NRF Predicts Dip In Halloween Spending

Oh, boo.  Halloween – the holiday on which people are supposed to say that word in a happy, not annoyed, way – might not be great for small businesses this year.  The NRF has released a spending forecast that indicates folks won’t be getting very fancy when it comes to costumes and candy.

Yes, don’t count on seeing adults dressed up to the point that they could appear in a Hollywood horror movie, and if you’ve got kids, tell them not to hope for many king-sized candy bars.  The NRF said in a statement that "consumers are expected to spend an average of $56.31 on Halloween, down from $66.54 last year."

That represents a frightening dip of 15.4 percent.

If you can stand to know more, the NRF then dissected the decrease.  Apparently some people "say they will be buying less candy (46.5%), using last year’s decorations without buying new ones (35.4%), making costumes instead of purchasing them (16.8%), reusing last year’s costumes (15.8%), and not participating in as many Halloween activities such as haunted houses or fall festivals (26.4%)."

But if you’re going to spend the night "in" yourself, well, we understand that times are tough.  Here are some off-the-beaten-path movie recommendations to keep you occupied.  For werewolves, check out Ginger Snaps.  Let The Right One In is a very good vampire film.  Finally, May features a somewhat fascinating human protagonist.