In May, the carrier hiked the monthly price of its Netflix and HBO Max bundle by $3 and raised the price of its Unlimited Ultimate wireless plan by $5. In September, Verizon also increased the prices of its Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ perks by $2 to $3 (depending on the bundle).

Alongside the recent price increases, Verizon has also been sweetening the deal for customers amid heightened competition. 

For instance, in June, the carrier launched its free loyalty rewards program, Verizon Dollars, which gives customers 3% back in “Verizon Dollars” each month, redeemable toward accessory and device purchases. It also introduced Verizon Shine, a program that drops free offers for customers every Monday, including gift cards, exclusive merchandise and concert tickets. 

Verizon now offers customers a new Google AI perk

Verizon has recently expanded its list of perks by offering customers a free Google AI Pro subscription, according to a blog post on the carrier’s website. 

A Google AI Pro subscription provides access to an upgraded version of Google Gemini, an artificial intelligence assistant with analysis, creative collaboration and reasoning capabilities. 

It also offers 5 TB of cloud storage for Google Photos, Gmail, and Google Drive, as well as complimentary access to services such as YouTube Premium Lite and Google Health Premium.

Google AI Pro usually costs $19.99 per month, but Verizon is offering it free to customers on Simplicity, myPlan or Verizon Home Internet plans for six months. After the six-month period concludes, customers will be charged $10 per month for the perk if they decide to keep it. 

Verizon rolls out free safety benefits and new Verizon Shine offers 

In addition to the new Google AI Pro perk, Verizon announced in the blog post that it will offer customers on the free tier of its Digital Secure service one free month of Digital Secure Premium, which usually costs $5 per line.

This service offers customers privacy and security tools for their mobile devices and computers that protect their internet connection and personal data with a VPN. It also scans for threats, monitors online information and provides access to 24/7 security experts.

Verizon is also offering customers Verizon Family for free, which includes features such as location sharing, Safe Walk with SOS, and call and text review capabilities. Call Filter, a digital service that identifies and blocks spam calls, is also available for customers to add to their plans at no extra cost.

Related: Verizon scales back a perk that keeps prices low for customers

Furthermore, Verizon previewed several upcoming experiences through its Verizon Shine program. 

On Oct.19, customers can get a chance to visit Walt Disney Studios at no charge. Also, an offer that includes attending the Radio City Rockettes Experience drops on Oct. 26.

On Nov. 2, customers will have a chance to join Caleb Pressley for a “Sundae Conversation.” Finally, on Nov. 9, customers will be able to access an offer that includes attending a Jonas Brothers concert and hanging out with Joe. 

Verizon faces new challenges as rivals expand their own customer perks

The new perks from Verizon come during a time when its top rivals, T-Mobile and AT&T, are also rolling out new benefits to attract and retain customers.

In June, T-Mobile enhanced its T-Mobile Tuesdays offerings by adding perks such as a free DoorDash DashPass subscription and exclusive Shell Fuel Rewards discounts. 

The carrier is also reportedly planning to roll out eight new perks for customers, including free subscriptions to Google AI, Apple Music, YouTube, and Paramount+, sometime this year.

More Verizon News:

• Verizon scales back a perk that keeps prices low for customers
• Verizon plans to discontinue a phone service customers rely on
• Verizon hikes prices on multiple discounted offers for customers

Meanwhile, AT&T began offering its wireless and fiber internet customers a free LifeMD membership perk in September, providing access to virtual health care and pharmacy services nationwide.

In June, Roger Entner, lead analyst at Recon Analytics, wrote that wireless carriers have an opportunity to generate more revenue by offering customers additional benefits, such as streaming subscriptions, premium plan features, and bundled services, rather than relying solely on lowering monthly wireless bills.

“The pricing power [of perks] is real and underused, and the next dollar of revenue is far more likely to come from perks, premium tiers and device economics than from the base plan,” wrote Entner. 

“The strategic question is no longer how low the bill must go,” he continued. “It is how much value carriers can stack on a bill that already claims less of the paycheck than at almost any point in the smartphone age.”

Wireless carriers are ramping up their loyalty and rewards perks during a time when consumers are increasingly expecting these benefits. According to a recent State of Customer Service and CX report by customer experience expert Shep Hyken, 53% of U.S. consumers will pay more for a company with a good loyalty or rewards program. 

The report also found that 56% prefer to do business with a company that offers a rewards program over one that offers only great customer service. 

