For Retailers, a Halloween Shock: It’s Actually Happening Sales of costumes and decorations have been strong, with some seeing the holiday as a last hurrah before winter and the pandemic send people back inside. By Sapna Maheshwari and Gillian Friedman Oct. 29, 2020 Motion-sensored animatronics like these “Candy Creep” clowns welcomed customers to the Morris Costumes store in Charlotte, N.C. Alycee Byrd for The New York Times Scott Morris, a co-owner of Morris Costumes in Charlotte, N.C., has slept at the office for the past 50 days — but he isn’t complaining. His company, which distributes Halloween costumes and décor and operates the Halloween Express chain, has been racing to meet demand for a holiday that, earlier this year, seemed as if it might not happen as it usually does. Retailers that typically place orders between May and July largely held off, nervous about whether people would dress up and go out during a pandemic. “Then they all woke up in early August and said, ‘Oh,