UK Halloween shopping under way as pumpkins cheap calendars pricier

Halloween shopping is already under way across the UK, with supermarkets, online retailers and cashback platforms rolling out seasonal pumpkins, costumes and home decorations while Christmas advent calendars have started to appear on shelves — often at higher prices than in past years. Shoppers can find deeply discounted decor and costumes at major retailers, pick up supermarket pumpkins for under a pound in some stores, or claim a temporary cashback deal that can make a pumpkin essentially free, but rising advent calendar prices are adding to household cost pressures.

TopCashback is offering a limited-time promotion that gives new members five pounds back when they submit a receipt showing a pumpkin purchase of at least 1.50. New users must upload a photo of their dated receipt showing the retail venue and eligible item to receive the cashback. The offer runs until 23:59 on November 2 or until a redemption cap of 10,000 is reached.

Price checks at several supermarkets show large differences by store and size. Discount grocers typically had the lowest prices, with medium pumpkins around 69p and large ones up to 1.69 at some branches. Larger supermarkets stocked a range of sizes:...