A shopper’s grocery store video was supposed to be a joke about candy prices, until one Reese’s bag stopped him cold

A viral video posted by X user @WallStreetApes captured a grocery shopper’s reaction to this year’s Halloween candy prices, and the clip has since spread across the platform. As detailed by the Daily Dot, the roughly 40-second clip shows a shopper walking through a store aisle and pointing out the cost of seasonal treats. At one point, he remarked that “inflation has lost its mind” after finding a bag containing 55 Reese’s pieces priced at $29.

The video does not stop at one person’s reaction. A second narrator in the clip uses online tools to check the numbers, and the figures line up with a FinanceBuzz analysis showing that bulk Halloween candy costs have climbed by about 78 percent between 2020 and 2025. A 100-piece bag of mixed candy averaged $9.19 in 2020, and by 2025 that same bag cost $16.39.

The increase has outpaced general inflation, which rose roughly 25 percent over the same stretch. Most of the jump has come recently, with the 100-piece bag rising by $4.78 between 2023 and 2025, compared to a $1.30 increase between 2020 and 2022. Retail forecasts point to Americans spending a record amount this year, potentially topping $13 billion on costumes, decorations, and candy combined.

Shoppers are also frustrated with more than just the price tag

Pricing is not the only complaint circulating online. Several users have argued that chocolate quality has slipped even as prices climb, with one writing that “the chocolate tastes terrible now.” Amid the broader online debate over shrinking portions and rising costs, a recent story about a self-checkout tipping prompt also drew attention to how retail costs are landing on shoppers this year.

Some have said they would rather hand out cash to trick-or-treaters than pay current prices for packaged candy. Others have cut single-serving items like M&M’s from their shopping lists entirely after seeing bags priced above $3.

The confectionery industry has been dealing with high cocoa costs, and many candy makers have shifted toward gummies, licorice, and other non-chocolate items as a result. That shift has coincided with broader retail tension this year, including friction between shoppers and retailers such as the one described in a Walmart boycott apology posted by a TikTok creator. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the consumer price index for candy and chewing gum had already risen 10 percent year over year by December 2025.

Some shoppers say they are now planning ahead by estimating costs in advance, tracking expected trick-or-treater counts, or using cash-back credit cards on their grocery runs to offset the higher prices.