GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – Higher costs are frightening some people more than spooky decorations and jump scares this October.
As tariff troubles continue, a festive Halloween may be harder to afford this year.
“So, I’m trying to find an affordable costume,” says customer Ava Gaddis.
According to a new National Retail Federation survey, 79 percent of Halloween shoppers expect prices to be higher this year due to tariffs.
High school senior Ava Gaddis says it’s the first year she’s buying her own Halloween costume, and the price tags have been shocking.
“Using my own money, it kind of snapped into reality about how expensive things are, so I’m trying to find cute things that are cheaper,” Gaddis says.
Tariffs have raised prices across the board for many Americans and businesses.
Halloween Express owner Lisa Cartwright says tariffs have impacted certain imported goods for the upcoming spooky holiday.
“A lot of the licensed items came from overseas. Those are the ones where the prices are set, so that is definitely an issue,” Cartwright says.
But she adds that customers won’t have to pay the difference.
“We’re locally owned, so we’re able to set the prices however we want. We’re obviously here to make money and make sure everyone has a great time, but we were very aware of that when pricing our items,” Cartwright says.
Despite higher prices, shoppers aren’t letting the extra cost get in the way of Halloween fun.
The consumer survey shows around 73 percent of shoppers still plan to celebrate the holiday.
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