Retailers launch Halloween early amid tariff fears
Why it matters: Big-box retailers — including Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart and Costco — are moving early on Halloween as tariffs threaten to raise prices and fuel even more urgency among consumers.
Halloween is big money for retailers, which is why Summerween has turned the spooky season into a summer shopping event.
Last year's holiday sales were projected to reach $11.6 billion, according to the National Retail Federation's annual survey.
The big picture: The October holiday is one of the seasonal events most affected by tariffs, with the majority of Halloween items imported from China.
The Halloween and Costume Association warned in April that tariffs were threatening to "wipe out Halloween and severely disrupt Christmas."
"With tariffs potentially driving up costs later this year, many shoppers are buying now to get ahead," Stephanie Carls, RetailMeNot retail insights expert, told Axios. "Shoppers know if they wait, the best items might be gone or more expensive."
Home Depot Halloween collection adds Ultra Skelly
Driving the news: Home Depot said Tuesday it will launch its full Halloween collection online on Aug. 4, and in stores ahead of Labor Day.
The Atlanta-based home improvement store is adding several new additions to Skelly's family, like a 5-foot dog and cat, Aubrey Horowitz, Home Depot's decorative holiday merchant, told Axios.
There's also a new 6.5-foot skeleton called "Ultra Skelly" that is app-controlled and animated that will sell for $279.
Lowe's stores already have Halloween
Zoom in: Lowe's told Axios all Halloween collections are now available on its website, and an early in-store launch started July 15.
The Halloween collection is rolling out to stores in August, with the full in-store reset set for Aug. 11-22. The full online assortment will be refreshed by Aug. 25, Lowe's confirmed.
Summerween trend at Walmart, Target, more
The intrigue: Walmart told Axios in June that around 1,000 of its stores nationwide added Halloween displays with products ranging from $1 to $10.
Michaels launched two of its five Halloween collections on July 25 and its last is planned for Aug. 15.
T.J. Maxx and Dollar Tree have also launched Halloween merchandise early in stores and Target 's whole collection is available to preview online.
Behind the scare: Halloween and tariffs
State of play: The looming impact of tariffs on goods from China — including seasonal décor — is one reason why retailers have been front-loading inventory.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
'We Don't Have Contracts With DHS or ICE': Home Depot Stock (NYSE:HD) Slips as it Fights Rumors
The role that home improvement giant Home Depot (HD) plays in the ongoing war against illegal immigration could perhaps be best described as 'amorphous.' It is not exactly clear, but it is present nonetheless. When a new rumor emerged that Home Depot's role might have been more deliberate than some expected, Home Depot moved to take the rumor on directly. This did not help it much with shareholders, however, and shares slipped fractionally in Wednesday afternoon's trading. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Just days ago, mostly through social media, a rumor emerged that said Home Depot was receiving a $250 million payday from the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arm. That payment gave ICE the ability to stake out Home Depot parking lots looking for illegal immigrants. While Home Depot has certainly expressed support for the Trump administration in the past, the rumor was quickly quashed and declared just what it was: a rumor. Home Depot representative Beth Marlowe offered up a statement from the company, saying 'This story is false. We don't have contracts with DHS or ICE. We aren't notified that ICE activities are going to happen, and we aren't involved in them. In many cases, we don't know that arrests have taken place until after they're over.' To underscore the point, Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, offered a statement as well, calling the claim 'ridiculous' and '…just another attempt to smear our brave ICE law enforcement.' The Skelly Effect Meanwhile, yesterday, we revealed that Home Depot was rolling out the Halloween decorations perhaps a little early. But a lot of that new line is focused on Skelly, a giant skeleton model, as well as some new additions like Skelly's cat and dog. As it turns out, Skelly is giving Home Depot a surprising advantage over its competitors in the field, as it serves as a kind of status symbol. Back in 2020, through 2023, Skelly units would routinely sell out, sometimes in as little as a few hours. And homes would even keep them up year-round, decorating them for the season with leprechaun garb on St. Patrick's Day or Uncle Sam outfits for the Fourth of July. Customers call the decoration '…realistic without being too scary or graphic,' and that makes it an attractive draw that competitors are rushing to compete against. Is Home Depot a Good Long-Term Buy? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on HD stock based on 18 Buys and six Holds assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 2.49% rally in its share price over the past year, the average HD price target of $428.12 per share implies 13.77% upside potential.
