Costco vs. Sam's Club: Which Is Better for Halloween Shopping?

For many folks, the holiday season doesn't start with Thanksgiving. No, it's Halloween that truly sets off the holidays.

If you're a warehouse store fan and a Halloween aficionado, you could scratch both itches at once at either Costco or Sam's Club. But while both stores offer your finances some decent deals, which store is actually the better place to get your Halloween on?

Sam's Club holding out, but stock is slimming down at Costco

The good news is that we spotted Halloween items hitting the shelves weeks ago. The bad news? It looks like they're already on their way out of the stores. Countless reports indicate that both Costco and Sam's Club are pushing Halloween aside for their Christmas displays.

That's not to say you can't still find Halloween decor or candy in your local warehouse store. Sam's Club, in particular, seems to have a good selection -- though not its full offering -- of indoor and outdoor decor available online for pickup in stores. And social media shoppers are still posting videos of Halloween and fall decor in local stores. 

And the candy. You can find a huge variety of Halloween candy, including themed packs perfect for trick-or-treaters. (Oh, and there's plenty of pumpkin spice everything!)

It's Costco that's a little more concerning here. Some reports indicate that most of the decor is already gone or on its way out (we've seen mentions of Hallloween items with clearance markdowns). While Costco candy seems to still be in stores, the variety doesn't compare to what's at Sam's Club. 

Halloween is still alive online

Where both warehouse stores are doing better is online, though even here Sam's Club beats out Costco. Costco.com offers a dozen or so different costumes, and a roughly equal amount of decor items -- and that's about it. Oh, there are a few black and orange candy box towers, but if you're looking for candy to hand out, it's not on Costco's website.

The Sam's Club website is a much different story. You can find most of Sam's Club Halloween decor online, including both indoor and outdoor decor. (I'm a big fan of these Musical Skeletons in particular!) And if you want costumes, Sam's Club's website has a good selection of both children's and adult options in a range of sizes.

It's also worth noting that you can see Sam's Club's candy variety on the website, but it's not available for shipping (it's melting, it's melllllllting). You can order online for store pickup -- free for Plus members -- or take advantage of same-day delivery, though.

Finding Halloween deals

It feels like Halloween is hitting stores earlier these days -- but it's leaving them nearly as fast. And nothing kills the Halloween spirit like being surrounded by Christmas in September.

It's not so great for the bank account, either. Halloween deals can be hard to find when the shelves start emptying before October (you know, when most people are thinking about Halloween).

For this, you may need to simply forgo the warehouse deals and head to your local big box store. Target and Walmart tend to keep Halloween on the shelves a little longer. Even the local hardware megastores can offer a decent Halloween selection through October -- though they're also rolling out their Christmas displays.

In the end, you might have to rely on other methods to save on Halloween supplies. My go-to is credit card rewards. By maximizing my rewards, I can knock 5% or more off my decor and candy. Pair that with a well-timed grocery store buy-one-get-one, and I can restock my candy stash without scaring the pants off my savings account.