We’re days away from Halloween — do you have your candy yet?
The National Retail Federation expects 67% of Americans to hand out candy this year, spending a total of $3.9 billion.
If you’ve been among the procrastinators, this might help you save some bucks: CashNetUSA, an online lender, has released its list of where to shop for the least expensive sugary treats in each state, just in time for trick-or-treaters to start knocking on your door.
Researchers chose 18 of the most popular Halloween candies based on results from a YouGov poll and compared prices across 2,000 grocery stores nationwide to come up with their fun-sized findings. So where can you load up on the likes of Snickers, Skittles, M&M’s, KitKat and Twix without busting your Fright Night budget?
In Florida, it’s Target.
“Target’s Halloween candy pricing is part of a deliberate strategy to capitalize on seasonal specials and draw customers to the store as it struggles with declining sales,” the report said. “In the candy aisle, Target offers both the branded candy we’ve priced up for our report and cheaper exclusive ‘own brand’ products such as Joyride Spooky Gummies. Target claims that this strategy is paying off, and that its share of seasonal sales is growing, even as its broader market share declines.”
According to the report, candy prices at Target are about 17.93% lower than at other stores, making it the cheapest place for Halloween candy in 20 states, the most of any store.
Nationally, Grocery Outlet, which does not have stores in Florida, offers the best deals, selling candy at 43.50% less than the national average, the report found.
Online lender CashNetUSA has analyzed prices of the 18 most popular Halloween candies across the country to determine the cheapest in each state. (CashNetUSA/Courtesy)
The other stores in South Florida that also made the national list are Walmart, Family Dollar and Save A Lot.
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For their analysis, CashNetUSA said researchers turned to Instacart, using addresses from the most populous ZIP codes in each state to find the prices of the branded grocery items from every store that delivered to that location. Then, they calculated the average price per item at every chain in each state. The average prices of the branded items were compared with the average across all chains in each state, which allowed them to calculate the price premiums, according to the report.
Despite inflation, the National Retail Federation reports Americans still plan to spend a total of $13.1 billion ($114 person) during spooky season.
CashNetUSA offers a few tips to keep your holiday spending in check:
Set a firm budget before shopping.
Partner with friends, family or neighbors to buy in bulk.
Reuse and reimagine items you already have to make costumes and decorations, and swap and borrow with others.
Pick up discounted items after Halloween to use next year.
For the full analysis, visit cashnetusa.com/blog.