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A shortage of Halloween favorites might affect some shoppers this season

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Posted at 6:45 PM, Oct 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-07 22:27:17-04

With Halloween just a couple of weeks away, many might start to notice some shortages of festive gear when shopping for the occasion.

According to experts, this Halloween, the scariest thing you might see will be empty shelves and a shortage of spooky staples like the traditional pumpkin.

"I have definitely heard that there is a shortage due to trucking, water, and labor,” said Steve Jacobsen, Solvang Farmer Pumpkin Patch owner.

The pumpkin shortage is attributed to extreme weather and shipping delays making it harder to distribute the gourds to their intended locations.

The Solvang Farmer Pumpkin Patch isn't seeing a shortage because they supply their own pumpkins but the owner says he's offered to lend a hand to other locations that are being affected.

"We've sold a few of our pumpkins to some local patches to help them out,” Jacobsen said.

These classics aren't the only things falling short, costumes and decorations have also been impacted at local and chain stores nationwide.

Spirit Halloween store managers along the Central Coast say they have yet to receive all the shipments necessary to stock up.

Signs like "coming soon" can be seen around the stores as well as empty shelves.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't find that many costumes. They had several but not really a big selection,” shopper Nadia Garcia said.

According to the local Spirit stores, they are catching up on the shipments and should be stocked up pretty soon. They suggest people start shopping sooner rather than later.

As for the pumpkins, the Solvang patch is ready to go.

“I think we are pretty well set. We plan in increments and different stages so that we have pumpkins throughout the whole season so we should be good,” said Jacobsen.

The Solvang Farmer Pumpkin Patch is open 7 days a week and will remain open through the end of October.