9 Best Places to Buy Cheap Halloween Candy

If you’ve ever run out of candy on Halloween night, you have learned the hard way how important it is to buy those sweet treats early and often. But as with everything else, candy prices are higher today than they were in previous years.

Finding enough candy for the whole neighborhood while planning costumes, decorating the house, and stressing about your stretched budget can be downright spooky.

Luckily, you don’t have to spend a fortune on tasty treats for the ghouls and ghosts wandering to your doorstep on Halloween night. To avoid rising prices and save money, you just need to find the right deal. 

Start your hunt for affordable candy this Halloween season at any of the stores below.

If you’re on a quest for massive amounts of candy at a big discount, start with Costco.

Those who prefer sweet and sour candies to chocolate bars can stock up on Costco’s Kirkland brand bags of 175 individually wrapped Skittles, Sourpatch Kids, and Swedish Fish — all available for under $20.

Do you want to splurge on a king-sized treat? Get a 30-pack of your favorite chocolate bars for less than $20.

Pro tip: With just a few genius Costco hacks, you can save even more at the warehouse giant.

Costco might be the best place to buy in bulk and save, but Walmart wins out in terms of just plain saving. You don’t have to purchase a membership to shop at Walmart, so you’re already spending less when you walk through the door.

And while Costco is great if you have dozens of kids in costume to please, you won’t have to pay as much by shopping at Walmart if you don’t need a lot of candy. 

For instance, at Costco, you can get 56 ounces of Hershey’s chocolate minis for $16.49, but you can get almost 40 ounces of the same at Walmart for $11.98.

Want a variety of cheap king-sized candy bars and full-sized Skittles and Starbursts? Sam’s Club’s bulk deals are pretty comparable to Costco’s. Its wide range of cheap candies include:

• Ring Pops (44 for $14.18)
• Skittles and Starbursts packs (30 full-sized packages for $21.98)
• Kit Kats (155 pieces for $12.98).

Target’s bulk candy prices run in the same range as Costco, Walmart, and Sam’s Club, but where Target really stands out is its $5-and-under candy deals.

Depending on the deal, you can get bags of Kit Kats, 3 Musketeers, Hershey’s Kisses, Reese’s, and other favorites for $3 to $4 each. Or, you can get three bags for $10.

Want the maximum amount of candy at the cheapest price? The Oriental Trading Company offers massive bags with major deals, like a 1,000-piece candy bag at $64.99.

If you want to go even bigger, Oriental Trading has a 3,000-piece bag for $179.99. The company also has frequent sales: Check its site during the month to find Halloween discounts of up to 65%.

If you need candy sooner than later but your local brick-and-mortar shops are already out of stock, your favorite online retailer has your back.

Amazon Prime members get free two-day shipping, although you might be able to get one-day shipping for some items depending on availability at your nearest Amazon warehouse.

Amazon’s Halloween candy deals include discounts on your favorite non-chocolate delights (72 Airheads for $32.99) as well as huge party boxes that rival those of Oriental Trading Company, like a 7.5-pound assortment of candies for $45.99.

If you only need a few treats, Walgreens is a great place to nab all sorts of variety packs at reasonable prices. The retailer’s frequent sales help you save even more.

Right now, for example, you can get two bags of Kit Kats or Reese’s for $7 (or one bag for $4.49). Walgreens’ bigger assorted bags (30 pieces each) cost around $7.50, and when you buy one, you get one for 40% off.

Party City is better known for its costumes and decorations than for its candy. However, unlike Spirit Halloween, Party City sells candy alongside its Halloween decor.

You can grab regular-sized bags of Take 5, Snickers, Warheads, and more for $5 each, or three for $12. You won’t find the same number of bulk bargains at Party City as at Costco or Sam’s Club, but mixed bags with 100 to 225 pieces of candy cost $10 to $20 each.

Have your favorite online retailers already run out of Halloween candy? Pay your local dollar store an in-person visit.

While Family Dollar isn’t currently shipping bulk candy bags, it’s selling them in stores. A 225-piece bag of assorted chocolates will cost more than a dollar, even at the dollar store — but you should still get a good deal.

In a year of wild inflation — with recession fears still looming — it can be hard to justify spending your hard-earned cash on Halloween candy for the local kids. However, shopping at the stores on our list means you don’t have to choose between tricks and treats.

You can have your Halloween candy (and eat it too) without straining your budget. And remember that using one of the best cash-back rewards credit cards to make your purchases can increase your savings.