Not everyone loves Halloween. But for many of us, Halloween is a chance to dress up, take our kids (or ourselves) trick-or-treating, and convince everyone it’s the only day of the year we can eat a pound of candy with no regrets (because we fully intend to resume our healthy diets in November).
Last year, we asked our wINput users about their holiday plans and while some spending habits have changed this year, we found many still celebrate this spook-tacular season with a ghoulish grin.
Enough Sugar to Give the Dead a Rush
Even though overall Halloween participation by wINputters dropped from 81% to 70% over last year, the candy rush held strong. Of those buying candy, 41% are heading to Big Box Retailers (Costco, Walmart, Target, etc.), 35% are stopping at Grocery Stores, and 18% will visit Drug Stores for their purchases. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups continue to lead the werewolf pack with 40% of candy-purchasers on the hunt for this treat. Snickers and Twix trailed behind at 11% and 7%, respectively.
More than a White Sheet and Two Eye Holes
While only 19% of respondents prefer Halloween to any other holiday (28% prefer Winter Holidays, such as Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, and Thanksgiving over their candy corn-filled counterpart), that doesn’t stop shoppers from opening their wallets to get that perfect costume. In fact, of those who choose to celebrate with a costume, 67% plan out their costumes at least 2 weeks in advance and 21% plan a year ahead of time! Makes you wonder…how long AFTER the holiday should businesses continue stocking their shelves with Halloween paraphernalia?
Even though only half (49%) of respondents will be dressing up this year, 57% of those are spending anywhere from $20-$60 (10% will spend over $100!) on purchases for the pre-packaged pirate or princess, with 33% spending $20 or less. Surprisingly, 34% of shoppers also plan to make their costume at home, purchasing supplies from local fabric stores, such as Michael’s.
You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely. ~Ogden Nash, American Poet
Just for some added Halloween fun…
We wanted to know: at what age do you feel children should stop going trick-or-treating? According to our wINputters, nearly half (45%) want trick-or-treaters to stay forever young, believing this pastime should continue on after the age of 13.
Want even more Halloween scares? Click below to see the full infographic.