Average Halloween shopper will spend $80
ONALASKA, Wis. — Finding the perfect Halloween costume can be tricky.
But the holiday’s price tag can be downright frightening.
The National Retail Federation projects consumers will spend an average of $80 on Halloween this year.
“Yeah, I spend more than that,” said Halloween shopper Jody McQuin with a laugh.
That $80 mark is up from about $72 last year.
McQuin said she’s already spent that, and she’s just getting started.
“I’ve already bought costumes for me and my husband, and that was $80. So we already spent $80 on just me and him. So probably — hopefully — not a lot for these two,” said McQuin, gesturing to her two children who were on the hunt for costumes.
But it’s not all about the costumes. It just wouldn’t be Halloween without the decorations.
“We sell a lot of the large props, probably sold more of those this year. People that really want to go all out and really scare the kids when they walk up on the porch,” said Rob Heilmann, owner of the Halloween Express tent in Onalaska.
Total spending on the holiday is expected to reach $8 billion in the U.S., according to the National Retail Federation. That’s up from $6.86 billion in 2011.
But Heilmann said the spooky season started scarily slow.
“Early on in September, it was pretty warm and sunny, and people just weren’t in that fall mode. And as it’s gotten cooler, they start to think about it. And that definitely — we see a difference,” said Heilmann.
And as the owner of a Halloween store, he’s definitely going to treat himself the coolest costume out there — right?
“I’ll walk around the last night and see what’s left on the shelves,” said Heilmann.
There are a lot of costumes out there to choose from, but which ones are the most popular?
The National Retail Federation reports the classics take the top spots. The number one-selling adult costume is a witch. The top costume for kids is a princess. And the best-selling pet costume is a pumpkin.
