Preparing for a gaggle of goblins to knock at your door this Halloween? You're hardly alone. Even during these tough economic times, consumers are still shelling out big for Halloween candy, and have pushed sales slightly higher every year, notes Susan Whiteside, spokeswoman for the National Confectioners Association.
The average person is expected to spend $72.31 on decorations, costumes and candy -- a 9% increase over last year. And sales of Halloween candy alone added up to $2.25 billion last year and are expected to climb to $2.27 billion this year, Whiteside says.
So, how can savvy shoppers get the sweetest deals? Here are some tips on how to dole out the treats without getting tricked on price.
Search the Circulars
The week before Halloween is the biggest week for candy sales, says NCA's Whiteside. Therefore, it stands to reason that shoppers should expect some sweet sales on Halloween candy touted in weekend circulars and various retailers' websites.
A number of Websites link to Halloween candy deals. For instance, Moneywisemoms.com points to several ways to save money on candy at popular retailers. The all-purpose coupons.com has a $1 off a Skittles, Starburst, and Life Savers grab bag of mixed candy, while Penny Pincher websites tout Halloween coupon deals.
Compare Prices Based on Cost Per Piece
Do a side-by-side comparison of candy prices. You do that by dividing the price by the number of pieces of candy in the bag. (If the number of pieces of candy aren't plastered in the front of the bag, look at the number of pieces of candy per serving and multiply it by the number of servings in the bag.)
Here's a sample of that math in action from a recent trip to Costco (COST) and Target (TGT):
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Candy
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Price
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Cost per piece
|
|
M&Ms "Fun Size" with 36 miniature bags of M&Ms
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$4.49
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$0.12
|
|
"All Chocolate 150 Pieces"with Snickers, Reese's, M&Ms, Milky Way, Kit Kat, Almond Joy, Twix, and Nestle Crunch
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$13.99
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$0.09
|
|
Wonka "Mixed Berry Variety Bag" with 110 pieces of Nerds and Laffy Taffy
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$6.99
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$0.06
|
|
Tootsie Pops Miniature with 285 pieces
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$6.99
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$0.02
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Savvysugar.com goes into even more detail with a list of 10 popular Halloween candies and their price breakdown.
Small Packs Sometimes Win Out
Don't always assume that a bigger bag means bigger cost savings. Sometimes the little guys win out, as an NBC12.com report points out.
It turned out that a smaller 8-pack of Hershey's (HSY) Reese's on sale for $0.99 cost $0.12 per piece, while a jumbo bag of 26 pieces cost $4.99 or $0.19 per candy, the NBC12 post noted. In other words, a savvy shopper could get 14 more pieces of Reese's for a similar price of a large bag if they purchased five of the smaller packs.
Motley Fool contributor Dawn Kawamoto does not own stock in any of the companies listed. She has, however, been known to raid her daughter's Halloween candy looking for chocolate goodies.
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