Children may have to settle for a meager harvest of candy this Halloween, according to a Retail Council of Canada study reported by Global News.
Although 86% of people plan to spend the same or more money on Halloween than they did last year, that doesn’t necessarily mean there will be fuller bags of candy on the evening of October 31st.
Still, the study’s leaders believe that some consumers may change their minds due to inflation, buy fewer sweets than expected or even keep doors and outdoor lights closed on Christmas Eve.
Second, those spending the same or more than last year on their candy may still have fewer candies to hand out due to “reduflation,” where a product is sold at the same price but reduced in volume. .
Basically, the candy containers sold in stores could stay the same price but contain less candy.
Due to the pandemic, the streets have been less busy for the past two Halloweens. Therefore, this year, an increase in the number of children doing traditional candy picking is foreseeable, which could lead to a shortage of treats on the shelves.
Some citizens could also run out of candy faster, forcing them to close their doors earlier. So it is to be expected that the more children encounter closed doors, the further the evening progresses.
“The hardest thing for suppliers is always predicting demand, but right now it’s especially difficult because consumers are acting in new ways each season as they try to navigate the pandemic,” says retail analyst Bruce Winder.
“I think there might be a shortage of goods. Retailers will find it very difficult to have the necessary stock, so there probably won’t be as many discounted goodies on November 1st,” says Tandy Thomas of Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business.
The Retail Council of Canada is recommending consumers start shopping for their candy earlier this year.