Still need to pick up some Snickers, M&Ms and raisins (just kidding skip the raisins) to pass out on Halloween?
According to the National Retail Federation, $3.9 billion will be spent on Halloween candy this year. The average household is expected to spend $296, according to Newsweek.
While sweets are a staple for the Oct. 31 holiday, many are looking at ways to cut candy costs this year. A recent report by CashNetUSA checked prices at more than 2,000 grocery stores to identify which stores sells branded candy the cheapest in each state.
“We found that savings of up to 43% are possible when comparing local prices at the cheapest stores against the national average,” according to a press release.
What store has the most affordable Halloween candy in Florida?
That distinction went to Target. Target is the cheapest in 20 states — the most of any chain.
Grocery Outlet, a store with locations in the western part of the country, came in second with six states. Kroger was next with five states, followed by Walmart with three states.
What was the methodology used to find the most inexpensive Halloween candy?
Candy prices at more than 2,000 stores across the country were explored for this report.
Results of a YouGov poll on popular Halloween candy were examined with stores’ bestsellers. A list was compiled of 18 of the most popular branded candy, items like M&M’s, Reese’s Cups and Jolly Ranchers, to compare like-for-like across different stores in each location.
Using Instacart.com, the most populous zip code in each state/city was inputted and noted the prices of the branded grocery items from every available store that delivered to that location. Once the data was collected, the average price per item at every chain in each state was calculated.
Comparing the average prices of the branded items to the average across all chains in each state allowed us to calculate the price premiums. Supermarkets were only available if they sold at least 10 of the 18 items.
Spitzer is a Trending Reporter. She can be reached at MSpitzer@Floridatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Looking to save some money on Halloween candy? Report says this store has the best deals
Reporting by Michelle Spitzer, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
