The Hidden Dangers of Running a Pop-Up Shop Like Spirit Halloween Spirit Halloween expects to hire 40,000 seasonal workers and a 'record number' of pop-up locations this year — but how? Pop-up stores are harder to run than you think. Before you get any ideas about launching a pop-up business of your own, let's talk about the real entrepreneurial risks that are scarier than your favorite Halloween horror.

It's the spookiest time of year, and you know what that means! It's time for your annual visit to that local pop-up store to buy your kids' — or perhaps your — Halloween costumes. But have you ever wondered about how — or if — these stores make money? On the face of it, a pop-up Halloween store seems like an easy way to make a buck. You open for a few months, grab the holiday buyers, set up shop and count your money until the following fall.

Spirit Halloween — a national chain running Halloween pop-up stores for the past 40 years — expects to hire more than 40,000 seasonal workers this year and is launching a "record number of locations," according to a recent press release. 40,000 employees? Sounds like a great business, right? But, as anyone in business will tell you — nothing is as easy as it seems. And when you start digging into the details, running a pop-up store is, in many ways, harder than running a year-round business. How so? If you're thinking of doing something similar, first consider the issues.

Related: Pop-up Shop Marketing: a Quick How-to Guide