When is pride month? Your wallet wants to know: The surprising financial toll of celebrating in June.
Most people ask "when is pride month" and get ready for parades, but what they don't tell you is that the timing—June—is now a battleground for your budget. With major retailers like Target and Walmart slashing their Pride inventory by up to 40% this year due to backlash, you're paying higher prices for limited-edition items that disappear fast. Meanwhile, brands are quietly increasing costs for rainbow-themed products by 15% on average to cover security and "risk" insurance, meaning you're shelling out more for the same t-shirts and flags. Worse, if you're planning to attend parades in cities like New York or San Francisco, hotel prices spike by 200% during that week alone, and flights are booked solid by March. For the average consumer, celebrating Pride in June now costs an extra $150 compared to just two years ago—and that's before you factor in the emotional toll of boycotts. My advice: buy your gear in May or skip the corporate stuff altogether to keep your cash in your pocket.