Related: Apple’s own employees warn iPhone buyers away

Cheap makeup has long lived in that space. Shoppers who would never pay $40 for a prestige foundation will happily drop a $6 lipstick into a Target basket, and brands have built empires on that impulse.

E.l.f. Beauty (ELF) is one of the biggest winners of that strategy. The Oakland, California, company just logged its 30th straight quarter of net sales growth, according to its fiscal first-quarter earnings release.

Even e.l.f. found the limit, though. The company’s roughly $1 price increase, taken in August 2025 to offset tariffs and inflation, ultimately caused sales to decrease, CFO Mandy Fields said in an interview with CNBC published Friday, Oct. 16.

Then e.l.f. did something rare for a consumer brand. Once tariff refunds came in, the company walked back many of those increases, CNBC reported.

How the $1 price hike played out

The increase took effect Aug. 1, 2025, as a $1 global move meant to offset higher tariff costs, management said on the company’s fiscal second-quarter 2026 earnings call, according to a Motley Fool transcript. E.l.f. explained the increase to its community on social media, Fields said on a CFO Leadership podcast.

More Retail and Consumer:

• Hailey Bieber’s Rhode could unlock $200 million for e.l.f. Beauty
• How Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s tariff refunds affect shoppers
• Ulta Beauty’s move to win back shoppers takes a new turn

CEO Tarang Amin said at the time that consumers appreciated the openness. Fields now says the higher prices still dented sales, CNBC reported.

The relief came from refunds of tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Those refunds added about 1,050 basis points to e.l.f.’s gross margin in the quarter ended June 30, lifting it to 83%, according to the company’s earnings release.

Lower prices are already moving e.l.f. products

Fields previewed this lesson months ago. E.l.f. tested a cut on its Halo Glow skin tint from $18 to $14 and saw a lift of almost 40% on that item, she told Yahoo Finance in May.

In my analysis, that test shows why the rollback makes sense. A 22% price cut paired with a 40% lift means the item could bring in roughly 9% more revenue at the lower price, assuming the lift was measured in units.

Related: Dollar General rolls out limited deals for value-driven shoppers

CNBC reported that e.l.f. is keeping certain items at their lower price points. For you, that means some of your regular e.l.f. purchases may now cost less than they did a year ago.

Fields also said about 75% of the company’s portfolio sits at $10 or less, in the same Yahoo Finance interview. Even shoppers who are being careful with every dollar are still buying the brand, she told CNBC.

Most of the tariff refund is going to marketing

Most of the refund is going into marketing, Fields told CNBC. That fits the company’s playbook.

“We spend 23% to 25% of our net sales behind marketing and digital,” Fields said in the CNBC interview. She added that most of that spending goes to mid- and smaller-tier creators rather than the biggest influencers.

The company plans to reinvest its full $50 million tariff refund across the rest of the fiscal year, leaving no net boost to adjusted EBITDA, according to a TipRanks summary of the fiscal first-quarter call.

Analysts lift their targets on ELF shares

Here’s where the numbers stand, according to the company’s earnings release and analyst notes:

• Net sales rose 36% to $479.4 million in the quarter ended June 30, and adjusted earnings were $1.75 a share, the company reported.
• E.l.f. raised its fiscal 2027 outlook to 18% to 20% net sales growth, or $1.938 billion to $1.968 billion, up from 12% to 14% previously.
• Citi raised its price target to $130 from $118 and kept a Buy rating on Oct. 14, AD HOC NEWS reported, citing Markets Insider.
• Morgan Stanley kept an Equal-weight rating and raised its target to $103 from $90 on Oct. 15, according to Yahoo Finance data.

Investors should keep one caveat in view. Excluding the one-time refund, e.l.f. expects full-year gross margin to be roughly flat, according to the TipRanks call summary.

Debt is the other number to watch. Total debt stood at $834.2 million on June 30, up from $256.7 million a year earlier after the rhode acquisition, the company reported.

The next read on whether lower prices are paying off should come with the fiscal second-quarter report. TipRanks estimates that report for Nov. 4 based on past schedules, though e.l.f. has not confirmed a date.

Your beauty budget may get a small break

You don’t need to follow the stock to benefit from this story, and I think shoppers are the clearest winners here. Check the prices on the e.l.f. items you buy most often, because some of last year’s increases have been rolled back.

The bigger lesson applies to every brand in your cart. Companies are learning that shoppers notice a single dollar, and some are now competing to give it back.

A $1 price change sounds small. E.l.f.’s CFO just admitted it was big enough to change how its shoppers behaved, and that puts more power in your hands than you might think.

