With 85 days to go before Halloween, early signs of the spooky season are appearing in some Arlington stores.
ARLnow spotted a small assortment of Halloween-inspired items at two of five stores we stopped by along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.
At Clarendon’s Whole Foods store, a small selection of Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale has been put on display. Assorted bags of candy featuring Halloween theming are also now available at Rosslyn’s Safeway store.
The other stores visited by ARLnow staff on Monday — Rosslyn’s Target, as well as the Target and Harris Teeter in Ballston — did not appear to have much of anything Halloween-related on display, if at all. Instead, seasonal items available for purchase included back-to-school goods and summer merchandise like charcoal and coolers.
Around the country, some major retail chains are marketing Halloween-related merchandise earlier than ever this year, according to Axios. Leaning into the trend that some call “Summerween,” Michaels began selling fright-inspiring decor in June, and Halloween sections have appeared at HomeGoods and Sam’s Club.
Specialty retailer Spirit, meanwhile, will have two stores on the outskirts of Arlington this year: in a former Advance Auto at 3513 South Jefferson Street in Bailey’s Crossroads and in a former CVS at 6164 Arlington Boulevard in Seven Corners. The latter has already opened for the season, according to the Spirit website.
Halloween spending has seen a gradual increase over the years, according to the National Retail Federation. Americans spent an estimated record of $12.2 billion on Halloween-related goods in 2023, or approximately $108 per person.
Also in 2023, roughly 96% of consumers reportedly purchased Halloween candy, while 77% bought decorations and 69% purchased costumes.
