Halloween candy sales start slowly as prices stay high
Halloween candy sales in the US are down this year, as rising living costs, cocoa prices and gas prices make shoppers buy smaller bags.
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Halloween candy sales in the United States are off to a slow start this year. The market research firm NielsenIQ says sales fell 6.7% in the month ending October 17, compared with the same period last year. In the middle of September, sales were down 11.7%. That wiped out the early gains that Halloween candy had in the two years before. Small bags were the only sizes still selling more, while large bags sold much less.
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That out the early gains that Halloween candy had in the two years before.
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Experts say the main reason is the cost of living, not only the price of candy. A NielsenIQ executive said many families are spending more on fuel, housing, clothes and food, so some of them skip big bags of candy. Gasoline averaged $4.29 a gallon, nearly 40% more than a year ago. Candy and gum prices have gone up 44% in five years, while food eaten at home rose 22.5%. Cocoa is the main cause: bad weather in West Africa pushed prices to a record in early 2025. They fell later, but they started to rise again this spring.
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A executive said many families are spending more on fuel, housing, clothes and food, so some of them skip big bags of candy.
NielsenIQ "NielsenIQ" is a singular noun, so it fits the gap.
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Not every report is so gloomy. Entrepreneur magazine points out that the National Retail Federation expects people to spend $4.1 billion on sweets this season, even though PwC says a package of Halloween chocolate now costs 15.5% more, about $5.67. Some people still want children to have the same trick or treating fun that they remember. NielsenIQ also found that cheaper gummies and lollipops did not sell better, which suggests that price is not the only problem. The final result will be clearer after Halloween night on October 31.
Topics Business
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Questions from the whole text. Your answers move your words, phrases and grammar.
Speaking
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Two minutes, free. Open an assistant with the prompt ready, turn on its voice and answer a few questions about the text. Nothing is recorded here.
- Step 1Choose your app: ChatGPT or Claude.
- Step 2Press its voice button.
- Step 3Answer 4–5 questions out loud.
The assistant's questions
- Why are Halloween candy sales lower this year?
- What size of candy bags did people still buy more of?
- Do you like Halloween?
- Do you often buy sweets for yourself?
- If prices for your favorite food went up a lot, would you still buy it?
Questions to ask the assistant
- Do you celebrate Halloween?
- What is your favorite sweet?
- Do you think prices will go down next year?
- Have you ever given candy to children on Halloween?
Nothing to say? Start like this
- I think that...
- In my opinion...
- For me,...
- I remember when...
- I'm not sure, but...
Words from the text
- sale when something is sold to people The store had a big sale last weekend.
- sell to give something to someone for money My neighbor sells vegetables at the market.
- bag a container to carry or hold things I put my books in a bag.
- spend to use money to buy things We spend a lot of money on food every month.
- rise to go up or become higher Temperatures rise in the summer.
- sweet candy or something with sugar I don't eat many sweets.
The assistant's questions
- Why are Halloween candy sales down this year, according to the article?
- What are people buying instead of large bags of candy?
- Do you think people should spend less on treats when prices go up?
- Do you celebrate Halloween or any similar holiday?
- If chocolate prices doubled, would you still buy it?
Questions to ask the assistant
- Have you noticed candy or chocolate getting more expensive recently?
- What is your favorite Halloween or holiday treat?
- Do you think rising prices change how people celebrate holidays?
Nothing to say? Start like this
- I think that...
- In my country, we usually...
- For example, ...
- I'm not sure, but maybe...
- If I had to choose, I would...
Words from the text
- candy sweet food, like small pieces of chocolate or sugar My kids ate too much candy after the party.
- suggest to show or hint that something might be true Her tired face suggested she hadn't slept well.
- fuel gasoline or energy used to power cars and machines We stopped to buy fuel before the long trip.
- cheap not costing much money This shop sells really cheap clothes.
- expert a person who knows a lot about a subject We asked an expert for advice about the garden.
- skip to not do something you usually do I sometimes skip breakfast when I'm in a hurry.
The assistant's questions
- Why did Halloween candy sales fall this year, according to the article?
- What happened to the price of cocoa, and why?
- Do you think rising prices change how people celebrate holidays in general?
- Have you ever cut back on buying something you enjoy because of rising prices?
- If you had to cut your holiday budget in half, what would you give up first?
Questions to ask the assistant
- Do people in other countries celebrate Halloween the way Americans do?
- Why do you think large bags of candy were hit harder than small ones?
- Do you think companies could lower prices if they wanted to, or is it really out of their control?
Nothing to say? Start like this
- I think the main reason is...
