The scariest part of Halloween this year is the supply chain

Ben Wieber, a 27-year-old professional services consultant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, attempted to buy a miniature haunted house in-store to add to his Lemax Spooky Town collection, a line of Halloween-themed animatronic figures and buildings. . He was also largely disappointed with the amount of Halloween decorations available in stores near him.

“I went to Lowe’s,

Home deposit,

TJ Maxx,

HomeGoods and I are already seeing Christmas stuff replacing Halloween stuff, which is ridiculous, ”Mr. Wieber says. “I’m like, hello? Are we just skipping Halloween this year? “

A spokesperson for The Home Depot said the inventory of its Halloween items was rapidly shrinking “as consumers are engaging in decorating again this year.” Lowe’s says the company’s stores stocked Halloween and Christmas merchandise earlier than usual this year. TJ Maxx and HomeGoods declined to comment.

The National Retail Federation predicts Halloween spending will hit a record high this year of $ 10.1 billion, from a record high of $ 9.1 billion in 2017. Two-thirds of Americans plan to celebrate by handing out candy , decorating their home, dressing and en Suite. It’s almost back to pre-pandemic levels, according to NRF data.

For those who have yet to purchase costumes and decorations, the news can be bleak. Of more than 8,000 consumers surveyed in the first week of September, 45% said they plan to do their Halloween shopping in September or earlier, and 39% plan to do their shopping in the first two weeks of October, according to the NRF.

“[Our selection was] really good between mid-September and the end of September. Once October hit, it was just gone, gone, gone, ”says Kam Featherstone, a Spirit Halloween employee in Layton, Utah.

A Spirit Halloween spokesperson confirms that the company has “had a few scares this Halloween season” with product delays and increased shipping costs.

The Home Depot sold its preview Halloween products almost immediately this year, Ted Decker, the retailer’s president and chief operating officer, said during an earnings call in mid-August.

On the arts and crafts chain’s Instagram page Michaels, an Oct. 1 photo of pumpkins stacked next to a person holding a coffin-shaped sign drew comments from weary customers. “I’ve been to every store in my area and there’s hardly anything on your shelves for Halloween,” one wrote. In a response to the customer, the Michaels account noted that “we’ve had shipping delays this year” and that the company was waiting for more inventory.

Trick or Treat Studios in Santa Cruz, CA, designs and supplies Halloween masks and costumes for Target,

Walmart and Spirit Halloween. She started ordering products in February, several months earlier than normal, says Mark Lippert, who manages the company’s global supply chain. He says retailers have generally understood the delays and waived late fees.

“Things have been a bit brutal,” said Lippert. “If you want a store-bought costume, you better order it now.”

Franco Pacini, co-owner of costumed mask company Zagone Studios in Melrose Park, Ill., Said soaring freight transportation prices and rising prices for items like foam are stretching the business financially. The company responded to the demand by ordering early and working seven days a week, he said. He has already placed orders for the next Halloween.

Some retailers are splurging on air freight to avoid the backlog of container ships at U.S. ports, says Katherine Cullen, senior director of industry and consumer insight at NRF. Other smaller stores buy old or second-hand masks, costumes, and other accessories from local collectors. They are also buying old inventory for stores that closed during the pandemic, according to Ed Avis, executive director of the National Costumers Association.

Amy Cobaugh, 49, an avid Halloween decorator in North Canton, Ohio, got creative when she couldn’t find fake cobwebs to decorate her backyard. Instead, she bought 10 pounds of elastic netting used to wrap the meat.

She bought her first Halloween item in July of this year: a miniature haunted house that lights up and emits spooky piano chords, thunder and ghoulish howls. She wondered if it was silly to buy a Halloween decoration so early.

“I think because of this pandemic, I wanted my morale to be up a bit,” says Cobaugh. “Glad I did, because when I went back in August it was full.”

In Michigan, Mr. Wieber continues to assemble his “spooky demon” Halloween costume one component at a time.

“I went to one website to find a mask, I went to another website to find large latex hands to go with the mask,” he says. “I’m going to have to find a big black cloak to tie it all up.”

Write to Alex Janin and [email protected]