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Halloween is a fun, scary time for children and adults alikebut why does the holiday seem to start so much earlier every year? Decades ago, when I was young, Halloween was a much smaller affair, and people didnt start preparing until mid-October. Today, in my neighborhood near where I grew up in Massachusetts, Halloween decorations start appearing in the middle of summer. Whats changed isnt just when we celebrate but how: Halloween has evolved from a simple folk tradition to a massive commercial event. As a business school professor who has studied the economics of holidays for years, Im astounded by how the business of Halloween has grown. And understanding why its such big business may help explain why its creeping earlier and earlier. The business of Halloween Halloweens roots lie in a Celtic holiday honoring the dead, later adapted by the Catholic Church as a time to remember saints. Today its largely a secular celebration one that gives people from all backgrounds a chance to dress up, engage in fantasy, and safely confront their fears. That broad appeal has fueled explosive growth. The National Retail Federation has surveyed Americans about their Halloween plans each September since 2005. Back then, slightly more than half of Americans said they planned to celebrate. In 2025, nearly three-quarters said they woulda huge jump in 20 years. And people are planning to shell out more money than ever. Total spending on Halloween is expected to reach a record US$13 billion this year, according to the federationan almost fourfold increase over the past two decades. Adjusting for inflation and population growth, I found that the average American will spend an expected $38 on Halloween this yearup from just $18 per person back in 2005. Thats a lot of candy corn. Candy imports show a similar trend. September has long been the key month for the candy trade, with imports about one-fifth higher than during the rest of the year. Back in September 2005, the U.S. imported about $250 million of the sweet stuff. In September 2024, that figure had tripled to about $750 million. This is part of a larger trend of Halloween becoming a lot more professionalized. For example, when I was a kid, it wasnt unusual for households to pass out brownies, candied apples, and other homemade treats to trick-or-treaters. But because of safety concerns and food allergies, for decades, Americans have been warned to stick to mass-produced, individually wrapped candies. The same shift has happened with costumes. Years ago, many people made their own; today, store-bought costumes dominateeven for pets. Why Halloween keeps creeping earlier While theres no definitive research establishing why Halloween seems to start earlier each year, the increase in spending is one major driver. Halloween items are seasonal, which means no one wants to buy giant plastic skeletons on Nov. 1. As total spending grows, retailers order more inventory, and the cost of storing ever-larger amounts of unsold items until the next year becomes a bigger consideration. Once a seasons commercial footprint becomes large enough, retailers begin ordering and displaying merchandise long before its actually needed. For example, winter coats start appearing in stores in early fall and are typically gone when the snow starts falling. Its the same with Halloween: Retailers put out merchandise early to ensure theyre not stuck with unsold goods once the season is over. They also often price strategically charging full price when items first hit the shelves, appealing to eager early shoppers, and then marking down prices closer to the holiday. This clears shelves and warehouses, making room for the next upcoming shopping season. Over the past two decades, Halloween has become an ever-bigger commercial holiday. The growth in people enjoying the holiday and the increase in spending has resulted in Halloween becoming one giant treat for businesses. The big trick for retailers is preventing this holiday from starting before the Fourth of July. Jay L. Zagorsky is an associate professor at the Questrom School of Business at Boston University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
In the Marshall Islands, where the land averages only 7 feet (2 meters) above sea level, people are acutely aware of climate change. Their ancestors have lived on this string of Pacific islands for thousands of years. But as sea level rises, storms more easily flood communities and farmland with saltwater. Warming ocean water has triggered mass coral-bleaching events, harming habitats that are important for both tourism and fish that the islands economy relies on. If the world fails to rein in the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change, studies suggest low-lying islands like these could be uninhabitable within decades. Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine talks about climate risks to her homeland while in New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025. Climate change isnt just a problem for islands. Countries worldwide are experiencing intensifying storms, dangerous heat waves, and rising seas as global temperatures rise. Yet, after 30 years of international climate talks, 10 years of a global treaty promising to keep temperatures in check, and trillions of dollars in damage, the world is still not on track to stop rising global temperatures. Greenhouse gas emissions were at record highs in 2024, and it was Earths hottest year on record. I study the dynamics of global environmental politics, including the United Nations climate negotiations. And my lab and I have been tracking countries latest climate pledgesknown as nationally determined contributions, or NDCsto see which countries have stepped up their efforts, which have slid back, and who has ideas that can deliver a safer world for everyone. While the Trump administration has been pressuring countries to back away from their climate commitmentsand succeeded in delaying an International Maritime Organization vote on a global plan to tax greenhouse gas emissions from shipping after threatening other countries with sanctions, visa restrictions, and port fees if they supported itmany countries are still pressing ahead. Trump agitates, but many countries are steadfast U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration came into office vowing to eliminate climate regulations and boost the fossil fuel industry, derided concerns about climate change in his Sept. 23, 2025, speech to the U.N. General Assembly. He called climate change the greatest con job ever perpetuated and ridiculed green energy and climate science. Trumps language no longer surprises world leaders, though. More than 100 other countries announced new climate commitments during a high-level summit a few days later. China, currently the worlds largest greenhouse gas emitter, was lauded for hitting its green energy targets five years early. Its rapid expansion of low-cost renewable energy and electric vehicle manufacturing has reduced pollution in Chinese cities while also boosting its economy and expanding the governments influence around the world. