Higher prices for Halloween items could sting shoppers, reports say

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. The Nielsen Company has reported that the prices of Halloween products from candy and costumes to dress-up hair color have all gone up, which could prompt some shoppers to pinch pennies this season.

Compared to a year ago, prices of chocolate candy are up on average 4.2 percent per package to $4.22, candy overall is up 2.9 percent to $3.59, false eyelashes and accessories are up by 9.5 percent to $3.91 and fake nails and nail decorations are up 3.2 percent to $4.58 per package. Halloween products for coloring hair coloring were up the most to an average of $4.42—a 126 percent increase over the average price last year which was $2.46.

Sources have said the high prices could cause consumers to scale back their costumes and decorations. Candy sales projections, however, have predicted that Americans will spend more than $1.9 billion on candy for Halloween, which breaks down to about $1.2 billion on chocolate and about $672 million in non-chocolate candy sales reports said.