Related: E.l.f. Beauty CEO defends harsh new reality customers will face

Every year, I order the new iPhone on the day preorders open, and I usually get my new phone in the mail a few days after its official release.

This year, I placed my order for the new iPhone Duo on Oct. 17, one day after preorders opened for Apple’s first-ever folding, two-screen phone. And while the phone will be released on Oct. 23, my delivery estimate is Dec. 5.

That’s better than media reports saying that some consumers received a delivery window that extended into 2027.

Now, some Apple employees have quietly shared some advice that contradicts, at least partially, what Apple says on its website.

Apple stores sell iPhones

Apple’s website presents its store as an option for people looking to buy/order an iPhone Duo.

“Customers shopping in-store or online for iPhone Duo can connect with Apple Specialists for personalized support and get assistance with ways to save and pay, including leasing with Apple Upgrade, financing options, and carrier deals, as well as learn how to protect their products with AppleCare+ or AppleCare One. Customers can also take advantage of convenient home delivery or arrange for pickup at their local Apple Store at a time most suitable for them,” the company shared.

That’s usually a good option, but Apple store employees have warned most customers to stay away on release day.

“Apple Store employees told MacRumors that they have been advised that there will likely be no ‌iPhone Duo‌ stock available for walk-in purchases on launch day. Staff have been instructed to discourage customers without pre-orders from coming in expecting to buy the device, warning that they will be disappointed,” MacRumors reported.

Placing a mock order for an iPhone Duo, the Night Sky, 256GB version, on the Apple store at 12:25 p.m. on Oct. 18 showed a Jan. 25 delivery date. Apple also included the language for in-store pickup: “Check back for availability on 10.24.”

That message does not confirm whether stores will have walk-in inventory on launch day, but it does suggest customers should check pickup availability again before making a trip.

Apple’s carrier partners, including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, have their own inventory allocations, and demand may differ across retailers. My T-Mobile order, for example, has a much earlier estimated delivery date than an order placed through Apple’s website.

Did Apple make an iPhone Duo demand mistake?

While it’s not uncommon for a new iPhone to be back-ordered, delivery dates pushed more than two months past launch have not been common.

Apple told CNBC that the preorder demand was “nothing short of extraordinary.”

“We are working hard to get this revolutionary new product into customers’ hands as quickly as possible, and we will continue accepting orders online,” Apple said.

Apple’s first foldable phone starts at $1,999 and passes $3,000 for the 2TB storage tier.

More Tech:

• Meta and Microsoft just sent employees a memo about Anthropic
• Microsoft cutting off popular software with no extension Oct. 13
• Apple’s biggest AI advantage may face new privacy challenge

Some people see the shortage as a marketing move.

“Apple marketing 101. Produce something in limited quantity for a few reasons. Since it is very expensive, you never know how the public will perceive it. So, if no one really wants it, they won’t have excess inventory. But, if it does sell well they can say SEE! We sold out! Everyone wants one,” R Harris commented on an Engadget story.

The long delivery estimates suggest demand may have exceeded Apple’s expectations, but they don’t establish whether the company underestimated demand or faced supply constraints.

Production of the iPhone Duo slowed in September to just “a few hundred a day,” due mainly to Apple’s extremely high quality control standards,” Nikkei Asia reported.

Yorkville Ives analysts shared their thoughts in a note to the Wall Street Journal.

“This is a clear sign that demand at a $1,999 entry price is running well ahead of what anyone expected,” they wrote, adding that the demand “reinforces our view that the Duo is the first major new hardware innovation out of Cupertino since the Airpods a decade ago.”

Related: Verizon launches generous customer perks after raising prices

Some people took on a new job, or an extra job to pay for gifts, travel, and seasonal expenses. That might mean a stay-at-home mom taking some night hours at a retailer or a college kid coming and taking a job during the winter break.

In other cases, people take seasonal jobs hoping it leads to full-time work, and in some cases, that can happen.

While many big-name retailers have cut their hiring plans, or haven’t announced them at all, the broader seasonal job market is showing strength. Indeed data suggests that employers are posting more seasonal jobs than they did a year ago, even as some of the largest retailers shift toward different staffing strategies.

“Seasonal hiring is off to its best start in several years. As of September 30, seasonal job postings on Indeed were up about 10% from the same point last year, and were running roughly 7% ahead of 2019 levels. That early strength is one reason to expect the momentum could carry past this year’s holiday shopping season,” according to Indeed’s Hiring Lab.

The market, however, is shifting.