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the countrys first absolute emissions reduction goal at the summit, committing to cut its net greenhouse gas emissions by 7% to 10% from peak levels by 2035. China also committed to nearly triple its solar and wind power capacity and expand reforestation efforts. While advocates and other governments had hoped for a stronger announcement from China, the new goals mark an important shift from the countrys earlier carbon intensity targets, which aimed to decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of economic output but still allowed emissions to grow over time. [Chart: The Conversation, CC-BY-ND. Source: International Energy Agency, created with Datawrapper] The European Union has yet to submit its new commitments, but the group of 27 European countries delivered a letter of intent, saying it would commit to a 66% to 72% collective decrease in net greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 compared with 1990 levels. Europe has seen a swift rise in renewable energy, up sharply since Russias invasion of Ukraine put the continents natural gas supplies in jeopardy. The EU has also made waves by extending its carbon pricing rules beyond its borders. The EUs Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, scheduled to begin in January 2026, will be the first system to charge for the climate impact of imported goods coming into Europe from countries that dont have carbon prices similar to the EUs. The measure, meant to even the playing field for EU industries, sets a global precedent for linking carbon emissions to trade. However, the EUs climate plans are also facing some headwinds. Its parliament is moving toward softening new corporate sustainability requirements after pressure from companies. And it may face calls from some member countries to delay a new carbon market meant to cut emissions from road transportation and buildings, Politico reported. The EU has pledged to mobilize up to 300 billion Euros (about US$350 billion) to support the global clean energy transition in developing countries. The United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia submitted their most ambitious targets to date. All three put them on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, meaning any greenhouse gases they emit will be offset by projects that avoid carbon emissions or remove carbon from the atmosphere. In Australia, Queenslands recent announcement that it would extend existing coal power plant use to the 2030s and 2040s may slow national progress. But Queensland also supports scaling up renewable energy and is still aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050. Norway committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70% by 2035 compared with 1990 levels, which would align with the Paris Agreement goal to keep global emissions below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). However, it plans to remain a major oil and gas exporter. Notably, many developing countries also stepped up their commitments. Brazil pledged a net emissions reduction of 59% to 67% by 2035 and is maintaining its 2050 net-zero target. The government also drew criticism for approving plans for oil exploration near the mouth of the Amazon River. Free riding and taking cover behind the US However, while some new climate commitments signal important momentum in the fight against climate change, the tug-of-war between global ambition to slow climate change and strategic self-interests was palpable at the New York summit. The responses to Trumps remarks revealed both veiled critiques and deceleration of climate action by some governments. China criticized backsliding by some countries, without naming names. Brazil used the summit to call out countries that were late in submitting their updated climate commitments. Only about a third had submitted their updated pledges at that point. While it is difficult to parse out individual country motivationseconomic stress, wars, and political influence can all play a rolemany scholars worry that U.S. backsliding will lead other countries to reduce their climate commitments, and some recent pledges appear to back this up. Many petroleum-producing countries missed the U.N. pledge deadline. Qatar, which recently gifted the U.S. a jet plane for Trumps use and has an economy largely bolstered by the oil and gas industry, has not updated its pledge since 2021. The six-member Gulf Cooperation Councils average emissions reduction target is even lower than Qatars, at around 21.6% by 2030. Similarly, Argentina, among the worlds top holders of shale oil and gas reserves, has not released its updated commitments. Progress on its previous commitment has been undermined by political shifts since President Javier Mileis election in 2023. Milei initially vowed to abandon the 2030 agenda entirely and withdraw from the Paris Agreement, though his administration later backtracked. His dismissal of climate change as a socialist lie has aligned Argentina closely with Trump, culminating in a recently planned US$20 billion aid package from the U.S. to Argentina and raising questions about whether Argentinas climate stance reflects genuine policy or geopolitical strategy. Also noticeably absent are commitments from India, Mexico, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia. Angola weakened its climate pledge, citing a lack of international funding. A new way to make climate commitments? While many countries are promising progress to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the commitments formally submitted as of Oct. 20 were still far below the level needed to keep global temperatures from rising by 2 C (3.6 F), let alone 1.5 C. Countries new climate pledgesknown as nationally determined contributions, or NDCsas of Oct. 20, 2025, compiled by ClimateWatch, were still far from keeping global warming under 2 C (3.6 F), let alone 1.5 C (2.7 F). The total includes 62 countries that had submitted pledges, including a U.S. pledge submitted before the Trump administration took office. It does not include Chinas announced pledge or the European Unions expected pledge. [Chart: ClimateWatch, CC BY 4.0] To help boost national efforts and accountability, Brazil has proposed a new approach it calls a globally determined contribution. Unlike the 1997 Kyoto Protocol framework, which set fixed, country-specific emission reduction targets based on historical baselines, or the 2015 Paris Agreements pledge-as-you-can system, it would establish global targets aligned with the Paris Agreements temperature goals. So, a globally determined contribution might state, for example, that the world will triple its renewable energy production and reverse deforestation by 2030. A target like that gives countries a clearer path of action. The new format would also allow city and state actions to be counted separately, increasing incentives for them to act. As the host of the COP30 climate talks Nov. 10-21, 2025, Brazil is uniquely positioned to champion this concept. In the absence of U.S. leadership, the proposal could offer a rare opportunity for countries to collectively strengthen commitments and reshape treaty language in a way never seen beforeleaving open the possibility for progress. Wila Mannella, a research assistant and graduate student in environmental studies at USC, contributed to this article. Shannon Gibson is a professor of environmental studies, political science, and international relations at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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You may not realize youre still clinging to the corporate worlds measures of success, but they can undermine your solo efforts.
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E-Commerce
Raising your prices takes courage, but its often the only way to grow revenue when youre a freelancer, solopreneur, or running a small service business. But its possible to do it without losing your clientsheres exactly how.
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E-Commerce
You promised yourself this was the year youd finally launchand sustainsome sort of side project, be it picking up a few freelance clients, launching a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel, or setting up an e-commerce shop. One day in the hopefully not-too-distant future, your side hustle might even grow into a full-time business.
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E-Commerce
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