Ranting & Retail Therapy - Halloween Clearance 2023

I trick-or-treated-myself to clearance candy. A LOT of clearance candy. Even by my standards.

Originally I wanted to find some pillows and décor, but it was slim pickin's. That's what you get when Christmas items roll out on October 1st. (RIP Thanksgiving, you're problematic, but I love your food.)

Upon reflection, Christmas isn't to blame. (Although I will make angry Instagram Reels about winter products encroaching upon my spooky season.) No matter what seasonal-flavor you subscribe to, it's all the same consumerism, and our consumer-clock is completely out of whack. 

Back to school sales were popping up as early as June, when some kids were still in school. Halloween was rolling out in July. Christmas by the end of September. Forget Daylight Savings, this is what needs adjusting! Sticking with a Christmas metaphor, we're opening our gifts too early. By the time the actual event rolls around, we're celebration-fatigued and the magic is gone.

How do we get it back? At some point, will we skew so far that we loop back into appropriate seasonal time frames?  Like when something is so lame it's cool? Probably not. And I definitely can't control when the Pumpkin Spice Lattes or Mariah Carey anthems hit the masses. 

Spotting skeletons on shelves in July is bittersweet. I'm spooky-season through-and-through but I also love summer, and if I want the "good" Halloween stuff, I need to grab it before the end of August or I'll have nothing come October! The justified fear of missing out because I didn't conform to accelerated consumption stops me from attempting a more appropriate self-imposed timeline.

I am but one little blogger in a sea of nonsense on the internet, and I am screaming into the void, "let us savor our seasons!" But I don't know how to make it stop.  

Dramatics aside...here's what I bought on the clearance racks this year. 

A River of Candy Corn Runs Through It - Fall Festival Candy Corn

Happy Halloween! What better way to wrap things up than with some novelty candy corn! 

Brach's Fall Festival Candy Corn has 6 distinct flavors: 

Halloween Candy Showdown: Name-Brand vs Target vs Trader Joes

No-frills products are the way to go, especially when it comes to pantry staples, but there are some exceptions to the rule, like candy bars. It's really tempting to grab store branded sweets when filling your candy bowl, but are they worth it? 

I grabbed candy from Target's house brand, Trader Joe's house brand, and the real deal, who will come out on top? 

Grim is back! - Voo-Dew Year 5 (+ Actual Flavor Reveal)

Voo-Dew 2023

Mystery Voo-Dew has once again graced us with it's ghastly presence, and I could not be happier. 

In a world where McDonald's releases sub-par Boo-Buckets with mock-lids, Burger King releases a spooky bucket only available in 5 locations, and stores roll out their Christmas wares on October 1st... Mtn Dew is a spooky-season beacon of hope. This year marks it's 5th anniversary, and I hope it stays a seasonal tradition for years to come. 

So, what has the reaper bottled for us this year? Previously, the labels and their coloring offered us a hint. 

Too Much of a Good Thing?

A quickie, since I've been burnt out at work but I wanted to keep my posting streak up. 

Pink is the best Starburst flavor. I thought this was universally agreed upon, so I was shocked when several friends, and even my own mother, confessed that they didn't like pink at all! (Blasphemy! They don't like red Skittles either!) Since there are no all-lemon or orange packs hitting the shelves, I am pretty sure they're on the wrong side of the flavor-wars. 

My Starburst ranking (of just the original line-up) would be 

1. Pink
2. Yellow
3. Red
4. Orange

And I think that's a fairly common take. (Let me know your order in the comments) 

So, given that pink is my favorite, I thought this, "Oops, All Pink,"-version would be the best pack of Starburst ever, sadly, it wasn't.

Break me off a piece of that Birthday Cake!

Birthday Cake Kit-Kat Bar 

I'm a hypocrite. I rant about "birthday cake" flavoring being a scam, which I 100% stand by, and yet? I. Just. Keep. Buying. It. 

After I searched for, "birthday cake," on my blog, and saw how many results came up, I realized how intense my hypocrisy has been. Why keep buying a product that infuriates me? 

But, after looking at the results? They prove my theory to be true.  

Any cake, any flavor, can be a, "birthday cake." Some of these products are chocolate with chocolate frosting, some vanilla, with vanilla frosting, sometimes a mix of the two...the only thing that stays consistent is sprinkles. Every single one of these "birthday" items has sprinkles, either actual ones, or implied specks of rainbow colors. And I am expecting this to be more of the same. 

