KSHB 41 reporter Grant Stephens covers stories of consumer interest. Share your story idea with Grant.
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With just over a week until Halloween, Americans are preparing to spend a record $13.1 billion on the holiday this year. Part of the increased spending comes from Halloween falling on a Friday, which means bigger celebrations are expected. But the other factor driving costs higher is that everything simply costs more this year, including candy.
I've been looking into why some candy costs more this year and found some alternatives that might help your wallet.
Non-chocolate candies offer better value per ounce compared to chocolate. This year, you might want to reach for these alternatives – think gummies and sours, two popular options - to stretch your Halloween budget further.
The best strategy is buying in bulk. Costco and Amazon still offer bulk options that end up costing about $20 to $30 for a five-pound mixed candy bag. Target and Walmart are both running deals right now too.
At Target, you can get a 40-mini pack of Sour Patch Kids for about $6 - Walmart will sell you 137 rolls of Smarties for the same price.
Connor Boisen at The Candy Wizard, a shop in Kansas City’s River Market tells me chocolate candy remains the most popular choice, even though it's become pricier after years of price increases related to tough cocoa harvests.
"Chocolate's always big, but chocolate's getting a little pricier at times," Boisen said. "Demand for it's always on the rise. You know, it's a limited thing that can only grow so many places."
While chocolate remains the most popular, non-chocolate sales have seen the most growth. TikTok and viral candies have pushed sales toward non-chocolate options.
Gummies and sours, or more creative items like freeze-dried candies lead the pack in this category, making them both often cheaper and potentially more popular with trick-or-treaters this year.
