An economic downturn and new sales tax for candy won’t stop residents from trick-or-treating Saturday, Oct. 31 but might affect how much you spend on your child’s costume.

That’s the finding of a brief survey of local candy and costume stores. Check out what they said.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Location: 156 N. York St.
Seasonal offering: Caramel apples, suckers, chocolate and gold coins
Sales compared to past years: About the same
What they’re saying: “The sales tax is a pain in the neck thanks to politicians screwing up as usual ... some people notice (the new candy sales tax), some don’t. But we’re probably on par with last year,” Jerry Luka, franchise owner, said.

Walgreens
Location: 160 Robert Palmer Drive
Seasonal offering: Candy, Halloween decorations, costumes and toys
Sales compared to past years: They don’t know yet, but ordered less inventory compared to last year. The store tends to cut prices by 50 percent after Halloween.
What they’re saying: “We should do relatively well, but we won’t know until after Halloween,” Assistant Manager Justin Shields said.

Jewel-Osco
Location: 153 Shiller St.
Seasonal offering: Candy, general Halloween merchandise
Sales compared to past years: About the same
What they’re saying: “With the potential for more parties at home this year because of the economy, our stores are experiencing sales comparable to last year,” Karen May, communications manager at Jewel-Osco, said.

Let’s Have a Party
Location: 152 N. York St.
Seasonal offering: All Halloween items are 50 percent off
Sales compared to past years: Significantly worse
What they’re saying: “This is probably the worst year we’ve ever had ... nobody wants to spend money,” owner Joan Hogan said. “But when things are really so bad, everybody is so polite, so wonderful.”