Buying Halloween candy? Who has the best prices?

PHOENIX - Did you wait until the last minute to buy Halloween candy?

Want to buy your some at a price that will truly be a treat?

We checked out Target, Costco, the 99 Cent Only store and Smart & Final.

Which store has the best bang for your buck?

To find out, we chose five different varieties and sizes at each store.

Target had three rows full of Halloween candy, so much to choose from! They had a 3.5 pound bag of Child’s Play candy for $6.99 - which seemed like a good deal.

Smart & Final also had a 3.5 pound bag of Child’s Play candy for a dollar less, $5.99, and most of their candy came in larger packaging. If you want to scare the trick or treaters, they had a bag of Creepy Crawlers for just $9.99.

The next stop was the 99 Cent Only store, and yes they had several bags of candy for just .99 cents, including a 7.8 ounce bag of Blow Pops.

Costco had some huge bags of candy too. You could buy a 92 ounce bag of Skittles, Starburst, and Laffy Taffy all for $11.99, that's just $.13 an ounce.

All of the stores had good selections, but Target had the most variety.
 
And how about price?

We figured out the best cost by comparing ounces.

Smart & Final was not the smartest when it came to candy prices; they came in last at $.18 per ounce.

Target and the 99 Cent Only store tied for second with an average price of $.16 per ounce.

Costco beat all the competition. Their candy averaged $.13 per ounce. But keep in mind you do have to have a membership in order to shop there.
 
Target or the 99 Cent Only store may be the better choice if you don't have a membership or if you don't need a larger quantity.

So now you can give your treats without getting tricked into going broke.

Below are the prices we checked at each store.  Keep in mind that prices may vary per location and depending on the day you shop:

COSTCO
MIX OF JOLLY RANCHERS, BRACH’S, A&W
530 PIECES, 7 POUNDS $8.39 112 OUNCES
.075 PER OUNCE

TOOTSIE POPS 100 COUNT
.076 EA $7.59 OR .08 PER OUNCE

MINI FAVORITES BITE SIZE
SNICKERS, TWIX, MUSKEETERS, MILKY WAY, BABY RUTH, BUTTERFINGER
80 OUNCE $13.99
.175 PER OUNCE OR .18 PER OUNCE

HERSHEY NUGGET ASSORTMENT
52 OUNCES $9.49
.183 PER OUNCE

KIRKLAND SIGN FUN HOUSE TREATS
SKITTLES, STARBURST, LAFFY TAFFY, NERDS
92 OUNCES $11.99
.130 PER OUNCE

NESTLE ALL WAY CHOCOLATE
90 OUNCES $13.99 .155 PER OUNCE

AVERAGE PRICE AT COSTCO $.132 PER OUNCE

SMART AND FINAL
KIDS FAV MIX
SNICKERS/ M&M’S MINI N SKITTLE
90 PIECES, 51.60 OUNCES
$12.49 .242 PER OUNCE

TOOTSIE POPS MINITURES
285 COUNT
51.3 OUNCE $6.99
$.14 PER OUNCE

CHILDS PLAY
3.5 POUNDS, 56 OUNCES $5.99
$.11 PER OUNCE

NESTLE ASSORTMENT
BUTTERFINGER CRUNCH BABY RUTH LAFFY TAFFY
56 OUNCES 100 COUNT $10.49
$.18 PER OUNCE

CREEP CRAWLERS GUMMY CANDY
120 COUNT 42.3 OUNCES $9.99
$.236 PER OUNCE

AVERAGE PRICE AT SMART N FINAL $.18 PER OUNCE

TARGET
BABY RUTH, CRUNCH, BUTTERFINGER MINI’S
75 OUNCES $4.79
$.06 PER OUNCE

CHILD’S PLAY
56 OUNCES $6.99
$.12 PER OUNCE

FUN SIZE MIX
SKITTLES, SNICKERS, STARBURST, M&M’S
31 OUNCE $6.99
$.225 PER OUNCE

REESES PEANUT BUTTER MINIATURES ASSORTMENT
18.5 OUNCES $4.79
$.258 PER OUNCE

MIX UPS
LAFFY TAFFY, SWEETTARTS, NERDS 130 PIECES
64 OUNCES $9.99
$.156 PER OUNCE

TARGET AVERAGE $.163 PER OUNCE

99 CENT ONLY STORE
FRANKFORD BODY PARTS
24 PIECES 6.34 OUNCES $.99
$.156 PER OUNCE

TOOTSIE TREATS
6.7 OUNCE $.99
$.147 PER OUNCE

BUBBLE GUM
4.93 OUNCES $.99
$.20 PER OUNCE

BLOW POP
7.8 OUNCES $.99
$.126 PER OUNCE

MARVEL HEROES GUMBALLS
4.93 OUNCES $.99
$.20 PER OUNCE

AVERAGE AT $.99 ONLY STORES WAS $.165 PER OUNCE