Three buy less Halloween chocolate; one can’t compare

The little milk chocolate bars Graham Okafor found in a kitchen drawer halfway through November were left over from last Halloween. Okafor, a retired building superintendent, had bought about 60 bars. This year, they bought about 30.

In Bonzai’s interviews, three of four people bought less Halloween chocolate this year than last year; the fourth could not say whether her purchase changed. Each chose an amount they thought would be enough without buying more than they needed, though grocery costs, last year’s leftovers and guesses about visiting children shaped those decisions differently.

Okafor stuck with the same kind of bars but bought roughly half as many. Harold Kim, a retired postal clerk, went from three bags to two. Denise Baptiste, a customer-service representative at Elm Cart, bought one bag instead of two. Rosa Gutierrez, a school counselor, thinks she bought two bags of small chocolates this year, but she did not keep track last year and cannot compare.

Kim thought two bags would be enough and was watching his spending. “I don’t remember what the chocolate cost, but I thought twice about that third bag,” he said. Baptiste considered a second bag while shopping, then thought about the rest of her groceries. She feeds her mother and two teenage nephews most nights; as she put it, “a pot of rice and beans and stew does more for us than extra chocolate.”

For Okafor, finding bars well into November made a smaller purchase appealing. Gutierrez also wanted to avoid a pile of chocolate at home, though she did not remember whether any was left last year. Cost played a smaller part in her decision than estimating how many children might visit. “Two bags felt like enough for the kids who might knock, without leaving a pile of chocolate at home afterward,” she said.

The smaller purchases lasted through Halloween. Okafor had a couple of bars left, and Kim had a few pieces. Baptiste’s bag served trick-or-treaters and her nephews, with little left afterward; she did not buy more. Okafor would buy about 30 bars again, and Kim expects to stick with two bags unless more children come by.

Three of the four bought less chocolate this year; the fourth could not compare. Each chose an amount they thought would be enough without buying more than they needed.

At Okafor’s home, their husband claimed the two bars left after Halloween.