Shoppers at major retailers including Home Depot, Lowe’s and Target have been inundated with Halloween decorations months before the spooky holiday — the earliest ever — as stores look to boost sales.
Michaels, the arts and crafts chain with more than 1,300 stores across North America, was among the retailers jumping on the “Summerween” trend, announcing last week that it was making Halloween-themed décor and supplies available for sale from the end of July through the holiday period.
The Irving, Texas-based company said that it was looking to capitalize on Halloween’s growing popularity among Gen Z and Millennials who begin their holiday shopping.
“We know many of our customers start decorating as soon as Independence Day passes and eagerly await the first Halloween drops — a moment they call #CodeOrange,” John Gehre, the chief merchandising officer at Michaels, told Axios.
Home Depot began marketing holiday décor such as 12-foot skeletons back in April, according to the news site Axios.
Costco, HomeGoods and Sam’s Club are among other big box retailers that are seeking to cash in early with specially marked sections that offer varieties of candy.
Candy sales accounted for $6.4 billion last year — more than half of the $12.2 billion in Halloween spending, according to the National Confectioners Association.
Retailers are attuned to a recent social media craze dubbed “Summerween” influencers post videos of Halloween-themed parties that they throw in the middle of the summer.
The term “Summerween” was first coined on the Disney Channel animated mystery series “Gravity Falls,” which tells the story of a fictional Oregon town where the locals love Halloween so much that they decide to celebrate it twice a year.
Earlier this year, a TikTok user did a mashup combining dialogue of “Gravity Falls” characters talking about Halloween and the Pet Shop Boys song “West End Girls.”
Halloween isn’t the only holiday where shoppers can get a head start on their purchases.
Home Depot, JC Penney, Target and other chains have already begun offering Christmas-themed merchandise, including trees, lights and ornaments.
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