By now, you can see Halloween candy in almost every store that sells candy. It's the same with Halloween costumes and decorations. I always figured it was because of back-to-school creep. Schools in my area used to start after Labor Day, then it was late August, and now it's early August. Most back-to-school supplies are bought by the first day of class, so shelves are empty. They must be filled with the next seasonal push, which is Halloween.
However, retail stores that sell Halloween costumes and decorations know that if you don't buy a costume at their store, you'll but it at a competitor's store. And whoever gets those things on the shelves first will get those sales. We've all been in the position of putting off a costume purchase, and then finding the store sold out, so customers are primed to lock in what they really want early.
As far as candy goes, there's a lot of money to be made from people who eat their favorite seasonal treats as well as handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. Getting the candy on the shelves puts customers in the mood to eat candy corn or marshmallow ghosts as soon as they see them. And if your favorite candy is Halloween-themed, you'll want to stock up, because on November first, the shelves will start to fill up with candy canes and marshmallow Santas.
(Image credit: Juushika Redgrave)
