As Halloween approaches, the Better Business Bureau is urging consumers to be cautious when shopping at pop-up stores and online, according to a community announcement.
“Many Halloween Pop-up stores began opening this month,” Dennis Horton, a BBB senior regional director in Illinois, said in the announcement. “But the problem is, they might be open today and closed tomorrow. In that case, the buyer could be left holding the bag if the Halloween merchandise is not satisfactory. You cannot return a product or file a complaint at a shuttered store.”
Halloween spending is expected to hit record highs this year, with the National Retail Federation predicting expenditures could reach approximately $13.1 billion. Of that, $4.3 billion is expected to be spent on costumes, $4.2 billion on decorations and $3.9 billion on candy. While big-box stores are often the go-to places, some of the money paid will be online, according to the announcement.
As Oct. 31 gets closer, people pressed for time often let their guard down when shopping for trick-or-treat items. To help consumers navigate these challenges, the BBB has provided several tips for shopping at Halloween pop-up stores and online.
Consumers can report scams to BBB Scam Tracker.
This story was created by reporter Abreanna Blose,ablose@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more atcm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.