Axios
2 hours ago
- Axios
Trump: Canada backing Palestinian statehood makes any trade deal "very hard"
President Trump suggested early Thursday that he won't make a trade deal with Canada after Prime Minister Mark Carney said he intends to recognize the State of Palestine, subject to certain commitments. Why it matters: The threat comes one day before Trump's Aug. 1 deadline for countries to make a trade deal or face tariffs — in Canada's case, a 35% levy on goods imported from the neighboring North American country. What he's saying: "Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh' Canada!!!" Context: Carney said Wednesday he would take the action at the UN General Assembly in September, subject to a set of commitments by the Palestinian Authority. Carney's joins two other close U.S. allies in taking the action, further isolating the Trump administration and Israel's government internationally, per Axios' Barak Ravid. France announced a similar plan and the U.K. said it would do the same unless Israel moves to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and commits to a renewed peace process with the Palestinians.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Fitness influencer Joey Swoll quits social media as Hulk Hogan tribute sparks backlash: ‘I'm done'
A renowned fitness influencer and bodybuilder was chased off social media over the vitriol he received for his tribute to Hulk Hogan following the WWE legend's death. Joey Swoll, the 42-year-old 'CEO of Gym Positivity,' declared Monday that he was 'done' with his online platforms as he apologized for dressing up as the mustachioed wrestling icon, which he claimed was a gift from Hogan himself. 'I owe my followers, my community and all of social media an apology,' Swoll told his 8 million followers in a recorded message from the front seat of his car. Swoll had paid tribute to the late Hogan in a now-deleted video in which he wore a Halloween costume resembling the famed wrestler during a workout at Gold's Gym in Venice, Calif. Hogan, born Terry Bollea, died at the age of 71 on July 24 after suffering a 'serious medical issue' at his Clearwater, Florida home. 5 Fitness influencer Joey Swoll addresses his followers after taking down his Hulk Hogan tribute on July 28, 2025. Joey Swoll/X Swoll was known for making videos where he outed 'gym bullies' and held them accountable for the way they treated others on a mission to create a positive gym environment. The social media influencer said he faced backlash from upset followers during a livestream a day after posting the tribute. 'I would be a hypocrite if I didn't hold myself to the same standards. I am human, I am still growing and learning and I promise to all of you I will do better,' he said. 'I have nothing but love and kindness in my heart, I will continue to try and make the world a better place.' Swoll, whose real name is Joey Sergo, then returned to social media on Tuesday to say he was 'done' and that 'people just wait for a reason to hate you.' 'All the good I've done, all the people I've helped, all for nothing. I truly hope all the people I've inspired do great things in their life and pay it forward to help others and carry on my message,' Swoll wrote on X. 'But no matter how much good you do, people just wait for a reason to hate you and tear you down. You either die a hero, or live long enough to be the villain. Thank you for your support. I am done.' 'Instead of listening and understanding like I should've, I became defensive and said 'I was posting to celebrate the wrestling icon, the person so many of us looked up to as kids that we grew up with. That made us tear off our shirts and take our vitamins and say our prayers,'' Swoll said. Swoll had often recycled the workout video dressed as Hogan. In October 2020, he posted the same clip as Hogan's 'Real American' theme song served as the background music. Swoll claims he was unaware of the extent of Hogan's scandals and later researched the wrestler. 'Since last night I have done a lot of research and learned all of the horrible, horrible things that man has done, which is way more than just making a mistake and being human,' Swoll said. 5 Joey Swoll wears a Hulk Hogan Halloween costume in an old video he reposted to pay tribute to the wrestling icon on July 25, 2025. Joey Swoll/X 5 Hulk Hogan at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee on April 27, 2007. George Napolitano / The WWE star was fired from the company in 2015 when video resurfaced of him using racial slurs in 2007. Hogan admitted to steroid use during his early professional career and was caught in a sex-tape scandal with the wife of his former friend, Bubba the Love Sponge. A clip from the video was published by gossip blog Gawker and Hogan sued the company, settling for $31 million and the site's eventual demise. 5 The New York Post front cover on July 25, 2025. csuarez 5 Hulk Hogan poses for photos before a show in Memphis, Tennessee. George Napolitano / Swoll removed the Hogan tribute from all his social accounts and apologized. 'To anyone that I offended, I am sorry,' he said. Swoll said he was met with backlash again, moments later, when he used the word 'colored' instead of the term 'person of color' during the livestream. 'It is a very outdated, very offensive term. Someone educated me and told me that it wasn't ok to use that, which I immediately apologized to everyone and said 'I would never do that again,'' he added.
