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The Grim Reaper of retail: Spirit Halloween

The Grim Reaper of retail: Spirit Halloween

It's Been a Minute vor 3 Jahren

0:00

21:08

Every fall, with the same regularity as birds flying south, Spirit
Halloween materializes in locations across the country. The
superstore sells all manner of trappings for spooky season,
including costumes, props and décor. It boasts about 1,400 pop-ups
nationwide, and often takes over temporary leases in malls where a
big-box retailer struggled to stay open. This penchant for swooping
in on failing businesses has led many consumers to see the company
as a kind of Grim Reaper of retail – and turned the store into an
internet meme.

This week, host Brittany Luse sits down with Planet Money's Kenny
Malone to dive into the origin story of Spirit Halloween, and what
the store's success says about the economy and the future of
retail.

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