Ah, the exhilaration of Halloween. When it’s socially acceptable to eat a toddler-sized sack of candy and an excuse to dress up as the most niche sub-culture of a fandom that no one will be able to guess at the party. The former, however, may soon be a thing of the past if a little thing called inflation can help it. That’s what one Walmart shopper realized after they stumbled upon the Halloween candy aisle, only to leave empty-handed.
In a viral TikTok, user @jmarie1250 shared a clip of the candy aisle at her local Walmart. They were in large black boxes, with the prices ranging from $19.97 to $29.97. In the on-screen text, @jmarie1250 said what everyone was probably thinking: “Porch light will be off this year.” To solidify her feelings on the matter, she added the hashtag #notreatsjusttricks in the caption.
Viewers feel the same way
The TikToker’s clip struck a chord with consumers, earning a whopping 3.4 million views as of Friday. Several of @jmarie1250’s commenters commiserated with her plight.
“They gone have to do a trick for these treats,”one comment with over 100,000 likes read. Another wrote, “Bag of candy more than peoples hourly pay, what a dam shame.”
A third user reminisced about the times when a bag of candy was less than $10, while a fourth proposed a solution that still gets you the sweet stuff: “Let’s celebrate the day after, when its 50% off.”
The majority of commenters were confused about the pricing, demanding answers from retail giants like Walmart. But they aren’t imagining things–candy prices are soaring.
Why is Halloween candy becoming more expensive?
Earlier this week, Newsweek reported on a survey where studies found that 57 percent of Americans are reconsidering how much candy to give out for Halloween due to rising chocolate prices.
“Total Halloween spending is still projected to hit record levels,” the article stated. This will put a strain on folks’ pockets, so kids should expect les candy this year while trick or treating. As for the reason for the price increase, Newsweek cites a supply shortage in places like West Africa, where cocoa is grown for global production. For instance, earlier this year Hershey’s announced a price increase due to “unprecedented” costs of cocoa. So Halloween or not, you may be surprised at seeing heftier price tags for your favorite chocolate bars.
@jmarie1250 Somebody come look at this????#Spooky?season #candy#halloween2025? #trickortreats#notreatsjusttricks ♬ original sound – Notworthit
The Mary Sue reached out to the TikToker via direct message and to Walmart via web contact form.
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