Dr. PEEPers!

Dr. Pepper Peeps - Walmart

I went to Target to grab some baby shower gifts, and was practically punched in the face with novelty Peep products: Ring pops, Peeps-on-a-stick, plushies, hot cocoa, Peep-flavored-Pepsi, (aka "Peep-si")...but not this. 

I think it's Walmart exclusive, which is where I picked it up, and while Target may have Peep-themed everything else, I think Walmart still came out on top. But I'm definitely biased. I love Dr. Pepper and I love Peeps (especially stale ones), so it's like this was made for me.

Purse-sized Desserts - Senjaku Berry Cheesecake and Triamisu Candy

Even with my backlog looming over my head, we all know I can't resist an adorably packaged hard candy. I spotted these at Hung Vuong and next thing I knew, they were in my cart. Funny how that happens. 

Portable purse sized desserts? Will they satisfy the sweet tooth? I guess we'll see. 

Gingerbread Kit-Kats - Quickie Review

While I work on my destash video, let's keep the posts a' coming. 

Today I have a quickie, Gingerbread Kit-Kats. 

Ghu-Ghu-Ghu-GHOST Dots - 12 Days to Halloween

Ghost Dots - Target 

Dots are a classic, but they still know how to have fun with seasonal and limited edition flavors. They've done candy corn dots, black-batty blood orange flavored dots, and these Ghost dots. Three different Halloween-specific flavors? Not too shabby for a retro candy. They even added a new flavor, Watermelon Dots just this year! (Pretty sure they are Dollar Tree exclusive?) Somehow in all my years of blogging, and snacking, I've never actually posted a Dots review. And there's no better way to start than with the original...with a spOoky twist!

 

Gummies? For Breakfast?

Froot Loop Gummies

Like most novelty items, I thought this was a gimmick. That these would look like Froot Loops, but taste like generic fruity flavors: cherry, lime, grape, etc. Turns out, I was wrong. 

I should have known better. Froot Loop Pop-Tarts were impressively accurate. Why would gummy candy be any different? 

Does this count for Vitamin C? - 2 Orange Themed Gummies from Overseas!

Let's dip into my stash and see what I've got. 

Apparently I bought not one, but two tiny bags of orange themed gummies. (I guess I was feeling particularly zesty that day.) It will be more fun to compare them rather than write up two separate posts, so let's see which one is worth a re-buy. 

Something is FISHY about these Marshmallows - Swedish Fish Marshmallows

Swedish Fish Marshmallows - Walmart

When you buy a bag of Swedish Fish, you know exactly what you're getting. Little fish-shaped candies with the recognizable, red, lingonberry flavoring. Steadfast, true, and satisfying. Swedish Fish themed products on the other hand? Not so much. 

Anytime I stray from the classic, I regret it. Swedish Fish chocolate Oreos? No, thank you. Crush soda themed Swedish Fish? Somehow, flavorless. Swedish Fish chewing gum? Actually, that one was pretty great. There are some exceptions to the rule, the aforementioned gum, and the Rita's water ice flavor. But the reason those items succeeded where others failed is because they stuck with the red lingonberry flavoring, and just offered it in a new form. 

That said, how will these marshmallows fair?  

Just keep Chewing - Yogurt3 Hi-Chew

Yogurt Drink Hi-Chew - Hung Vuong Market

I want buffalo chicken and Yakult flavored everything.

Yakult, is a tiny, sweet, yogurt-based probiotic drink popularized in America by the, "To All The Boys," series of movies. (Which I haven't seen.) They are easy to find in any Asian market, and there all all kinds of brands with their own takes on the drink and fruity flavor variations.  

It's typical for me to go through foodie-flavor-phases, meaning I'll get really into something and consume it until I get absolutely sick of it, but this is a particularly unique combination. To satisfy my cravings I have made buffalo chicken dip, buffalo chicken soup (which was especially delicious), a buffalo chicken casserole, and I went to H-Mart and grabbed several packs of Yakult and these candies from Hung Vuong Market.  

That said, these are not technically "Yakult" flavored candies, but we all know what they're going for.

Clearance Cookie Candy - Sugar Cookie m&m's

I pride myself on pretty good foodie-judgement, and I hate wasting money. If I think something sounds gross, or hyped, or scammy, I'll just skip it.

