Halloween in your shop or business: what to arrange in September
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31st this year. This way, you can already determine in September what decorations, checkout items, and staff costumes to purchase, without making mistakes in October.
This year, Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31. For a consumer, that's one evening; for a store, pub, hair salon, or club, it's a period of about three weeks during which decorations are up, staff are dressed up, and there are extra items by the register. Anyone who starts preparing in October will buy at higher prices and have to settle for whatever is still in stock. Those who arrange it in September get to choose.
This article is not about your own Halloween party at home, but about organizing Halloween commercially or for a club. The questions are different: how long will it stay up, who needs to be in costume, and what will be left over on November 1.
First, decide: are you celebrating it, or selling it?
These two often overlap and require different purchasing strategies.
You're celebrating it. The decorations are a backdrop for an evening or a weekend. You buy little, but it needs to have an immediate impact and be easy to put away quickly.
You're selling it. Halloween is a reason for customers to buy something extra for three weeks. In this case, you buy in bulk, want a display, and need to price your items.
Most small businesses do a bit of both. It helps to list what you need by category, as quantities vary widely: you'll need a few decorative items, but dozens of impulse-buy items for the register.
Decorations: high impact, low hassle
Decorations should meet three criteria: they should be noticeable from the door, not get in anyone's way, and be removable in half an hour. Spiderwebs are the classic workhorse for this, as one package can fill an entire corner. The Halloween Spiderweb with 6 Spiders (€ 9.95) stretches across a display window corner, a coat rack, or a lamp.
For cordoning off a route, a table, or an area where you do or don't want guests, Barrier Tape with Funny Text - 25 meters (€ 2.95) is cheaper and faster than anything else. One roll is enough for several evenings, and it immediately makes it clear where an area is off-limits.
Do you work with light instead of spiders? LED Balloons 5 pieces (€ 2.95) remain visible even when it's dark outside and the indoor lighting is ambient. For behind the bar or on a buffet table, Halloween Skeleton Glasses (€ 9.95) do the job without you having to hang anything.
When hanging decorations, pay attention to two practical things: don't hang anything over lights that get hot, and keep passageways and emergency exits clear. Any flammable material you hang should preferably not be near candles or hot spotlights. The instructions on the decoration material's packaging are guiding here.
Register items: small, visible, and usable all year round
The margin this season is rarely in the big costume. It's in the €4 to €10 item that someone picks up because it's next to the register. Pins and keychains are suitable for this: they are light, they don't break, and some of them continue to sell to the goth and horror crowd after Halloween.
If you're giving something away instead of selling it — for a promotion, an open evening, or a children's hour — then a Yellow Treat Box with Handle 15x8x8 cm (€ 2.99) is a handy carrier: it fits a handful of small items and can be taken outside without a bag.
Staff: costumes that survive a shift
Staff in costume must be able to work in it for eight hours. This means: no loose masks obstructing vision behind the bar or at the cash register, no flapping sleeves near the fryer, and nothing that will irritate after two hours. In practice, an accessory works better than a full suit.
Fake Blood Set with Syringe and Refill (€ 9.95) — keep this away from hospitality where food is handled, and test it beforehand on an old cloth: fake blood and light textiles rarely mix well.
Agree on who wears what and order per person, not per team. One box with "something for everyone" usually ends up with half the team wearing nothing.
A schedule that works with delivery times
When
What you do
End of August / early September
Determine if you're celebrating, selling, or both. Count what you had left over last year.
Mid-September
Order register items and display. You want these early, as they determine your sales.
End of September
Order decorations and staff accessories. Test the fake blood and the attachment of the decorations.
Week of October 12
Put up the decorations and the display at the register. The season officially starts selling from here.
Week of October 26
Reordering might not arrive on time now. Move your remaining stock to the most visible spot.
November 1 and 2
Clear away, sort, and label what you'll reuse next year.
What to keep and what to markdown
On November 1, you divide your remaining stock into three piles. Reusable decorations—spiderwebs, glasses, tiaras, displays—go into a sealed box with a label, stored dry. Items that sell year-round, like gothic pins and keychains, simply go back on the regular shelf; you don't need to markdown these. Only items that are explicitly Halloween-themed and not durable or not presentable again should be marked down in the first week of November.
When clearing up, immediately note two figures: what you sold of each item and what you had left over. That note in the box will be your entire shopping list next September.
Getting started
Want to see what's currently in stock? Start with the Halloween collection for decorations and accessories, and with Badges - Halloween and Pins & Badges for register items that will continue to sell after October 31. For broader decorations, look in Party Supplies. If you're unsure about quantities for your business, or want to know what's in stock before ordering, feel free to email info@verpakkingdeals.nl — we'll help you with your list.
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