Looking for great prices on Halloween treats? No luck: it’s number 1um November that you will find the best offers!
Halloween is not the favorite holiday of bargain hunters like Easter and Valentine’s Day. Think about it, it’s a winning combination for confectionery manufacturers: the products are only offered seasonally and the fixed date creates buying pressure. Because who hands out candy the day after Halloween?
In addition, weak competition means that a few giants such as Nestlé, Mars and Mondelez share the largest share of the pie without having to reduce prices too much. Think about your favorite candy or chocolate, there’s a good chance it’s made by one of these multinational companies.
If we look at price trends over the past few years, we see that the prices of the best-selling Halloween candy brands haven’t really increased. This may seem like good news, but it hides something: it is a category that is very vulnerable to reflation. The formats and packaging change every year. The box of 40 candies you buy this year contained 45 last year and 50 two years ago.
October 31st is approaching and you’re wondering how much it makes sense to spend to please the little monsters in your neighborhood.
I offer you a fairly simple formula that you can adapt to your situation. Multiply the estimated number of children who will ring your doorbell by this amount:
- $0.70 if you want to give the kids nice big handfuls of candy
- $0.50 for a few small treats per child
- $0.25 for one or two pieces of candy per child
You can make a choice based on your budget, but expect to pay between $0.13 and $0.19 per single treatment based on current drugstore and bulk prices. Calculating the cost price per treat in a package will help you determine whether or not you’re getting a good deal before purchasing. Luckily we all have a calculator with us.
Happy Halloween!
What to look for in the supermarket this week
- We are in a transition phase from seasonal local harvests to imports. Generally, these few weeks are more favorable for advantageous and rare meat offerings. Take the opportunity to stock up.
- We may see fewer offers on fruit in the coming weeks. The only expected exception is citrus fruits, which should continue to be offered at a good price in the circulars.
- Companies will be selling surplus Halloween treats starting November 1st. Maybe it’s time to start shopping in preparation for the holidays or for Christmas stockings? After all, there are no ghosts on the packaging!
Jean-François Gagné Bérubé, founder of Glouton.app, a platform specializing in analyzing grocery store circulars to help families maximize their savings