“A group of large employers is posting far fewer seasonal jobs than they did a year ago, but making up for some of that drop by shifting toward hiring more non-seasonal, part-time roles — a potential sign of optimism heading into the final months of 2026,” the research showed.

These retailer are hiring seasonal workers

As the former general manager of an independent toy store, we added a lot of seasonal workers. Many were returning college kids who had worked for us in high school, and most came from our regular customer base.

That’s not realistic for major chains, a number of which are hiring.

• Dick’s Sporting Goods and Foot Locker: Hiring more than 11,000 seasonal workers. Approximately 8,400 across Dick’s Sporting Goods, House of Sport, Going Going Gone!, and Public Lands, plus about 2,900 at Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, WSS, and Champs Sports stores in North America, according to a press release.
• Macy’s, Inc.: Hiring seasonal workers nationwide. Opportunities include full- and part-time jobs at Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Bluemercury, plus positions at select distribution and fulfillment centers. The company scheduled nationwide hiring events for Oct. 22 and Nov. 19, with on-the-spot interviews and offers at the first event, according to a press release.
  • Macy’s also made it clear that “for some, a seasonal role can open the door to longer-term career opportunities at Macy’s, Inc. beyond the holiday season.”
• Michaels: Hiring more than 10,000 seasonal employees. The arts-and-crafts retailer announced plans to hire across the United States and Canada. Nearly 50% of seasonal in-store positions converted to regular jobs after the 2025 holiday season, according to the company.
• Spirit Halloween: Hiring more than 52,000 seasonal associates. The retailer said this was the largest hiring effort in its history, supporting more than 1,500 stores across the United States and Canada, according to a press release. These jobs primarily serve through the Halloween season, although the company does operate a smaller fleet of Spirit Christmas stores
• UPS: United Parcel Service said it would hire 100,000 ‌seasonal employees across the U.S., as it prepares for a spike in parcel volumes for ​the upcoming holiday season, Reuters reported.

These are not the only retailers hiring for the holiday season, but they’re the ones promoting the largest number of open positions.

Some major retailers are holding back

Some retailers have, in recent years, leveraged their existing workforce by adding hours to handle the holiday rush.

Several major retailers that have historically issued early hiring targets have not shared any 2026 plans.

“Amazon has hit 250,000 seasonal hires in each of the last three years and typically announces in mid-October. Bath & Body Works has committed to 30,000+ associates in each of the last three seasons and normally announces in early September. Target has held its number of hires at 100,000 for the past several years, and Kohl’s hired roughly 90,000 for most of the past decade,” according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas’s 2026 Holiday Hiring Outlook.

That doesn’t mean those retailers have no seasonal hiring plans, but they’re likely modest.

“So far, none have publicly disclosed 2026 headcount figures, a continuation of the trend that emerged in 2024 as Retailers shifted toward flexible, on-demand staffing models,” the Hiring Outlook shared.

In recent years, Walmart has approached seasonal hiring on a store-by-store basis. It has not set a national hiring goal, but does show seasonal openings on its website in multiple markets.

Retailers are wary about the holiday season

Holiday hiring has been falling.

Retailers added 461,500 jobs in the final quarter of 2025, the smallest seasonal gain since 2008 and 15% below the 543,100 added in Q4 2024, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas’s analysis of non-seasonally adjusted Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

“The deepening pain from high energy costs may continue into the holiday season, and consumers may contract spending. That said, August retail sales jumped 1.2%, and there’s no sign of a major spending pullback. But that resilience is not translating into large, early hiring commitments from the biggest Retailers,” Challenger, Gray & Christmas Chief Revenue Officer Andy Challenger said.

Companies, he noted, are being careful.

“But almost every hiring announcement we’ve seen in the last three years is smaller and more surgical than the pre-pandemic playbook. Even if the big names come in at last year’s numbers, the total will likely fall well short of the 2019–2021 peaks,” he added.

Related: Walmart, Target, and Kroger face growing shoplifting trend

“I feel like diners are disappearing from America. Why? Because it’s hard to maintain any restaurant. And because it has a low price point, it’s hard to maintain for regular people owning a diner,” he said on an episode of his PBS show.

The loss, he noted, cuts deeper than it might seem.

“But with that loss of that center of the community where people rich and poor can come and sit and you can talk to your neighbors over a cup of coffee or plate of eggs, or a sandwich or burger. Maybe we lose the community. And maybe with that, we lose the country,” he said.

It’s a slow process, and now another local legend, Zoto’s Diner, will permanently close on Oct. 25 after 53 years in business.

