What Grocery Stores Sell More of in the Weeks Before Halloween

Walk through a supermarket in mid-October and the layout alone tells part of the story. Entire aisles flip over to orange and black, and displays crowd the front of the store.

Sales data fills in the rest of the picture. Some of what sells faster in the run-up to October 31 is obvious, and some of it isn’t.

Candy

Candy is the clear headliner. Circana reports that U.S. households spent about $4.5 billion on candy during the four weeks before Halloween, making the holiday the second-largest candy month of the year.

Most of that spending is planned well ahead of the big night.

Nearly half of Halloween shoppers, 47 percent according to the National Retail Federation, start buying before October even begins. Chocolate is the top pick for handing out, chosen by 75 percent of households in the Circana data.

Gummy, Chewy, and Sour Mixes

Chocolate isn’t the whole story anymore. Circana found that 59 percent of households hand out gummy, chewy, or sour candy, and another 36 percent hand out hard candy.

The mix is shifting from one season to the next, too.

During Halloween week, chocolate held 51 percent of seasonal candy sales in 2025, down from 55 percent the year before. Non-chocolate rose from 45 to 49 percent, a change tied in part to higher cocoa costs.

Pumpkins

Fresh pumpkins have a very short window to sell, which makes the final weeks of October their biggest moment. Retail prices have long climbed from lower September levels as demand builds toward Halloween.

Pumpkins are one of the few grocery items where demand can override a good harvest.

In one weekly USDA specialty-crop advertising report, pie-type pumpkin prices jumped 39 percent, and retailers were described as focused on pumpkins in their ads.

Apples and Cider

Apples and apple cider show up at the center of fall ad circulars as Halloween approaches. Retailers feature fresh apples, cider, and fruit and vegetable snack trays for fall gatherings and parties.

It’s an old pairing, going back well over a century of Halloween party menus.

Prices vary by variety and year. In the same USDA report, Gala apples dropped 13 percent in price, which makes them an easy item for stores to promote when supply is strong.

Allergy-Friendly Treats

A growing share of households shops with allergies in mind. Circana found that about one-third of U.S. households said food allergies influenced their Halloween purchases.

Those households were more likely to buy non-chocolate candy or treats that aren’t candy or food at all.

It’s a quieter shift than the candy aisle’s new gummies, but it shows how allergies are changing what ends up in the cart each October.