Central Georgia Halloween stores face fewer customers and higher prices as the federal shutdown runs into its fourth week.
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Halloween shoppers in Central Georgia are in a spooky season as the federal government shutdown enters its 29th day, with thousands of workers missing paychecks just before a holiday known for costumes and candy.
Brian Gorman, manager of The Party Store in Warner Robins, said there is something special about helping customers find the perfect Halloween costumes.
“I love it. Halloween especially there’s something great about being a party store, helping people find their costumes that they want,” Gorman said.
But tight finances are affecting shopping habits.
“We’ve maybe had less people,” Gorman said.
Gorman, who has managed the store for five years, said the business has made efforts to offset tariff increases with discounts.
“We’ve done some, some discounts and stuff,” Gorman said. “We did like 25% off for a lot of things.”
While costume prices have stayed the same as last year, the cost of decorations has risen. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 79 percent of Halloween shoppers report seeing higher prices this year due to tariffs.
Jerry Bradley, owner of Discount Costumes and Comics, noted he has chosen costume vendors carefully to keep prices reasonable.
“I just devote a lot of time to trying to select those costumes from my vendors that are priced at a reasonable rate,” Bradley said.
He added that foot traffic is down, especially from military base personnel.
“It has impacted us as far as foot traffic from the base personnel,” said Bradley.
Bradley said he prepared ahead of tariff impacts by stocking up early.
“I suspected that this year would be a little bit hard, harsher, and so we spent all year just really shopping smart,” Bradley said.
Bradley said he is focused on making sure customers’ Halloween spirits aren’t scared off by a price tag.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also reported candy prices are up nearly 11 percent compared to last year, driven by record-high cocoa prices exceeding $10,000 per metric ton. This means consumers are paying almost twice as much for Halloween candy as they did five years ago.
