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Halloween shopping starting earlier than ever. Buy decor now or wait for sales?

Stores are now stocked with costumes and decorations before Labor Day.
Skeletons, pumpkins and skulls seen in a person's front yard.
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You don't need to scroll far to see the term "Summerween" on your social media feeds. From parties to decorations, Halloween is creeping in fast.

So should you stock up on all these treats now, or are you being tricked into spending too early?

We went to Lowe's to find out. Their stores are already stocked with giant Halloween displays, like 12-foot-tall animatronic lawn ghouls that growl, laugh, and spew smoke. These are not the basic inflatables we had 10 years ago.

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Shopper Carol Cox is ready to buy, taking pictures on her phone to send to her family.

"This is all new to me, which is why I am taking videos of it, it is great," she said.

So should you wait for sales?

Lowe's manager Andrew Clark said if you're into these lawn displays, including the super popular Kraken, don't wait to shop as they will sell out quickly.

"Buy them now," he said. "Make sure you purchase them when you can get them."

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It's not just Lowe's. Costco put out fall decor in July. YouTube content creator Jade the Libra says she's all about shopping early for the latest Halloween trends.

"If you wanna see all the good stuff, you gotta get in early," she said, "and I'm talking June."

And the hottest trend this year?

"I'm seeing pastels everywhere," she said. "Everyone's calling it 'Pastel-oween' or 'Pinkoween,' because that's what we're seeing a lot of this year already."

Lawn inflatables can cost $200 or more, and most items are at or near full price now.

For most of the big retail chains, the savings come closer to Halloween. So what can you do?

Jade said if you see something you like from off-price retailers like TJ Maxx or Burlington, buy it before it vanishes. For Halloween on a budget, she recommends trying thrifting.

"You can find great things that are even just a year old, a couple years old," she said. "People are just trying to declutter, get through their things and then you can find some really cool vintage pieces too."

So don't wait.

"We call it 'Summerween,'" Clark said of his huge store display at Lowe's.

So get your Halloween decor before it's gone, so you don't waste your money.

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