The Grinch who stole Christmas has apparently inspired inflation to do the same to Halloween. As if weeping at gas pumps and pulling out calculators at the grocery store to keep from overspending wasn't enough, the price of Halloween candy is frightening. Prices for the 10 most popular candies and assortment bags have jumped an average 13% since last Halloween.
Candy prices are up more than 13% from a year ago, the largest-ever yearly jump for candy. Oct-21 overall inflation was 6.9%, so that's at least a 19.9% price increase since 2020.https://t.co/tPmTd4hEhg via @WSJ
— Overnight Accountant (@runbizlikeaboss) October 25, 2022
Skittles saw the highest price increase (42%), followed by Starburst, which rose 35%, according to the Datasembly Grocery Price index. Other popular candies with big price hikes include:
- Skittles: 42%
- Starburst: 35%
- M&M's: 14%
- Snickers: 14%
- Twix: 13%
- Reese's: 13%
- Sour Patch Kids: 12%
- Kit Kat: 11%
- Assorted: 8%
- Butterfinger: 7%
- Nestle Crunch: 6%
Gallery: Inflation Slows but Continues To Bust Consumers’ Budgets
The rising cost of supplying trick-or-treaters with their favorite goodies is all part of a bigger picture in which the National Retail Federation estimates consumers will spend about $3 billion on Halloween candy for 2022's spooky season.