Halloween shopping reaches into everyday life well before October 31. RetailMeNot’s latest survey shows how seasonal clothing and decorations fit alongside costumes and celebrations.
Put Halloween decorations up in September and you get to enjoy them every time you pull into the driveway. Wait until the last weekend in October and you’ll be packing them away almost as soon as you’ve found the extension cord.
That helps explain the appeal of shopping ahead for a holiday. Some of what people buy has a use long before the date arrives.
In RetailMeNot’s September 2026 survey, 34% of respondents plan to buy Halloween clothing or accessories. About 32% plan to buy interior decorations, with a similar share choosing exterior décor. Those purchases can bring Halloween into the house and into an ordinary day for several weeks.
Halloween has a place in the everyday
Halloween clothing and accessories rank just behind candy among planned purchases in the survey. At 34%, they draw about the same level of interest as adult costumes, at 33%.
A seasonal sweatshirt is easy to wear while doing whatever was already on the calendar. A costume generally needs somewhere to go. Both let someone participate, with very different amounts of preparation.
Décor works much the same way. You can enjoy the lights on the porch without hosting a party. Putting them up becomes something to look forward to, and then they’re there when you get home from work.
For someone who enjoys Halloween, that repeated use can be part of what makes a purchase worthwhile. The enjoyment starts when the item comes out of the bag.
Adults have plans of their own
Adult costumes are on a third of respondents’ shopping lists, and 24% plan to buy tickets to Halloween events. There are celebrations to dress for and dates to put on the calendar alongside children’s activities.
Those plans give Halloween purchases a specific purpose. A costume for a party with friends might get one evening of use and still be something a person looks forward to all month. Decorations might stay up for weeks.
The survey shows interest across both kinds of purchases. How much use someone gets from an item is one part of its value; how much they enjoy the occasion matters, too.
Why an early purchase can make sense
The timing question changes depending on what someone is buying. A decoration can go straight onto the mantel. A costume might be needed for an event several weeks before Halloween.
Buying earlier gives those shoppers more time to use what they chose or get ready for their plans. That helps explain why “Halloween is still weeks away” may have little bearing on whether a purchase feels timely.
It also leaves room for different decisions. Someone who wants a specific decoration for this year may value having it up throughout October. Someone adding to a collection for next year may be comfortable waiting.
An early purchase alone tells us very little about whether someone rushed. What they intend to do with it matters.
By October 31, the porch lights may have been on for a month and the Halloween sweatshirt through the wash several times. For that shopper, the purchase has already been earning its place.
For the full survey results, read “Halloween 2026 by the Numbers: What Shoppers Are Buying.”
Methodology: RetailMeNot Group Q4 2026 consumer survey, fielded September 2026. N=1,183.
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