There’s a conspiracy in America. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t warn all readers out there. It’s called the “Halloween Candy Conspiracy.” Buyer beware.
The conspiracy unfolds in early September. Aisles and aisles of Halloween candy surface in every major retail outlet. Wait! Isn’t it a bit early to be selling Halloween candy? Oh no. It’s all part of their twisted little plan, friend. It starts with a sign that proclaims, “SALE! STOCK UP NOW! Was: $3.69. Now: $2.99.”
Seeing the sale sign, one immediately says, “Gosh, I better grab a few bags of Snickers and M&M’s. I’d hate to be caught off guard in eight weeks when I’ll actually be needing the candy for trick-or-treaters or school parties.” And so the cycle of doom begins.
Naïve Americans buy the candy and put it on the top shelf of the pantry. Everything is fine. Fine until the next day at about 4:30 p.m. That’s when it hits. The longing. The yearning. I’m convinced there are times a human being would sell his or her car for a Hershey bar. But, of course, that’s not necessary. Thanks to the Halloween candy sale, there’s a luring sound coming from her very own pantry. Sure. She could eat a banana. An apple. A stale rice cake. But no. The Snickers bag sings a siren song.
A week later the same shopper is back at the local retail outlet. All bags of candy purchased last week are gone and the shopper is determined to buy nothing but the absolute necessities. But there it is. Aisles and aisles of chocolate candy. This time it’s no longer $2.99/bag. Oh no. The conspirators have it marked down to $2.50. A huge sign reminds every shopper, “IT WON’T LAST!” What an understatement.
Lured by a good deal, the naïve shopper once again takes the bait. With pure determination in her eyes, she hides the bags high above the towels and toilet paper in the guest bathroom closet. She is determined not to get within ten feet of the candy until the first doorbell ring on Oct. 31st. Day one passes. No transgression. Day two passes with no problem. On day three the devious little kids say, “Mom, can’t we have just one piece of the Halloween candy?” Resolve crumbles. She innocently says, “I guess a piece or two or three won’t hurt.” Within four days, all candy is a mere memory.
Our naïve friend returns once again to the retail outlet. This time she decides to walk in and head straight for the light bulb aisle. As she walks through the parking lot she says under her breath, “I’ll just pass out kiwi fruit to all the neighborhood kids. What kid doesn’t love kiwi?”
When she walks in the front door, a large shelf of chocolate candy is positioned right by the entrance. A sign the size of Delaware proclaims, “Candy Sale. $1.50/bag. BARGAIN! BARGAIN! BARGAIN!” Does our shopper see the sign and flee? Oh no. She says aloud, “I guess it IS insensitive to give the neighborhood kids kiwi fruit. I’ll just pick up a few bags of Butterfingers.”
And so it goes. A terrible cycle of gloom and doom. Take heed, my friend. Take heed. Before it’s all said and done, the average American spends approximately $179.00 on Halloween candy and an additional $250 on bigger jeans. Oh, and what about those darling little trick-or-treaters? They get stuck with Starlight mints left over from the Soybean parade.
(www.lisasmartt.com)
The Smartt View 