SQUARE BEFORE DELIVERING HIS EASTER MESSAGE HERE IN SACRAMENTO, SHOPPERS SPENT THE DAY HITTING THE STORES TO PURCHASE THOSE LAST MINUTE EASTER ITEMS, MANY SAYING THEY’RE NOT SURPRISED TO SEE HIGH PRICES ON STORE SHELVES. BUT AS KCRA 3’S ANAHITA JAFARY SHOWS US, IT’S NOT STOPPING THEM FROM SWIPING THEIR CARDS TO FILL THOSE EASTER BASKETS. I DIDN’T WANT THEM TO BE THAT HIGH. YES, I COULD HAVE HAD A HEART ATTACK IN THERE. HUNDREDS OF SHOPPERS HOPPING INTO WALMART THE DAY BEFORE EASTER. I DON’T SEE AS MANY PEOPLE BUYING EASTER BASKETS OR ANYTHING RELATED TO EASTER LIKE I USED TO DO IN PAST YEARS, YET SOME ARE STILL SCRAMBLING TO SCOOP UP LAST MINUTE EASTER BASKET GOODIES. WE GOT SOME EGGS AND THERE’S CANDY IN HERE SOMEWHERE. ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION, SHOPPERS ARE BUDGETING $195.59 PER PERSON FOR EASTER. BUT FOR BRITTNEY COOK MILLER, THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH. YES, OVER $100. YEAH, 202 21 WOW. WERE YOU EXPECTING THAT FOR JUST SHOPPING FOR EASTER? NO. NRF REPORTS THAT CONSUMER SPENDING ON EASTER IS EXPECTED TO REACH A RECORD TOTAL OF 24.9 BILLION THIS YEAR. WELL, WITH EVERYTHING BEING SO HIGH, IF PEOPLE CAN, I GUESS THEY DO. BUT THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT CAN’T AFFORD THAT. FOR THOSE WITH ROOM TO SPEND MORE, THIS SACRAMENTO BUSINESS SAW SWEET TREATS AND BAKING ITEMS GO QUICKLY. I THINK PEOPLE ARE PREPPING AND LIKE GOING, OH, WE DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT SIZE PAN OR WHATEVER. AND WE DID HAVE A LOT OF REALLY GOOD CHOCOLATES. SO WE SOLD A BUNCH OF FUN KIND OF GOURMET CHOCOLATE, EASTER BUNNIES AND THAT KIND OF THING. THEN SENDING IT OFF DECORATED JUST LIKE A CARROT. WHETHER IT’S TARIFFS OR JUST, YOU KNOW, ALL THE BITS AND PIECES THAT IT TAKES TO MAKE THEM, THINGS HAVE CREEPED UP. NOTHING HAS BEEN SUPER DRAMATIC YET. IT’S ALL BEEN A LITTLE BIT HERE, A LITTLE BIT THERE. SO IT DIDN’T REALLY CHANGE THE AMOUNT OF EASTER STUFF THAT WE SOLD THAT WE FELT IN SACRAMENTO. I’M ANAHITA JAFARY KCRA THREE NEWS NOW, THE NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION SAYS CANDY IS LEADING SHOPPING CATEGORIES FOR E
Shoppers face high prices for last-minute Easter items in Sacramento
Despite high prices, families in Sacramento are still purchasing last-minute Easter items.
Updated: 10:20 PM PDT Apr 4, 2026
Nationwide, shoppers are hitting stores for last-minute Easter items, and many say they are not surprised by the high prices.Hundreds of shoppers hopped into Walmart the day before Easter.Yolanda Sturges, an Easter shopper, said, “I don’t see as many people buying Easter baskets or anything related to Easter like I used to do in past years.”Yet, some are still scrambling to scoop up last-minute Easter basket goodies.Brittany Cook Miller, another Easter basket shopper, said, “We got some eggs and there’s candy in here somewhere.”According to the National Retail Federation, shoppers are budgeting $195.59 per person for Easter. But for Miller, that was not enough; she spent $221.The NRF reports that consumer spending on Easter is expected to reach a record total of $24.9 billion this year.”Well, with everything being so high, if people can, I guess they do, but there’s a lot of people that can’t afford that,” Sturges said. For those with room to spend more, this local business saw sweet treats and baking items go quickly.Judy Ragland, a sales associate at The Kitchen Table, said, “I think people are prepping and like going, ‘Oh, we don’t have the right size pan,’ or whatever, and we did have a lot of really good chocolates. So we sold a bunch of fun kind of gourmet chocolate Easter bunnies and that kind of thing. Whether it’s tariffs or just, you know, all the bits and pieces that it takes to make them, things have creeped up. Nothing has been super dramatic yet. It’s all been a little bit here, a little bit there. So it didn’t really change the amount of Easter stuff that we sold that we felt.”According to the NRF, candy is the leading shopping category for Easter this year, with 92% of consumers planning to purchase sweets.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Nationwide, shoppers are hitting stores for last-minute Easter items, and many say they are not surprised by the high prices.
Hundreds of shoppers hopped into Walmart the day before Easter.
Yolanda Sturges, an Easter shopper, said, “I don’t see as many people buying Easter baskets or anything related to Easter like I used to do in past years.”
Yet, some are still scrambling to scoop up last-minute Easter basket goodies.
Brittany Cook Miller, another Easter basket shopper, said, “We got some eggs and there’s candy in here somewhere.”
According to the National Retail Federation, shoppers are budgeting $195.59 per person for Easter. But for Miller, that was not enough; she spent $221.
The NRF reports that consumer spending on Easter is expected to reach a record total of $24.9 billion this year.
“Well, with everything being so high, if people can, I guess they do, but there’s a lot of people that can’t afford that,” Sturges said.
For those with room to spend more, this local business saw sweet treats and baking items go quickly.
Judy Ragland, a sales associate at The Kitchen Table, said, “I think people are prepping and like going, ‘Oh, we don’t have the right size pan,’ or whatever, and we did have a lot of really good chocolates. So we sold a bunch of fun kind of gourmet chocolate Easter bunnies and that kind of thing. Whether it’s tariffs or just, you know, all the bits and pieces that it takes to make them, things have creeped up. Nothing has been super dramatic yet. It’s all been a little bit here, a little bit there. So it didn’t really change the amount of Easter stuff that we sold that we felt.”
According to the NRF, candy is the leading shopping category for Easter this year, with 92% of consumers planning to purchase sweets.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel