WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- Costumes and candy bars are flying off shelves as Halloween creeps closer, and retailers are continuing to promote discounts to reel consumers inside. Halloween holiday spending continues to pour into major retailers, but the high cost of essentials may also prompt consumers to cost-cutting measures. "I think Halloween is the new black Friday," said John Talbott, the former director of the Center for Education and Research in Retail at Indiana University's School of Business. "It signals the start of the holiday shopping season," he continued. "Black Friday now is really a series of sales that will probably start November 1st." Tips to get rid of unwanted, forgotten subscriptions The National Retail Federation said nearly three in four people plan to celebrate Halloween, and spending per person is estimated to be $104. Among large retailers offering sales, Amazon promotes their 'Deal of the Day' sales every day for select items, which includes 50 percent or more off costumes and accessories. Walmart says they've slashed prices on costumes, and Target promotes 30% off select costumes and accessories. In the meantime, consumers can browse costume prices on similar outfits using Google's 'Google Lens' feature on its app -- users can take a photo of a costume and the app will show similar results from different stores, therefore creating a window how prices fare elsewhere. Consider getting crafty with costumes via thrift store purchases, using local costume-sharing events near you.