What to Buy (and Skip) in October 2025

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Updated Sep 24, 2025 1:41 p.m. PDT · 2 min read

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It’s officially fall and you know consumers are getting their Halloween on. Have you walked into a Home Depot or Lowe’s lately? Scary. In fact, Halloween spending is expected to reach a record $13.1 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation .

And Amazon is back with another October Prime Day-like sales event. Prime members will want to check out Prime Big Deal Days on Oct. 7-8 for deals on a variety of products.

We’ve highlighted a few tried-and-true product categories to keep an eye on this month.

Buy: Halloween gear

Halloween stuff is a given, but can you wait until the bitter end? The closer to Halloween, the steeper discounts will be on costumes, says Patricia Huddleston, professor of retailing at Michigan State University. Retailers want to get rid of as much of their stock as possible by Oct. 31. The same goes for Halloween-themed candy, she adds. (For both, she says: “Of course, your best deals are going to be on Nov. 1.”)

Skip: Clothing

October is not a great time for apparel sales. You're better off skipping most clothing purchases if you can hold off a couple of months. “The markdowns are best around the holiday season and after Christmas,” Huddleston says.

At that point, she says most winter apparel, including tops and bottoms, will be discounted to make way for spring inventory. The one exception to end-of-year sales may be formalwear that could be worn for New Year’s Eve parties, she says.

Buy: Outdoor furniture, grills and flowers

Expect major markdowns on summer inventory that retailers are desperately trying to offload. Leftover deck essentials like outdoor furniture and grills are likely to be marked down. While you’re upgrading your yard, Huddleston suggests checking out garden centers early in the month for deals on perennials.

Skip: Most electronics

Save major spending on electronics for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. That’s when you typically see the heftiest discounts on TVs, gaming consoles, laptops, tablets, smartphones and activity trackers. These savings can add up to hundreds of dollars.

The exception to this rule is the gadgets that go on sale during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days. Prices will be down, but discounts may not be Black Friday-level deep.

Bonus: Tacos and desserts

October also comes with two food holidays to look forward to. National Taco Day is Oct. 7, the first Tuesday of the month, and National Dessert Day is Oct. 14.

In years past, many local and national restaurants have offered discounts for just these occasions. Look for promotional signage at your local taco joints, bakeries and other restaurants. Also check for deals on these restaurants’ websites and social accounts.

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