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September 20, 2025
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This Weekender takes a fresh look at Halloween in the era of AI: how payments shape the party, how algorithms pick your costume, why chocolate feels pricier than ever, and where the season’s luxe splurges live. Consider it your lighthearted field guide to October’s weirdest mash-up: fintech, AI and fright night.
- “Boo baskets” went from neighborly prank to budget line item. TikTok’s favorite fall ritual now frequently includes premium gifts — think cozy throws, skincare and, yes, fancy candy — and has a growing backlash from parents who say it’s “a bit much.” High-end candy brands are feeding the trend: Sugarfina’s 20-piece Halloween Candy Trunk runs about $225. (Fast Company)
- Summerween is real — and retailers know it. Last year’s National Retail Federation survey found U.S. Halloween spending at $11.6 billion, with nearly half of shoppers starting before October, pushing promotions into August. Expect that early-bird pattern to stick. (National Retail Federation)
- Candy inflation is still the scariest monster on the block. The U.S. CPI category for “candy and chewing gum” was up 8.1% year-over-year in August 2025. Chocolate makers are signaling more price action ahead as high cocoa costs linger. Translation: fewer full-size bars in those bowls. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- To cope with pricey cocoa, U.S. brands are steering shoppers toward gummies and licorice. Seasonal chocolate prices rose sharply last year, and manufacturers leaned into non-chocolate SKUs to protect margins. Expect the shift to echo this season. (Reuters)
- The most extravagant “treats” you could (but shouldn’t) hand out. The world-famous La Madeline au Truffe runs about $250 per truffle — that’s $2,600 a pound — while luxury maker To’ak sells limited “Masters Series” bars at up to $490. Hand those out and your porch will trend on Nextdoor. (Guinness World Records)
- Halloween décor has its own luxury tier. Home Depot’s viral 12-foot Skelly is back at $299, while Lowe’s is hawking a 20-foot inflatable cousin that’s been spotted as low as ~$199 on promo. For the true high roller, professional animatronics from Distortions Unlimited run into five figures (their “Sleeping Giant” lists at $14,750). (The Home Depot)
- Buy Now, Pay Later is the unofficial sponsor of spooky season. BNPL hit a record $18.2 billion in online spend during the 2024 holiday period, with nearly 80% of those purchases made on smartphones. Big-box players have built their own options, too — Lowe’s Pay (via Synchrony) offers installment plans right in checkout. (Adobe Newsroom)
- Generative AI is now your costume stylist. Amazon’s Rufus shopping assistant is live across the U.S., answering “best last-minute family costumes under $50” as fast as you can type it. Walmart’s in-app agent (“Sparky”) is pitching discovery and curation of seasonal goods, powering a new kind of impulse aisle in your phone. (About Amazon)
- AI can also invent a Halloween that doesn’t exist. Last year, an AI-generated post lured crowds in Dublin to a Halloween parade that never happened — a prank-meets-spam cautionary tale for local events and advertisers racing to automate content. (WIRED)
- Scammers love spooky vibes — and new AI tools. The FTC has flagged rising threats from voice cloning scams (imagine a “kidnapped” loved one call on Oct. 31), while the FBI warns about “quishing” — malicious QR codes in unsolicited packages. If you’re buying haunted-house tickets, stick to legit processors built for the industry (HauntPay, SimpleTix) and avoid mystery QR codes. (Federal Trade Commission)
Happy haunting — and may your spending plans be less terrifying than your décor.
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