Zoto’s Diner closing soon

Like many of the diners that have closed over the past few years, Zoto’s did not share a reason for shutting down.

“We hope all of our loyal customers will come in to see us as much as possible over these next couple of weeks. It is a very emotional time for us all and we will truly miss spending breakfast, lunch, and dinner with so many of you who feel more like family than customers,” the company posted in a Facebook message, which shared the Oct. 25 closing date.

Zoto’s has been family-owned and operated since 1973. The current owners, Steve Zoto and his wife Joanne, have not shared a reason as to why the restaurant is closing.

“In recent years, their daughter, Nikki, has served as the diner’s general manager,” according to WFMZ, a local news station.

Local and chain diners are closing

“Diners are disappearing across America. From the 1950s to the 2000s, the number in the U.S. dropped from roughly 6,000 to 2,500,” according to a 2025 Business Insider report that was referring to independent diners.

Many diners used to be 24/7, and that type of restaurant has been struggling as well.

The traditional 24/7 restaurants, many of which are diners, are experiencing upheaval nationwide. The number of restaurants offering 24-hour service in the U.S. fell 11% between January 2020 and January 2025, according to Yelp data released in 2025.

Diners, at least in the northeast, play an important role in the communities they serve.

My wife and I had coffee and tea at a now-closed Long Island diner, and the area’s many diners offered affordable meals and no judgment when a group of college kids shared waters and an order of fries.

That tradition, however, has been slowly disappearing. Here are a number of local diners which have closed over the past year.

• Heart’s Coffee Shop closed after 47 years in California. The family-owned Lake Balboa diner served its final meals on Aug. 9, 2026. The owners had resisted raising menu prices for 13 years, and their daughter said rising costs forced the family to draw on savings, according to the Los Angeles Times.
• Tasty Home Cookin’ closed after 36 years in Sarasota, Florida. The family-owned diner shut down in July 2026 after its owners struggled with rising operating costs and inflation, according to WWSB ABC7.
• Dershey’s Cafe closed after nearly 30 years in Michigan. The St. Johns breakfast-and-lunch restaurant served its final customers in August 2026. Roger and Mary Dershem founded it in 1997, and their daughter continued running it after her father’s death in 2022, reported News 10 WILX.
• Leni’s Cafe closed after nearly 50 years in New Orleans. The downtown breakfast-and-lunch institution closed May 29, 2026, as owners Pete and Deb Patselikos retired, according to New Orleans CityBusiness.
• Kap’s Coffee Shop & Diner closed after nearly 60 years in Albuquerque. The Route 66 restaurant served its last customers on Oct. 11, 2026. The owners cited challenges along Central Avenue, reported the Albuquerque Journal.
• Knapp’s Restaurant closed after serving Tacoma since 1938. The Proctor District diner closed in June 2026, just nine months after a new owner took over, according to The News Tribune.

New York has been hit hard by diner closures. And anyone who has seen “Seinfeld” has an idea of the place of the New York diner in the city as late as the late-1990s. How Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer used to meet (Monk’s Cafe on the show, Tom’s Diner in real life) was very similar to how my friends met in diners in New York in the 90s.

“The classic diner is under siege. Rents are rising, costs are ballooning, neighborhoods are gentrifying — and aging owners are ready to call it quits,” the New York Post reported.

More Restaurants:

• Hooters closing more restaurants in bankruptcy comeback
• These are the True Food Kitchen locations closing in Chapter 11
• Oprah-backed chain closes 12 restaurants for good after filing Chapter 11

Nearly 200 have closed in the last decade, according to the New York tabloid.

“The few that remain are being forced to reinvent themselves — revamping their menus, acquiring pricey liquor licenses and bringing in posh kitchen crews for a city that’s getting ever more expensive — and ever more bougie,” added the Post.

Major diner chains are closing, too

Former Denny’s CEO Kelli A. Valade explained why the chain was struggling and closing restaurants in the diner brand’s first-quarter 2025 earnings call.

“Consumer sentiment remains negative as fear around tariffs and higher price of goods, combined with concerns about the job market resulted in consumers pulling back on spending. We are now operating in one of the most aggressive value-driven environments we’ve seen in years,” she explained.

Pricing is being held down, she noted, by the state of the economy.

“Guests are stretched, inflation pressures remain and every brand is fighting for share by pushing harder on price and promotion while trying to win with the guest experience,” she added.

Denny’s is one of a number of national diner chains to shrink.

