The Northeast could be paying higher prices for pumpkins this Halloween. Hurricane Irene and subsequent flooding have submerged fields and drowned crops, and that could lead to a pumpkin shortage. That could mean people having to pay a higher cost per “boo.” [More]
halloween
Dentists Launch Halloween Candy Buy-Back Program
By 11.2.10
A pair of Philadelphia-area dentists want to pay you cash for whatever Halloween candy you have left and send it overseas to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. [More]
Don't Toss Those Halloween Candy Wrappers Just Yet
By 11.1.10
Even if you didn’t go trick-or-treating last night, there’s a decent chance you have some candy and chocolate sitting around the house. Perhaps you’re like some Consumerist staffers who just can’t help but be tempted by the bulk bags of Kit Kats that go on sale at their local Walgreens? Regardless, before you toss those empty wrappers in the garbage, you might want to consider using them to help out a good cause. [More]
Dollar Tree Recalls 682,000 Halloween Lanterns Because 'Burning Child' Is Not A Great Costume
By 10.28.10
With only days to go before Halloween, Dollar Tree has issued a recall for 682,000 Pumpkin, Ghost and Skull Halloween Lanterns over fears of a possible burn and fire hazard. [More]
Sears Finally Runs Out Of Living Customers, Reaches Out To Zombies
By 10.28.10 — Updated: 2.28.13
In an encouraging step, Sears has made its merchandise and web shopping experience more accessible to a marginalized population that most retailers ignore: zombies. They’ve even translated the site into Zombian. As they put it, “Zerger bargarz zambah barg!” Yes. [More]
At Least It Isn't Oozing Blood
By 10.28.10
Aaron discovered this item in the Halloween costume department of his local Target. It is supposed to create the illusion of a wound beneath your clothing. On the shelf, it looks like… um. [More]
Scare The Crap Out Of Your Friends In The Costume From Creepiest Snickers Commercial Ever
By 10.26.10
More than a few of you have expressed feelings of fear and horror at that Snickers TV ad we wrote about a few weeks ago. And just in time for your last-minute Halloween needs, you can bid on the actual creepy costume from the commercial. [More]
The 4,000 Calorie 3-Pound Mondo Gummy Worm
By 10.26.10
The most truly frightening candy this Halloween doesn’t have razor blades or metal flakes in it, but 4,000 calories. [More]
Recalling The Worst Halloween 'Treats' Of Yesteryear
By 10.25.10
When you think back about your halcyon trick or treating days, all the good times blur into one another and it’s the nasty stuff that comes to mind. For instance, the old lady on the corner who gave you apples or the creepy dude across the street who passed out tooth brushes. [More]
All Mega Pops Removed From Shelves, Foreign Particle Concern
By 10.25.10
After a scare about metal flakes in Mega Pops lollipops, Colombina has asked store owners to remove all Mega Pops from their shelves as they investigate the candy for foreign particles. [More]
Metal Flakes Found In Lollipops
By 10.22.10
Better check your kids bags for Colombina Mega Pops this Halloween. A test of the lollipops found tiny metal flakes in them. Family Dollar has recalled the pops, which were also sold at a few other discount stores, and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has issued a warning. [More]
Target Thinks Your Mom's Homemade Halloween Costumes Suck
By 10.15.10
The staff and the readers of The Consumerist share a love of cheap, homemade Halloween costumes. That’s why we’re a little disappointed in Target’s holiday ad offering, which features a creative (if fragile) homemade Iron Man costume made by a proud mom and worn by a dismayed little boy.
[More]
For Some Reason, Mexican Reader Finds This Halloween Costume Offensive
By 10.14.10
Javier, a Consumerist reader who lives in Mexico, crossed the border to do some shopping at Walmart. He noticed this costume in the Halloween section. He finds it offensive. “I was wondering if we might also find a costume like this,” he writes, enclosing an old photo of a white performer in blackface. [More]
BBB: Beware Of Online Halloween Shops That Pop Up Overnight
By 10.13.10
Like the fly-by-night carnival in Something Wicked This Way Comes, seasonal Halloween costume and decoration sites that pop up on dirty online street corners are irresistible to bargain hunters. Although you can find good deals at the retailers, the Better Business Bureau warns you to beware of poorly-constructed materials and shady return policies. [More]
Toddler Costume Tag Admits It's Dangerous To Toddlers
By 10.6.10
Remember those find-however-many-things-wrong-with-this picture puzzles? Well, here’s something that could easily pass for one of those. [More]
Get Out The %@$ing Eggnog, It's Christmastime At Home Depot
By 9.22.10
Look, losers. Stop studying that stupid textbook, it’s Christmastime. Yes, we know that college football just started and it’s the first day of Autumn. We don’t care. Buy a Christmas tree you lazy Grinch. Get your wallet out! [More]
"Sexy" "Sesame Street" And "Costume" Should Not Be In The Same Sentence
By 9.13.10
What are you dressing up as for Halloween? Perhaps a sexy Elmo? Or a sexy Big Bird? Yes, it’s that time of year again when that which should not be eroticized, is, and is turned into a Halloween costume. [More]
Tavern On The Green Plays Halloween Trick On Thousands Of Partiers
By 11.3.09
Melissa is one of thousands of people who showed up at the bankrupt Tavern on the Green restaurant in Central Park on Saturday night for a ticket-holders-only Halloween party. She was forced to wait outside at the front of an increasingly agitated mob because the restaurant had sold too many tickets, or because someone had sold fake ones, it’s still unclear. The Daily News says one reveler waited 5 hours before he was finally let in, just before 1:30 am—which was when the party was shut down by police. Now they all want their money back, but Tavern on the Green and the party promoters are blaming each other.
