Halloween Experts

The recession took a bite out of Halloween spending for 2009. The average family, who spent about $66 on Halloween related items in 2008, only spent about $56 in 2009. Another reason for the reduced spending in 2009 is that the holiday fell on a Saturday, which meant that fewer people stayed home to pass out candy to trick or treaters. Surveys conducted by national retail marketing groups show that fewer people bought new costumes, opting instead, to buy accessories for costumes that they already owned. The largest drop in spending seemed to come from the young adult group. In 2008, young adults spent an average of $86.59 per person on Halloween. That figure dropped in 2009 to $68.56. This may be due to fewer part time jobs available, or parents budgeting teen spending. The theme for Halloween 2009 seems to have been “Be Creative”, rather than spend for new items. Even the number of households carving jack o’lanterns fell from 44.6% in 2008 to 42.4% in 2009.