CHICAGO (WGN) – Pumpkin spice, as it turns out, comes at a price.
As fall arrives, many Americans look forward to the cooler weather, colorful leaves, and the seasonal return of autumnal foods and beverages.
However, consumers are shelling out a lot more money for the iconic pumpkin spice fall flavor.
A study by LendingTree revealed that, on average, pumpkin-flavored products cost 7.4% more than non-pumpkin alternatives.
Surprisingly, this year marks the lowest “pumpkin spice tax” recorded in LendingTree’s analysis, below the 14.1% in 2022 and the 8.8% in 2020. The analysis reviewed 116 items from grocery stores and coffee shops, ranging from protein bars and granola to scented candles and pumpkin spice lattes.
What product has the largest gap in pumpkin and non-pumpkin pricing?
According to the study, it appears Target’s Favorite Day monster trail mix is the culprit.
At the time the study was conducted, Favorite Day monster trail mix cost $4.00 for 14 ounces, or $0.29 per ounce.
The Favorite Day pumpkin spice trail mix stands out with a price of $5.49 for a 10-ounce package, translating to $0.55 per ounce. This amounts to consumers paying a hefty 92.2% premium for the pumpkin spice variety.
Ranked second in markup is Target’s Chobani oat milk. The basic oat milk costs $0.11 per ounce, but the pumpkin spice version is priced at $0.17 per ounce, a 56.6% increase.
Conversely, Trader Joe’s cookie mix exhibits the most significant negative “pumpkin spice tax.” The study indicates that the pumpkin and spice snickerdoodle cookie mix is priced at $3.99 ($0.23 per ounce), while the “everything but the kitchen sink” mix is $4.49 ($0.30 per ounce), revealing that the pumpkin spice variant is nearly 25% cheaper than its regular counterpart.
What about the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks?
Since you asked, let’s take a look at the price difference between a regular caffe latte and a pumpkin spiced latte at Starbucks.
According to the study, a 16-ounce (also known as Grande) caffe latte and iced caffe latte both cost $5.95 ($0.37 per ounce). In contrast, the pumpkin spice latte of the same size is priced at around $7.25 ($0.45 per ounce), and an iced version costs approximately $7.45 ($0.47 per ounce).
This means a pumpkin spice latte costs 21.8% more than a regular or iced caffe latte, while an iced pumpkin spice latte costs 25.2% more than a regular or iced caffe latte.
