Hershey Reports People Are Eager To Celebrate Halloween Early This Year

Although The Hershey Company may be brightening its fiscal future by diversifying beyond chocolate into snack foods, trick-or-treating calls for chocolate! Unless you're the one house in the neighborhood handing out toothbrushes instead of sugary treats, most folks are gearing up for our favorite spooky holiday. How much do people in the U.S. spend on Halloween? It's a frightening amount, or at least it was in 2021. According to Investopedia, the National Retail Federation reported that in 2021, Americans spent a record-high $10.14 billion on Halloween, which comes out to a per-person average of $102.74 for decorations, costumes, and Kit Kats.

It wouldn't be a holiday if there weren't a squabble about the best time to decorate, and YouGov conducted a poll that revealed most people in the U.S. believe Halloween decoration shouldn't start before October 1st (via Better Homes and Gardens). But, The Hershey Company invested in their own polling, and we have their results.

On September 15, 2022, The Hershey Company issued a press release revealing that 60% of Americans think it's perfectly acceptable to start decorating and prepping for Halloween before October. Further, 70% of households with kids under 18 think an early start to Halloween is just fine. Hershey looks to get consumers even more excited with their Hershey Halloween Kit giveaway that will endow lucky winners with Halloween goodies if they're willing to share holiday celebration ideas on the company's Instagram and Twitter.

Though grownup parties are a big part of the Halloween scene, complete with ghoulish appetizers like kimchi deviled eggs and the applejack-o'-lantern cocktail, sweet treats handed out at the door remain a focus for the holiday. And indeed, when we ranked the top 50 Halloween candies the coveted Hershey's Reese's Peanut Butter Cups came in just shy of the top spot in second place.