Retailers launch Halloween early amid tariff fears
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
It's still swimsuit season — but the giant skeletons are already stirring this Summerween.
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.
- Home Depot pledged in May that it didn't plan to increase prices because of tariffs. Lowe's told Axios it was confident in its ability to manage tariff uncertainty.
What's next: President Trump is reportedly set to decide as soon as Wednesday whether or not to extend the trade truce with China past its current Aug. 12 expiration.
