festivities",
    "20% of consumers will use buy now, pay later options for Halloween shopping"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}