Welcome to Summerween: Retailers roll out Halloween items earlier than ever before

New York (CNN) — The dog days of summer have traditionally been prime time for retailers to stock shelves with folders, lunch boxes and backpacks. But suddenly those items are sharing real estate with skeletons, witches and ghosts.

Coming right on the heels of last year’s Summer Christmas, welcome to Summerween.

Many big-box retailers are getting into spooky season earlier than ever before, and consumers can’t get enough of it.

Popularized by the Disney TV show “Gravity Falls,” TikTok users are showcasing their Summerween parties with watermelon-carved jack-o’-lanterns, coffin-shaped ice cream sandwiches and skeletons propped up on pool floats.

Starbucks jumped on the trend too, releasing its beloved (or hated, depending on the point of view) pumpkin spice latte on Thursday, the earliest it has ever started selling the seasonal beverage.

But all the excitement to get a jump start on Halloween comes as consumers are showing more signs of financial stress. They’re running through their savings and taking on record levels of  Read Entire Article