Supply chain disruptions making Halloween season even spookier for El Pasoans

EL PASO, Texas -- Spooky season is upon us, but something may be even more spooky for parents, empty shelves. Many people are having a hard time finding what they need this Halloween season.

It's all due to supply chain disruptions, like cargo ship delays, a shortage of truckers, & other pandemic-related problems, over the last several months.

"I can't remember any time previously, where there has been a shortage of Halloween decorations or Halloween costumes," said UTEP Professor of Economics Tom Fullerton.

All across the country. including El Paso, retailers have had to work with little inventory. One manager at Spirit Halloween costume store that ABC-7 spoke to off camera said her store on the west side has been stocked for the most part but others across the city haven't been so lucky.

"The international supply chain is very intricate, it's also very large," Fullerton said. "And that combination means that when there are a sequence of unanticipated disruptions it plays havoc on supply availability for you know, hundreds if not thousands of products."

It's not just costumes and decorations, but and you might even have to fork over a little bit more money to pay for candy.

According to the National Retail Federation, consumer spending on Halloween-related items is expected to reach an all-time high of $10.14 billion. According to Fullerton prices on candy, especially chocolate are going up.

"Climate change has it has impacted the temperatures of a lot of cocoa producing regions, primarily in Africa, Central America and South America," Fullerton said. "As temperatures have gone up, it has as caused yields of a cow to go down."

Fullerton says if you like making your own costumes this year is probably your time to shine. Especially if you can't find the specific costume you're looking for.