Pumpkin spice, fall fashion trends, and Spirit Halloween all come together as the perfect breeding grounds for the October overconsumption season.
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), in 2025, Halloween spending is expected to reach a record high of $13.1 billion, representing a significant increase from the $11.6 billion spent in 2024.
“I know some people who buy new costumes every year and never wear them again,” said Sara Ho, a senior at Carlmont.
From scrambling to find a costume to the enticing appeal of pumpkin spice’s limitedness and “sweater weather” influencing many to buy clothes that soon end up in landfills, these factors reveal how the nostalgia and excitement surrounding fall often mask the cost of our consumption habits.
The pumpkin spice appeal
“It’s flavorful, it tastes good, and I think another big piece to it is the comfort of pumpkin spice. It’s a flavor that represents fall,” said Greer Stone, an Advanced Placement (AP) economics teacher at Carlmont High School and pumpkin spice enthusiast.
In The Pumpkin Premium, a 2025 survey conducted by Empower, Americans report spending around $32 on pumpkin spice-flavored items. Millennials double this amount to $64 per month.
The pumpkin spice market is projected to grow from $1.1 billion in 2025 to an estimated $2.2 billion in 2032, according to Coherent Market Insights.
The same report revealed that the appeal of pumpkin spice is actually linked to consumers’ association of the flavor with the fall season.
According to Coherent’s Pumpkin Spice Market Analysis, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, which make up the classic pumpkin pie seasoning blend, evoke feelings of comfort and nostalgia for the fall season. Pumpkin spice products allow consumers to feel connected to the changing seasons and rituals of fall, such as Halloween.
A good business knows its customers, and because of the pleasant feelings that are stirred up by pumpkin spice combined with autumnal changes, companies tend to use it to their advantage.
“We could have pumpkin spice flavor all year round, but companies create this false scarcity around the product by only releasing it for a limited time,” Stone said.
The infamous Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, or widely known as PSL, has been around since 2003. Since its debut, the brand has sold around 424 million drinks worldwide.
The fleeting factor of pumpkin spice draws people to spend a lot more money, not just on the lattes, but on other products associated with it as well. Thirty-nine percent of Gen Z are willing to spend more for pumpkin spice versions of everyday products, according to The Pumpkin Premium.
“People feel like ‘I need to get it now because I won’t be able to get it later’ because companies create such a demand and then limit the supply,” Stone said.
The willingness of many to spend more on pumpkin spice because it’s in limited supply drives overconsumption during this time of year.
Fall fashion trends pushed by social media
The reach of social media continues to grow. According to Pew Research, roughly six in ten teens say they use TikTok and Instagram. Social media promotes the latest trends, and naturally, people want to stay up-to-date with them.
Fall brings forth change, which also means a wardrobe change for many. Whether it’s the latest boots, “must-have” sweaters, or accessories, social media finds a way to push these items.
Influencers posting back-to-school hauls and promoting the idea that a new wardrobe is necessary for every season have led to an immense surge in fast fashion and overconsumption.
According to the United States Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), Americans don’t wear 50% of the clothes in their closet. Additionally, Americans discard approximately 17 million tons of clothing and textiles annually, with 65% of clothing being discarded within 12 months.
Even when the weather begins to feel like fall, 37% of parents are already purchasing another set of clothes, said The Weather Company.
Big companies like Old Navy and Target launch back-to-school sales, convincing parents that their children need a new wardrobe in addition to new school supplies.
As the weather gets colder, buying a new sweater isn’t necessarily a bad idea. However, buying for the sake of a trend or because someone online says it’s “the best“ can be harmful.
The short life span of microtrends and fast fashion, coupled with the powerful influence of marketing strategies and social media, leads people to believe that they need to buy what they see as popular online. These conditions allow for overconsumption to rise.
In 2022, Frontiers in Psychology published a research article on the impact of social media on consumption behaviors, reporting that new technology alters the nature of advertising and interactions, which in turn affects how companies must convey their messages to customers. More tailored messages launched on social media platforms may enhance negative consumption behaviors.
So, the next time Instagram or TikTok says that everyone needs a new sweater, take a moment to consider if it’s really worth the purchase.
Spirit Halloween’s wasteful effects
Halloween demand is exceptionally high, and with Americans expecting to spend over $12 billion, Spirit Halloween meets those demands. Its peak revenue was $1.1 billion in 2024, according to Zippia.
The Spirit Halloween business model is the perfect example of mastering the art of supply and demand, Jadrian Wooten wrote in the Monday Morning Economist. Due to the high demand during this month, it even offsets all the other months when they may be unprofitable due to low demand and some consistent costs of operation.
However, the environmental cost is more detrimental than many realize. According to Hummingbird International, approximately 35 million Halloween costumes are thrown away in the US each year. Since 83% of Halloween costumes are made from non-recyclable plastic, equivalent to around 2,000 tons of plastic waste, they often end up in landfills.
“I try to use what I have in my closet when I dress up for Halloween. My friends and I like to do group costumes, so I only buy things when I really need to,“ Ho said.
Spirit Halloween’s operating window is so small that it causes them to create a short shelf life for many of the products that they produce.
Sustainability fashion advocate Lexy Silverstein said to WBZ-TV that instead of buying new costumes, people should check thrift stores. Especially this time of year, thrift stores have an excess of clothes and many of them have Halloween racks. It offers a way to buy a used costume to save money and give it a second life.
Buying a new costume every year, only to never wear it again, is what Spirit Halloween thrives on. Temporary retail stores promote overconsumption, leading to environmental issues. So, the next time Halloween creeps around, look into the closet before hitting purchase on something that might not see the light of day again.
