👻Beach weather just rolled in but Halloween is already here 🎃

[Photo credit: Michaels]

Halloween before Fourth of July?

It’s a scary thought but here we are. “Halloween creep” has struck— again.

Crafting supplies chain, Michaels, announced that Halloween, or rather “Summerween,” is arriving in its stores this week on Friday, June 13th.

This is the earliest that its shoppers have ever been able to buy Halloween-themed items and Michaels said it will be stocked with spooky décor, party essentials, baking supplies, do-it-yourself costume materials and trick-or-treat baskets through the summer. It will also sell pet costumes in stores this year.

Michaels is rolling out five Halloween collections in total that include “Trick or Treat”-themed items such as jack-o-lanterns, ghosts and witches with a modern twist and a “Sweet & Spooky” collection of 90s punk-meets-preppy collection with a goth-glam twist that exudes Y2K vibes.

The Alice’s Adventure collection (which rolls out in mid August) puts a ghostly spin on the childhood classic with decorative items such as melting clocks, mischievous rabbits and spiders in top hats.

It’s a clever move, industry experts told Bagable.com

“Michaels is staking an early claim on Halloween shoppers’ wallets. Even as shoppers trim everyday spending, many will still splurge on Halloween decor such as a black rose wreaths and disco-themed skeletons,” said Zak Stambor, senior retail and ecommerce analyst with market research firm eMarketer.

“Sweet & Spooky collection [Photo credit: Michaels]

Shoppers have seen Halloween and Christmas merchandise hitting stores earlier and earlier in recent years.

In 2021, Amazon and Walmart initiated holiday sales as early in October as a way to stretch out the year-end gift-buying season.

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Last year, the concept of “Summerween,” or the Halloween mood hitting in the summer, went viral when TikTokers and Pinners (on Pinterest) actively posted about and popularized embracing the holiday traditions — parties, costumes, decorations — during peak beach weather instead of the apple-picking season.

Dead Regency Halloween collection [Photo credit: Michaels]

Retailers quickly responded by stocking shelves with all kinds of seasonal Halloween paraphernalia at an unseasonable time. Michaels said it was ready to fuel the return of the "Summerween" phenomenon this year in a “bigger and bolder” way.

“By stocking its shelves with Halloween-themed decor before the summer solstice, Michaels aims to lock in sales before its rivals—and before rising utility bills and back-to-school costs eat into shoppers’ budgets,” said Stambor. “It also seems Michaels brought in inventory ahead of the steepest tariffs, protecting its margins and giving it room to price aggressively.”

Like so many other products that American shoppers buy — toys, clothes, sneakers, wedding gowns — Halloween items, including costumes are imported, mostly from China.

“Michaels could be using ‘Summerween’ as an opportunity to get seasonal items in early so that it can take advantage of the current lowered tariff rate of 30% or so for China versus the earlier 145%,”said Walter Holbrook, a retail industry expert.

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“It’s a smart play and I expect to see other seasonal retailers will do the same,” Holbrook said. “One thing I always say is that retailers wouldn’t do it if it’s not what customers want and if it’s not selling.”