The pumpkin spice season, also known as fall, is one of the most consumeristic seasons of them all. The fall season is best associated with a “fresh start”, from the change in the color of leaves to the start of a new school year.
There is a well-defined curve during the fall in which the average American’s spending becomes $1552 per person according to CBS News survey, “Americans plan to send less this holiday season, survey shows”; however, people are not only driven by the idea of a “fresh start” to spend, but there are other factors that play a role in the increased number of people who purchase items during this season.
The fall season has more to offer than just miscellaneous fall-themed items to take consumers’ money. The fall season is a time for family and friends to spend time and enjoy the changing of seasons while making everlasting memories.
During the fall, as the weather starts to get colder, people tend to spend more time in their homes and often associate the season with their cozy childhood. This nostalgic feeling leads to individuals wanting to create a cozier home for themselves or even indulge themselves further in the fall atmosphere. With this already existing mindset amongst consumers, retail industries up their marketing game to lure in as many customers as they can.
The association of fall with pumpkin spice, cinnamon apple crisp, maple, brown sugar, and many more comes from the history of agriculture.Society has evolved and come a long way since then, to the point where people buy items according to these niche flavors and scents to connect themselves to the fall culture and avoid FOMO (fear of missing out) due to the limited nature of these seasonal items.
Life is more than just limited edition items and new flavors. Overconsumption negatively affects people, both financially and mentally. By purchasing fall-themed items, not only do people go into debt, but they also accumulate waste through thrown-out goods. When people focus too heavily on purchasing themed goods, they lose the touch of the moment itself.
Social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have played a huge role in increasing the popularity of fall-themed goods. Trader Joe’s is the most viral of these retailers for their huge fan base. Influencers on TikTok even post viral videos of their Trader Joe’s fall-themed hauls. The Trader Joe’s marketing team approaches the fall theme much differently than other retailers: not only do they create fall drinks, sweets, and home decor, but they also curate savory and cultural foods.
For example, aside from the Pumpkin Spice Mini Sheet Cake, the Petit Pumpkin Spice Cookies, and the Pumpkin Spice Joe-Joes, they created a Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese and Spicy Pumpkin Samosas. Additionally, another thing that Trader Joe’s does, which causes more spending by their customers, is the display of their items. The store groups all the seasonal items together near the front of the store, with a cute poster-like banner signaling that the items are in for a limited time.
Other companies use highly anticipated drops to get customers excited about new merchandise, further making people spend their money. A great example would be Starbucks’ exclusive fall holiday menu. The fall menu at Starbucks is extremely popular, having customers crave the nostalgic taste of the Pumpkin Spice latte year-round.
Recently, in 2025, the Fall menu at Starbucks attracted a great number of customers, having its highest company sales on Tuesday, August 26, 2025. “The menu launches in late August and lasts all the way to early November, and the fact that the cinnamon flavor is only used in fall drinks at Starbucks really makes me feel in the autumn spirit,” senior Anna Zetilyan said.
Home decor stores tend to use the “fall creep” strategy, which is when retailers set out holiday-themed items early, so people have a larger time frame to purchase. For example, Michaels tends to set out all its holiday decorations months in advance, so when customers walk in, they already feel submerged in the season and encouraged to purchase their decorations early, since they believe they will be getting a “good deal” out of it.
By having a longer window for selling fall-themed items, such as cozy blankets, cinnamon spice scented candles, and pumpkin-shaped pillows, retailers are able to sell items at the regular price for an extended period of time before they have to mark them down.
Marketing and retail strategies make a major impact on the consumer’s mindset. Through making limited edition fall-themed items, people have made it their goal to overconsume items to feel submerged in the holiday season. True fall comfort comes from going to a pumpkin patch, an apple orchard, or even simply enjoying the season outdoors.
