Madison Burgess
You may not have noticed it, but slowly, Halloween is creeping closer every single year.
What used to be a one-night affair has somehow spiralled into a months-long event that requires excessive decorations, costumes, and a slew of events to attend, often beginning in September.
Have you found yourself enjoying a hot summer's day, only to walk past a window display featuring pumpkins, Halloween costumes, and pumpkin spice scented candles?
No, it's not a figment of your imagination - and the biggest reason why this is happening is all down to money and capitalism, of course.
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One Reddit user penned: "I really love fall and Halloween stuff, especially at places like Bath & Body Works, Michaels, and HomeGoods. But honestly, seeing it all out as early as June or July feels a bit too soon.
"Of course, I know I’m not forced to buy anything, but it’s hard to explain it just feels off. Even during the recent sales, I already saw some Christmas items showing up!"
They added: "Personally, that kind of thing bothers me. Like I said, it’s just my opinion, you’re totally free to buy whatever you want."
While someone else explained: "It’s called holiday creep. It’s a real life phenomenon that’s occurring right before our eyes.
"Each year companies are pushing holiday items out earlier and earlier to increase profits and line their pockets. For me it dilutes the excitement and emotional impact of the actual holiday."
And another person agreed: "I agree. I'm not in the mood for fall stuff in the middle of the hottest month of the year, then by the time fall actually rolls around the resellers have snagged all the good stuff and stores are moving on to Christmas. It's annoying."
A business school professor, Jay L. Zagorsky, who has 'studied the economics of holidays for years' has weighed in with his opinion on the growing trend, outlining his thoughts in an article for The Conversation.
He explained that while there’s no definitive research or facts to pin down why Halloween seems to start earlier each year, the 'increase in spending is one major driver'.
As we know, like Christmas or Easter products, Halloween items are seasonal, so they can only be in stores for a limited amount of time before no-one's interest.
Let's face it, at the rate we're going, by November 1 everyone is pretty much ready to put their Christmas tree up.
But as more people are celebrating Halloween, spending is growing in the market and so stores need to stock up on their products.
However, Zagorsky explains how there's a cost of storing large amounts of unsold items until the next year, so instead, once a season’s 'commercial footprint becomes large enough, retailers begin ordering and displaying merchandise long before it’s actually needed'.
Basically, stores don't want to be stuck with hundreds of trick or treating buckets and zombie masks in their backroom for a whole year.
The business expert added that stores are likely to price their products strategically - charging full price when the items first come into stock, before later marking them down closer to the big day to make sure they shift any leftover stock.
Who knows? Maybe next year we'll see witches cauldrons and Ghostface masks down the fruit aisle by June.