Like Swedish Fish Oreos. 

I like Swedish Fish, I like Oreos, I even like chocolate covered Swedish Fish, but when Oreo released a Swedish Fish flavor I skipped it. Knowing how they executed fruity flavors in the past...I just didn't think it would be a good time. Meanwhile other people bought them and tore them to shreds. Which is fun, because making jokes gets views, but sometimes I just rather not feed into the gross food-waste machine. Unless they go on sale. 

If these were full price, I never would have bothered with them, but post-holiday clearance? I'll allow myself a dud or two. So, sugar cookie m&m's: actually worth snacking on? Or just hyped up crispy-m&m gimmick? 

All the Fun, Without the Trauma - Skittles Shriekers!

Skittles Shriekers!

Zombie Skittles embodied the impish nature of Halloween. Each candy you consumed may be a treat, or a vile, rotten-zombie-flavored trick. That said, the concept was fantastic, but the end result was that I felt hesitation, and a mild fear, while eating Skittles. Think of the episode of the Simpson's where Lisa tests Bart to see if he is smarter than a hamster using an electrified cupcake. After a few vile, onion-y, rotten zombie flavored Skittles I found myself not wanting to eat the rest of the bag. I ended up taking them to work where a coworker or two gave them a shot, and then, once the novelty had worn off, into the trash they went. 

Did I love them? Yes, but more-so in theory than in practice. I mean, no one is buying Bean Boozled boxes for casual snacking consumption, it's a fun game, and gross novelty, not a yummy snack. Same goes for Zombie Skittles. When I heard that Shriekers would be replacing them this year, I was intrigued. Same concept, but (hopefully) slightly more edible and less miserable. 

I'm in! 

Snap, Cackle, Pop! - Ghoul-Aid Popping Candy

Ghoul-Aid Popping Candy - Dollar Tree

Back in 2015 I reviewed pouches of Ghoul-Aid, but those were blackberry flavored, so I think this product might be a in-name-only kind of deal. It says "Ghoul-Aid" and it's purple, but according to the illustration, it's generically berry flavored.

With Halloween items getting discounted and disappearing from shelves, let's see if it's worth scooping up.  

Crazy Coated Candy Corn Combinations!

Nerds Candy Corn - Dollar Tree 

It's officially spooky season and I am so excited! Time to pop on a horror movie (Trick r' Treat is currently on HBO) and crack into some candy corn, but not just any candy corn, Nerds Candy Corn. 

Ultimate Peanut Butter Cups

Reese's Ultimate Peanut Butter Lovers - Wawa

Back in 2005, (Which was when I graduated high school) Reese's came out with a Peanut Butter Lovers cup, and a Chocolate Lovers cup. The Chocolate lovers version had a thicker shell, which I remember liking, but still preferring the normal chocolate-to-peanut-butter ratio of the original cups. While the OG, non-ultimate, version of the Peanut Butter Lovers featured a confectionary peanut butter shell on top, normal peanut butter filling, and a very very thin layer of chocolate on the bottom. I tried it back in the day and wasn't a fan of the confectionary base.

Both flavors resurfaced in 2009, with the same formula, and now they're back again! This time with an Ultimate version, completely devoid of chocolate. 

Originally I was going to skip this one, but I saw a post somewhere online saying they might be disappearing soon. None of the new packaging says "limited edition" except for the minis, but the original announcement said limited edition...so I'm not sure what's going on here. Are they now a permanent item? Are just the mini-sized cups limited? I wanted to be safe rather than sorry, so I grabbed a pack to weigh in.

Strawberry & Cola Licorice Sticks - Lidl

Strawberry & Cola Licorice Sticks - Lidl

Most Lidl products are variations on name brands, I was able to suss out the Skittles, Croco's and Mousey dupes right away, but these? A quick google search reveals nothing. I mean we've seen plenty of licorice brands, and tons of strawberry flavored ones in particular, but cola is more rare and a combination of cola and strawberry? I had never seen it before. Maybe they're a truly new and unique-to-Lidl combination? 

And what a combination is it, cola and strawberries? Not exactly peanut butter and jelly. I think it sounds awesome, but I am well aware that my tastes don't always align to the general public and what's popular. Still, I love cola flavored gummies, and strawberry licorice, so this must be the best of both worlds, right?