Consumer Confidence Boo-ms

Joy Santiago / Multimedia Editor

Sonya Khanna

Business Editor

Blood-spattered zombie decorations hang menacingly from front doors and familiar Halloween tunes echo eerily in the ears of eager trick or treaters. Rowdy jokesters plot to rob unsuspecting youngsters of their Halloween loot.

Halloween is in the air.

Recent figures on consumer behaviour for the Halloween have many spooked...for all the right reasons.

Optimistic data on retail expectations for Halloween indicate growing consumer confidence. With celebrations increasing, Halloween consumption is expected to surge with the average consumer expected to shell out $26.52 on costumes.

According to a survey conducted by BIGresearch, 68.6 per cent of Americans plan to celebrate Halloween this year. The survey, conducted for the National Retail Federation, indicates an increase in Halloween-related consumption among individuals participating in Halloween festivities, with an astounding $1-billion anticipated to be spent on children’s costumes, up from $-40-million in the previous year as well as $1.21-billion on adult costumes, up from $990 million in the previous year.

“Sales this year have been up a bit,” said order generic cialis Daryl Holliday, managing directore of Creepers Halloween Superstore in Mississauga, Ontario. “Halloween is sort of recession proof. It’s like the movie industry where people want to get away from their lives and have fun, and Halloween gives you that outlet. Christmas is very stressful and there are a lot of commitments; Halloween is fun.”

What about the much loved tacky faux spider webs? The National Retail Federation reports that when it comes to decorations there is no shortage of love for inflatable pumpkins and life-sized skeletons, with the average Halloween enthusiast estimated to shell out a whopping average of $72.31 on decorations, costumes and candy, up from $66.28 in the previous year.

“We’ve noticed that our clients are looking for better quality Halloween decorations now because if they are going to spend the money they want something for their kids to play in, and something they can use for the future,” said Mr. Holliday.

“Less people are coming in looking for cheaper items and people are looking for quality now. They are shopping smarter and rather than buying something they might throw away they want something a bit better.”

It might not be pooch couture, but it’s pretty much on par in the eyes of adoring pet owners. Pet costumes are all the rage this Halloween season. The NRF reports that owners will spend roughly $310-million primping their pooch in pint sized costumes.

“Pet costumes are new this year,” mentions Daryl. “We brought them in a few years back and they didn’t really sell but this year they have been flying off the shelves. People treat their pets better than they treat their children.”

This holiday whether you plan to revel in the excitement of the season adorned as a cheesy replica of the equally cheesy Mike the Situation or keep it classic in a three holed white sheet ghost costume, the list of costume ideas is vast and budget friendly alternatives are plentiful.

“This year we have found that zombies have been on the rise particularly this year,” said Mr. Holliday. “Superheroes for women and for boys have been quite popular. Little girls love princess stuff but this year more girls have been looking for scary stuff.”

“New this year is also morph suits, people are itching to find them. Contact lens sales have been increasing this year as well; people are really interested in them and are looking for something that they can also keep for later on in the year.”

Whether the growth in Halloween confidence for this year can be attributed to the laid back, stress free aura of the holiday or due to the constantly changing costumes and decor for consumers, Halloween continues to be a highly anticipated time of the year.