On a recent weekend, John Shapiro found himself in a familiar predicament. The technology executive, like countless parents across the country, was hunting for Halloween crafts for his children’s activities. What he discovered at Michael’s told a larger story about the shifting rhythms of retail.
“The Halloween section was 50% off, fully picked over at that point, and Christmas was very much in full swing,” recalls Shapiro, who serves as Chief Product & Technology Officer at Lightspeed Commerce, a retail technology company that processes transactions for thousands of merchants. It was mid-October. Halloween was still weeks away.
This scene has become increasingly common across Canadian retail. Major chains including IKEA, Michael’s, Home Depot and Winners have accelerated their transition to holiday displays, some beginning as early as the first week of October. The rush would seem logical, except for one thing: Canadians have never been more interested in Halloween.
New research from Lightspeed Commerce reveals a striking misalignment. The company’s survey of 750 Canadian adults, conducted in early October, found that 53% of shoppers admit to purchasing everyday products solely because they feature Halloween packaging. Among Gen Z shoppers aged 18 to 24, that number jumps to 85%. Millennials aged 25 to 34 aren’t far behind at 80%.
“What we’re really seeing is continued energy around in-person experiences,” Shapiro explains. “Both the more figurative sampling that makes in-person shopping experiences important and valuable, but also quite literally with Halloween—like sampling candy. Unsurprisingly, that gets people into stores and gets them excited to buy more.” Yet across the country, retailers are cutting their Halloween seasons short.
The premature pivot stems partly from an unusual calendar quirk. This year, Black Friday falls on November 29—about as late as mathematically possible. That leaves retailers with a compressed window between the traditional start of holiday shopping and Christmas Day. “Black Friday is almost literally as late as it can be in the month this year,” Shapiro notes. “Given how late it is, that window between Black Friday and Christmas being shorter creates a fear of missing out or concern from marketers.”
But the early Christmas push comes with risks. “The risk that they’re challenged with is that they are cannibalizing their Halloween sales,” Shapiro warns. “Rather than seeing a more robust and traditional Halloween season as they have in the past, now they’re jumping into and elongating the Christmas season.” The strategy seems particularly puzzling given Halloween’s timing this year—Friday, October 31, ideal for retail sales, parties, and extended weekend celebrations.
The Halloween retail landscape faces additional pressures. Traditional seasonal products have fallen victim to shrinkflation, with candy bars and chocolate packages growing smaller while prices rise. This has pushed Canadian consumers toward alternative shopping strategies. Nearly a quarter of Canadians—23%—now shop at thrift or secondhand stores for Halloween items, compared to just 18% of Americans. The trend reflects both value-seeking behavior and what Shapiro calls a “hunt and find mentality.”
“The novelty or new or just creative Halloween products don’t seem to be hitting the shelves as much these days,” he observes. “Interestingly, we’re seeing that a little bit more with Canadians than Americans.” The shift toward thrift shopping also reflects changing Halloween participation patterns, particularly in urban areas like Toronto where dense condominium development makes traditional trick-or-treating less viable.
For Toronto retailers, this Halloween presents unique complications. The Blue Jays’ unexpected World Series run could potentially culminate in Game 7 on Halloween night—creating an unprecedented collision of sporting celebration and seasonal tradition. “We noticed that as well because we have a pretty large Toronto contingent at Lightspeed, and they, as you can imagine, are quite energized about their Blue Jays,” Shapiro says. “A Game 7 on Halloween night would be a very intriguing calendar coincidence this year to see how it plays out.”
Rather than viewing this as competition, Shapiro sees opportunity. “Bringing together these two events could be a really strong way that restaurants can drive turnout. I suspect Toronto will be buzzing into the weekend on Friday, depending on how the World Series goes.” The city’s urban density actually favors the kind of experiential Halloween offerings that the Lightspeed data shows consumers prefer. Nearly 60% of survey respondents said they’re more likely to visit stores that embrace Halloween atmosphere through music, lighting, and promotional activities.
The Halloween packaging phenomenon creates both opportunity and operational headaches for retailers. While 53% of consumers will purchase regular products dressed in seasonal wrapping, those same packages become liabilities after October 31. “The challenge obviously becomes that post-Halloween, those packages have a much shorter shelf life,” Shapiro explains. “Having to run discounts and take hits on margins becomes problematic for retailers if they’re not staying on top of proactively managing their flow.”
This inventory challenge may explain why some retailers prefer the safety of traditional Christmas merchandise, which enjoys a longer selling season. But Lightspeed’s own merchant data suggests this conservative approach may be misguided. Retailers using the company’s inventory forecasting tools—rather than relying on intuition—saw gross margin returns that were 26% higher than merchants who made gut-based purchasing decisions.
“Retailers often rely on their intuition, and that, unfortunately, is not the best when the world is as fast-changing as it is right now,” Shapiro argues. “Whatever system it is that you use as a retailer, use the system. Bring something in that’s not just your intuition.”
Part of Halloween’s appeal may lie in its accessibility during economically challenging times. Unlike Christmas, with its pressure for expensive gifts, or other holidays with significant traditional expenses, Halloween remains relatively affordable. “Halloween is generally a pretty affordable holiday,” Shapiro notes. “Most of the items that we’re talking about here allow consumers to splurge without really breaking the bank, which works for the broader economic environment that the generation we’re discussing finds themselves in.”
This affordability factor may be particularly relevant for younger consumers, who show the highest engagement with Halloween branding despite facing student debt, entry-level wages, and housing affordability challenges. Shapiro recommends retailers embrace this dynamic rather than fight it. “You don’t want to miss out on the broader splurgy-type experience momentum that these shoppers might have, so having some upmarket, elevated Halloween experience-type products while still maintaining the broad base of goods that might hit at a more affordable price point.”
As October winds down and Halloween approaches, the disconnect between consumer enthusiasm and retail strategy appears to be reaching its peak. The Lightspeed data suggests retailers may be abandoning significant revenue opportunities in their rush to Christmas. “Given the data that we’re seeing and the dynamics around shoppers being excited about Halloween, I feel like it’s a missed opportunity to jump too quickly away from that,” Shapiro concludes.
For Shapiro, the lesson extends beyond Halloween to broader questions about how retailers navigate an increasingly complex seasonal calendar. The companies that succeed, he suggests, will be those that listen to data rather than assumptions, and that recognize consumer enthusiasm when they see it—even if it doesn’t fit traditional retail rhythms. Back at Michael’s, parents like Shapiro will continue their hunt for Halloween crafts, even if it means digging through clearance bins while Christmas carols play overhead. The question for retailers is whether they’re missing the bigger picture while they’re busy decking the halls.
Research was conducted by Censuswide for Lightspeed Commerce among 750 Canadian consumers aged 18 and older between Oct. 2 and Oct. 10.
Dustin Fuhs is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of 6ix Retail, Toronto’s premier source for retail and hospitality industry news. As the former Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider, Canada’s most-read retail trade publication, Dustin brings over two decades of expertise spanning retail, marketing, entertainment and hospitality sectors. His experience includes leadership roles with industry giants such as The Walt Disney Company, The Hockey Hall of Fame, Starbucks and Blockbuster.
Recognized as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert in 2024 and 2025, Dustin delivers insider perspectives on Toronto’s evolving retail landscape, from emerging brands to established players reshaping the city’s commercial districts.