How the Supply Chain Stole Halloween

It was already getting hard to predict and procure an of-the-moment costume, since viral trends often outpace manufacturing timelines.

Spirit Halloween stores are trying: The national, seasonal retailer has 1,400 stores this year popping up in abandoned strip malls and even the former Barney’s flagship in Manhattan.

Though he opted for what he described as a more timeless costume — a 1930s starlet, depicted in the grips of the devil — Mr. Shea said it was difficult to find even small pieces like capes or masks this year.

Consumers are expected to spend $10.1 billion on Halloween this year, up from $8.05 billion in 2020, according to the National Retail Federation.

Julie Niederhoff, a professor in the supply chain management department at Syracuse University, explained why this year is a perfect storm for a costume shortage.

Normally, Professor Niederhoff said, Halloween costumes are shipped in late summer, and retailers can’t necessarily capture late-breaking trends in a cost-effective way.

In her own household, her professional expertise is clear in their holiday plans: “I’m always a skeleton.

It used to be easier for retailers to predict which costumes would be popular because major studios would be releasing long-anticipated films and the creation of costumes and other merchandise would be part of those launches.

In the 1980s, popular costume choices were largely driven by movies, music videos and TV shows.

Though the pandemic has exacerbated supply chain disruptions, to some extent they do occur regularly because of inclement weather or accidents.

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