I bet Bernie likes Twizzlers

Oct. 31—Those retailers are sneaky devils.

We're used to them putting Christmas, Halloween and other holiday décor on their shelves months ahead of time so there's every opportunity to buy and buy more.

But lining the shelves with bags of Halloween candy sometime in early September really takes advantage of us, particularly those of us lacking in self-restraint.

I always bring a couple of those huge bags of individual Twizzlers and the Milk Duds/Rolo/Reese's mix home several weeks ahead of Halloween. My wife asks why I buy the stuff I like if I'm only handing it out to kids. And she wonders why I get it so early.

They were the ones on sale, I explain, and I want to make sure we have some candy on hand when Halloween arrives.

A couple of days later she peers into the trash can, grabs a big handful of Twizzler wrappers and Milk Duds boxes and gives me that annoying arched-eyebrow look.

So then I have to buy some more bags because I care about the youngsters having candy on Halloween.

And then, a few days later, I have to buy some more.

The marketers and retailers leave nothing to chance. They know that if they put the candy out ridiculously early, there are plenty of us who will buy five times more than if we weren't being unfairly tempted so far ahead of Halloween.

And I don't know if you've noticed how the lighting on candy shelves has changed, including those racks in the checkout line. In the past few years stores have installed racks with bright LED lights that give the candy wrappers a shiny, bright, cheery glow that is hard to ignore — and that, of course, is the point. Mars candy says the LED lights on checkout candy boosts sales 10-12%.

Every year a candy wholesaler does a survey of each state's favorite Halloween candy, based on wholesale and retail sales information.

Minnesota's favorite Halloween candy this year is Tootsie Pops, a Halloween treat also favored by Tennessee, Washington and Utah.

Wisconsin is into Butterfinger, North Dakota Hot Tamales, while South Dakota and Iowa tend to fill their Halloween bowls with M&Ms.

The country as a whole, according to the study, prefers Reese's Cups over all other brands. Skittles, M&M's, Starburst and Hot Tamales rounded out the top five.

While Halloween has steadily grown as a holiday for the past decade or so, it seems people are especially excited about it this year after Dr. Fauci released Halloween from the big pandemic lockdown safe he keeps in his basement.

According to the National Retail Federation's annual survey, Halloween spending is up more than $2 billion, reaching an all-time high of $10.1 billion this year. That's up from $8 billion in 2020.

A lot of it is spent on decorations and party supplies, but costumes account for the most spending.

The classic witch, dinosaur, clown and Spider-Man costumes continue to be favorites, but, as always, the latest pop-culture trends spur a lot of costumes.

The warped, brutally violent Netflix series "Squid Game," that pits poor people against each other in a battle to the death, is dominating costumes. The get-ups feature retro track suits and white slip-on shoes worn by characters in the series.

Kim Kardashian was mysteriously dressed at the 2021 Met Gala, wearing black from head to foot, including covering her head, creating another popular costume idea.

Cruella de Vil has always been a popular costume, but this year a new Disney version featuring Emma Stone as Cruella has given wearers an updated look.

If I did a costume, it would be thanks to Bernie Sanders, who has inspired another costume hit this year.

Sanders created a moment during the presidential inauguration. While everyone else was dressed to the nines, Bernie came in bundled in a heavy Rocawear coat and Fox River mittens and stayed comfortably warm while sitting on a plastic folding chair in the bitter winter weather.

The only thing I'd add to my Bernie costume is one coat pocket full of Twizzlers and one full of Milk Duds.

I'd only bring them in case some poor little kid needs some candy.

Tim Krohn can be contacted at tkrohn@mankatofreepress.com or 507-344-6383.