The average national price for candy and gum is up by 13% this month from October 2022, according to Datasembly’s Grocery Price Index, which tracks weekly changes at more than 150,000 stores nationwide. By comparison, overall grocery prices have risen by 6.2%.
“Government overspending is the real boogeyman, not global dynamics, and the solution requires central banks and the government to trim their budgets, excess currency, and balance sheets to fend off inflation becoming the biggest scare of 2023,” Mr. Austin said. According to market researcher Pattern, the prices of candy and chocolate staples for trick-or-treating have risen more steeply than general inflation since last October.
As of this week, Halloween candy sales are down from last year and costume sales are up, said Peter C. Earle, an economist at the free market American Institute for Economic Research in Massachusetts, At the same time, the price of 30 boxed lunches containing sandwiches, cookies and potato salad for the musicians increased from $250 to more than $400. As a result of rising prices, the group said it could no longer afford to livestream concerts.