Can You Even Imagine? Anticipated Spending on Halloween

I'm going off the rails again with an opinion piece! I think I explained in the comments of one post why Halloween has never been a holiday in my book. I know that it's very popular, but the fascination by adults seems to have crossed from normalcy to lunacy.

I am on a PR mailing list I love - the rep sends me fascinating information, and I wanted to share his most-recent nugget with you. Seriously, would you spend this kind of money on Halloween when you could buy beauty products?

According to Brand Keys, the New York-based brand and customer loyalty consultancy, this season consumers intend to spend 15% over last year, or nearly $70.00 to celebrate the holiday.

"This year the holiday falls on a Sunday," said Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys president. "That means that the celebration will start Friday night and run through the weekend, and consumers are already gearing up. Given the economy, consumers are looking for something to celebrate. And it won't have escaped anyone's notice that retailers, hoping for more than a ghost of a chance this year, started advertising Halloween candy, costumes, and decorations more than a month and a half ago. That hasn't hurt the holiday spending momentum either."

According to the 6,000 consumers polled by Brand Keys, half of their intended spend ($34.00) will go for costumes.

Among young adults, 18 to 24 years of age, the top-10 favored costumes...

1. Jersey Shore cast member
2. Lady Gaga
3. Avatar character
4. Snooki
5. President Obama
6. Iron Man
7. Buzz Lightyear/Woody
8. Pirate
9. Alice In Wonderland/Mad Hatter
10. Batman

Snooki? Who would want to be Snooki? Who in the world is Buzz Lightyear? Yes, I'm too old for Toy Store, but doesn't that mean other adults are too? I can see Lady Gaga near the top of the list, given her crazy appeal. You'll note I selected one of her more discreet looks for the photo above and buried Snooki below so that she won't go in my feed. Snooki? Does anyone with a brain want to be Snooki? I guess I'll know when the unsubscribe notes start rolling in when this feature publishes.

The remaining 20% of this years Halloween spend will go towards cards and decorations. "Even in this electronic age, nearly 10% of the estimated spend is going for Halloween cards," noted Passikoff. Since the holiday spans an entire weekend, 63% of the respondents indicated that they were going to host or attend a Halloween party.

"The economy's been down and it s been a scary time for retailers," said Passikoff,"but things are looking up, particularly right now. I think it's safe to say that this year retailers can count on a boo-tiful Halloween."

Will you be spending money on anything other than candy or other treats to give to children who show up at your door? Given the choice, will you rent or purchase a costume or that new holiday palette you've been coveting?

Yes, I accepted one invitation to attend a Halloween party in Charleston, South Carolina, about 20 years ago. I went as a fashion victim. Am I over the hill?

Photos courtesy of waji.com and bestweekever.tv