A sign that Halloween is on the horizon: Spirit Halloween stores have spawned and are beginning to open for business.
The pop-up retailer, which takes over local storefronts annually, is expected to open more than 1,500 store locations across North America ahead of the Halloween holiday. Stores began opening earlier this month, and about 900 are expected to be open by the end of August, the company says. The remaining locations will open throughout the month of September.
Spirit Halloween serves as a source for Halloween costumes, as well as indoor and outdoor home decorations – a pursuit more Americans have been swept up in. Spending on Halloween was expected to dip in 2024 by about 5% to $11.6 billion, but that’s still the second-highest spending total in two decades, according to the National Retail Federation.
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Among the new arrivals at Spirit Halloween: a 9-foot, 5-inch Sinister Straw Man Animatronic ($329.99), which springs to full height from about six feet tall, after bellowing, “You’re trespassing on Hallowed Ground, BEWARE.”
Another big newbie: the 7-foot, 6-inch-tall Jack the Reaper Animatronic ($329.99), armed with a scythe and motion tracking sensors to direct its movements with glowing red eyes. If you are shopping, you can get 20% off the purchase of an animatronic – find the deal on the Spirit Halloween website and on the Spirit Halloween Instagram page (good until Sept. 1; use the code HWEEN20).
More than 1,000 Spirit Halloween stores will also have an “in-store experience” called “Madison Scare Park,” a haunted subway station inhabited by motion-sensor ghouls.
“The opening of Spirit Halloween stores signals the start of something special for our guests and our dedicated team that works year-round to reach this moment,” said Spirit Halloween CEO Steven Silverstein in a news release on Wednesday, Aug. 20.
Looking for seasonal work? The company is still hiring store associates. Visit Work4Spirit.com or text “Reaper” to 85000 to apply.
What is Spirit Halloween?
Spirit Halloween, which touts its status as the nation’s largest Halloween retailer, opened its first pop-up store in the Bay Area in 1983. Purchased by Spencer Gifts in 1999, the company annually opens more than 1,500 seasonal locations across the United States, often in strip centers and malls.
How to find a Spirit Halloween store near you
Find the Spirit Halloween location nearest to you on the Spirit Halloween website. You can also shop on Spirit Halloween’s online store.
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Contributing: Gabe Hauari and James Powel
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Spirit Halloween stores are starting to open. What we know.