- From my own experience...
- What strikes me about this is...
- If I had to guess, I'd say...
- On the one hand... but on the other hand...
Words from the text
- candy sweet food made mostly of sugar She keeps a jar of candy on her desk for visitors.
- skip to not do or buy something you usually would He decided to skip dessert to save money.
- wipe to completely remove or erase something The storm wiped out the entire harvest in just one night.
- gloomy making you feel sad or without hope The weather has been gloomy all week, with constant rain.
- cocoa the plant product used to make chocolate The price of cocoa affects how much chocolate bars cost in stores.
- gallon a unit for measuring liquid, like gas The car can hold about twelve gallons of fuel.
Show the prompt
# Speaking practice: Halloween candy sales start slowly as prices stay high
You are my friendly English conversation partner. We talk by voice, so keep every reply short: one to three sentences. Speak English only.
About me: I am a beginner (CEFR A1-A2): use short simple sentences, common everyday words and the present and past simple.
The text we talk about is called “Halloween candy sales start slowly as prices stay high”. This article is about Halloween candy sales in the US this year. Sales are lower because prices for candy, gas and food are high. People are buying smaller bags of candy instead of big ones.
The conversation has three stages:
- 1. The text: start with the first questions, which are about what the text says.
- 2. Me: move on to the later questions, which are about my own experience and opinion.
- 3. The end: when I say we are done, or after the last question, stop asking and give the report below.
Ask me these questions in this order, one at a time. Wait for my answer and react to it in a few words before the next one.
1. Why are Halloween candy sales lower this year?
2. What size of candy bags did people still buy more of?
3. Do you like Halloween?
4. Do you often buy sweets for yourself?
5. If prices for your favorite food went up a lot, would you still buy it?
If I get stuck, give me one of these sentence starters or make the question easier:
- I think that...
- In my opinion...
- For me,...
- I remember when...
- I'm not sure, but...
Target words. Use them naturally in your own replies and ask questions that make me want to use them:
- sale: when something is sold to people Example: The store had a big sale last weekend.
- sell: to give something to someone for money Example: My neighbor sells vegetables at the market.
- bag: a container to carry or hold things Example: I put my books in a bag.
- spend: to use money to buy things Example: We spend a lot of money on food every month.
- rise: to go up or become higher Example: Temperatures rise in the summer.
- sweet: candy or something with sugar Example: I don't eat many sweets.
If I ask what a word means, answer in simple English with a short example. Say the word in my native language only if I ask a second time.
If I go off the topic, answer in one sentence, then bring me back to the question we were on.
Rules:
- Do not correct me while I speak. Let me finish my thought.
- Quietly keep a list of my mistakes and of the new words I used or needed.
- Report: my mistakes with the corrected sentences, which target words I used and which I did not (with a short meaning of each one I did not), and one thing to practise next.
Start now with the first question.
# Speaking practice: Halloween candy sales start slowly as prices stay high
You are my friendly English conversation partner. We talk by voice, so keep every reply short: one to three sentences. Speak English only.
About me: I am an intermediate learner (CEFR B1-B2): I can talk about experiences and opinions, with some mistakes.
The text we talk about is called “Halloween candy sales start slowly as prices stay high”. This article is about Halloween candy sales in the US, which are lower this year. Rising prices for cocoa, fuel and everyday living costs mean people are buying smaller bags of candy instead of big ones. Still, some experts think people will still spend a lot of money on sweets this Halloween.
The conversation has three stages:
- 1. The text: start with the first questions, which are about what the text says.
- 2. Me: move on to the later questions, which are about my own experience and opinion.
- 3. The end: when I say we are done, or after the last question, stop asking and give the report below.
Ask me these questions in this order, one at a time. Wait for my answer and react to it in a few words before the next one.
1. Why are Halloween candy sales down this year, according to the article?
2. What are people buying instead of large bags of candy?
3. Do you think people should spend less on treats when prices go up?
4. Do you celebrate Halloween or any similar holiday?
5. If chocolate prices doubled, would you still buy it?
If I get stuck, give me one of these sentence starters or make the question easier:
- I think that...
- In my country, we usually...
- For example, ...
- I'm not sure, but maybe...
- If I had to choose, I would...
Target words. Use them naturally in your own replies and ask questions that make me want to use them:
- candy: sweet food, like small pieces of chocolate or sugar Example: My kids ate too much candy after the party.
- suggest: to show or hint that something might be true Example: Her tired face suggested she hadn't slept well.
- fuel: gasoline or energy used to power cars and machines Example: We stopped to buy fuel before the long trip.
