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The World’s Biggest Seller Of Halloween Costumes Cannot Find Workers Due To COVID-19

(Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP/Getty Images)

Kathleen Thrane Contributor
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A Minnesota-based Halloween company is struggling to find seasonal workers in the midst of COVID-19, CBS Minnesota reported Wednesday.

Applications to work at HalloweenCostumes.com’s Mankato warehouse are few and far between, according to CBS Minnesota.

The Halloween company is the world’s biggest seller of Halloween costumes.

Halloween and Christmas are two of the top spending holidays in the United States, but retailers are spooked by Halloween this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

Halloween and Christmas are two of the top spending holidays in the United States, but retailers are spooked by Halloween this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

Last Halloween, low employment rates made it difficult to find warehouse workers for the Halloween season, reported WCCO-TV. (RELATED: ‘Watchdog On Wall Street’ Host Explains Employment Numbers Jump)

7.4% of Minnesotans were out of work during the month of August, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The unemployment rate was at 3.2% in August 2019.

The company still cannot find seasonal workers willing to work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an effort to keep workers safe, company officials are incorporating infrared scanners for temperature monitoring and loads of cleaning supplies.

The chief operations officer of HalloweenCostumes.com, Dallas Clarksean, said sales were up 15% last month, according to CBS Minnesota. Children’s costumes made up the bulk of those sales, Clarksean said.

People shop for Halloween items at a home improvement retailer store in Alhambra, California on September 9, 2020. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

People shop for Halloween items at a home improvement retailer store in Alhambra, California on September 9, 2020. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

“I think that moms and dads know no matter what that kids are going to celebrate [Halloween], right?” Clarksean told CBS Minnesota. “Kids are going to dress up.” (RELATED: Los Angeles Bans Halloween Parties, Trick-Or-Treating Amid Coronavirus Pandemic)

50% of the company’s sales happen in October, CBS Minnesota reported. Whether or not the warehouse will be able to fulfill the rush of last minute orders without more workers is unclear.

Higher hourly-pay, meal vouchers and free hotel rooms are some of the tactics HalloweenCostumes.com is using to entice more applicants willing to work more than 40 hours. They are also expanding their search outside of the Mankato area, according to CBS Minnesota.

HalloweenCostumes.com did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.