• Denny’s closed 150 restaurants in 2025. The chain continued closing underperforming locations in 2026, including restaurants operated by franchisee M15 Inc. in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The franchisee cited financial difficulties and said it could no longer meet payroll or buy supplies, according to TheStreet.
• Huddle House has lost 64 locations since 2021. The Southern diner chain declined from 313 restaurants at the start of fiscal 2021 to 249 in May 2026, TheStreet reported.
• Village Inn has shrunk from more than 220 restaurants to around 111. The breakfast-and-diner chain has lost locations over several years, including two Colorado restaurants that closed in January 2026, according to TheStreet.

Rosenthal restated the importance of diners on “Somebody Feed Phil.”

“So, I’m going to solve everything by having a diner. And if you become a regular, now you start seeing the same folks. And before you know it, you’re talking. And before you know it, maybe you can solve some of the problems of the town because you’re all like-minded. We’re way more like-minded than the news would have us think,” he said.

Related: Discount grocery chain closing all stores as bargain grocers struggle

“Eight in 10 Americans (80%) plan to make a Halloween-related purchase, down from 90% last year, while those celebrating expect to spend an average of $162 — a 16% decline from $192 in 2025,” according to a Lending Tree survey.

It’s a situation where people might not just be throwing Halloween candy in their carts without considering the price.

But 61% of American households plan to hand out Halloween candy, according to a National Retail Federation (NRF) survey.

The NRF did find that consumers “remain mindful of costs and are taking a strategic approach to their Halloween purchases.”

As part of this, people are planning ahead.

“If they encounter higher-than-expected prices on Halloween items, nearly one-third (31%) say they will comparative shop, while 26% say they will look for coupons or sales,” the data showed.

To help with that, TheStreet’s Co-Editor-in-Chief Daniel Kline and Senior Editor Celine Provini visited South Florida Publix, Target, and Walmart stores in the same neighborhood to check candy prices on popular trick-or-treating favorites.

They also stopped at Dollar General and Dollar Tree to see whether those discount chains offered any viable options for people who want to hand out candy while also saving money.

Halloween trick-or-treating favorites compared

Our comparison was limited to popular candies sold in tamper-evident, individual “fun-size” portions commonly associated with trick-or-treating.

Walmart, as you can see below, was the clear price leader, while Target had a slightly broader selection. Publix had some obvious holes in its selection, such as a surprising lack of single-serving M&M’s.

Although items in the chart were generally more expensive at Publix, the grocer did offer two great buy-one-get-one (BOGO) deals that would let you hand out decent candy (albeit less-popular varieties) at the lowest price:

• Butterfinger 19.8 total oz. of fun-size bars (about 30 bars per bag, or 60 total in two bags, for $11.59, which works out to 19 cents per bar)
• 100 Grand 18.7 total oz. of fun-size bars (about 25 bars per bag, or 50 total in two bags, for $11.59, which works out to 23 cents per bar)

It’s important to note that selection and price can vary by location. The pricing shown above reflects shopping across the five locations in about a two-hour period.

Dollar stores offered very little

If you want cheap Halloween decorations, both Dollar General and Dollar Tree offered a reasonable selection. They also each had some low-cost (and low-quality) costume options, but neither had much in the way of candy for trick-or-treating.

Dollar General and Dollar Tree both had limited selections of candies that met our criteria, and we saw nothing at either store that would be a better value than what was offered at Walmart, Target, and Publix.

There was, however, one exception: Dollar General offered a 19.5 total oz. package of about 26 snack-size Reese’s cups for $9.50, making each cup about 37 cents, which was actually slightly less than the comparable package sold at Publix, which broke down to 42 cents per cup.

Buy Halloween candy where you shop

All five stores we visited were within two miles of each other on the same road. In a broad sense, the price differences between Walmart and Target were not large enough to justify a separate trip if you already planned to visit one location.

At Publix, however, the higher prices and smaller selection might make it worth going elsewhere for candy. Still, if you’re willing to make some substitutions and go with the BOGO offers, the grocery chain was a viable option.

Even with tighter budgets, Halloween remains a major spending occasion for American consumers, according to the NRF.

“Top shopping categories for the holiday remain largely consistent with last year. Candy remains the most popular purchase, with 96% of consumers planning to buy sweets, accounting for $4.1 billion in spending. Decorations follow at 78% and $4.3 billion, while 71% of shoppers are expected to spend $4.4 billion on costumes,” the NRF shared.

Related: 7Up launches classic soda that Coca-Cola doesn’t have