- cheap: not costing much money Example: This shop sells really cheap clothes.
- expert: a person who knows a lot about a subject Example: We asked an expert for advice about the garden.
- skip: to not do something you usually do Example: I sometimes skip breakfast when I'm in a hurry.
If I ask what a word means, answer in simple English with a short example. Say the word in my native language only if I ask a second time.
If I go off the topic, answer in one sentence, then bring me back to the question we were on.
Rules:
- Do not correct me while I speak. Let me finish my thought.
- Quietly keep a list of my mistakes and of the new words I used or needed.
- Report: my mistakes with the corrected sentences, which target words I used and which I did not (with a short meaning of each one I did not), and one thing to practise next.
Start now with the first question.
# Speaking practice: Halloween candy sales start slowly as prices stay high
You are my friendly English conversation partner. We talk by voice, so keep every reply short: one to three sentences. Speak English only.
About me: I am an advanced learner (CEFR C1-C2): I am fluent and want precise vocabulary and nuance.
The text we talk about is called “Halloween candy sales start slowly as prices stay high”. The article reports that Halloween candy sales in the US have fallen this year, with large bags especially hit, as shoppers face higher costs for fuel, housing, food and candy itself. Cocoa prices, driven up by bad weather in West Africa, are a major reason candy has become more expensive, though some analysts still expect overall holiday spending to remain fairly high.
The conversation has three stages:
- 1. The text: start with the first questions, which are about what the text says.
- 2. Me: move on to the later questions, which are about my own experience and opinion.
- 3. The end: when I say we are done, or after the last question, stop asking and give the report below.
Ask me these questions in this order, one at a time. Wait for my answer and react to it in a few words before the next one.
1. Why did Halloween candy sales fall this year, according to the article?
2. What happened to the price of cocoa, and why?
3. Do you think rising prices change how people celebrate holidays in general?
4. Have you ever cut back on buying something you enjoy because of rising prices?
5. If you had to cut your holiday budget in half, what would you give up first?
If I get stuck, give me one of these sentence starters or make the question easier:
- I think the main reason is...
- From my own experience...
- What strikes me about this is...
- If I had to guess, I'd say...
- On the one hand... but on the other hand...
Target words. Use them naturally in your own replies and ask questions that make me want to use them:
- candy: sweet food made mostly of sugar Example: She keeps a jar of candy on her desk for visitors.
- skip: to not do or buy something you usually would Example: He decided to skip dessert to save money.
- wipe: to completely remove or erase something Example: The storm wiped out the entire harvest in just one night.
- gloomy: making you feel sad or without hope Example: The weather has been gloomy all week, with constant rain.
- cocoa: the plant product used to make chocolate Example: The price of cocoa affects how much chocolate bars cost in stores.
- gallon: a unit for measuring liquid, like gas Example: The car can hold about twelve gallons of fuel.
If I ask what a word means, answer in simple English with a short example. Say the word in my native language only if I ask a second time.
If I go off the topic, answer in one sentence, then bring me back to the question we were on.
Rules:
- Do not correct me while I speak. Let me finish my thought.
- Quietly keep a list of my mistakes and of the new words I used or needed.
- Report: my mistakes with the corrected sentences, which target words I used and which I did not (with a short meaning of each one I did not), and one thing to practise next.
Start now with the first question.
Type the answer
That out the early gains that Halloween candy had in the two years before.
Did you get it right?
1–4 pick a word Enter check / continue Esc skip
Type the answer
One word is in the wrong form: “wipe”. Type the correct form of that word.
That wipe out the early gains that Halloween candy had in the two years before.
Did you get it right?
Enter check / continue Esc skip
Choose the form
In the of September, sales were down 11.7%.
middle "middle" is a singular noun, so it fits the gap.
1–4 pick Enter check / continue Esc skip
Choose the form
A executive said many families are spending more on fuel, housing, clothes and food, so some of them skip big bags of candy.
NielsenIQ "NielsenIQ" is a singular noun, so it fits the gap.
1–4 pick Enter check / continue Esc skip
Type the answer
One word is in the wrong form: “average”. Type the correct form of that word.
Gasoline average $4.29 a gallon, nearly 40% more than a year ago.
Did you get it right?
Enter check / continue Esc skip
Type the answer
A executive said many families are spending more on fuel, housing, clothes and food, so some of them skip big bags of candy.
Did you get it right?
1–4 pick a word Enter check / continue Esc skip
Put in order
Tap the words in the order of the sentence.
1–7 pick a word Backspace reset Enter continue Esc skip