Halloween Spending Could Hit A Record This Year
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says trick-or-treating outdoors should be safe for young children and it seems millions of families are planning to do just that.
The National Retail Federation expects Halloween spending to reach more than $10 billion this year, an all-time high.
"Last year, I only spent about $50. This year I'm up to $200 so far, so I'm excited," said Angel Colamarino who was shopping at Party City.
Robert Lopez is also going big.
"It's almost like Halloween was canceled last year and this year I just want it to be festive," he said.
This year's festivities will include lots of trick-or-treaters dressed as superheroes. Spiderman and Batman are both among the top five costumes for kids. And it's not just about humans, one out of five people plan to dress up their pets.
"We have over 40 different pet costume options for our pets and they are going like gangbusters," said Julie Roehm, Party City Chief Marketing and Experience Officer.
She said supply chain issues affecting retailers nationwide have created challenges for them as well.
"We had to jump through a lot of hoops, with creative ways of renting our own ships and crates and things. So we are thankfully in a really, really good position," said Roehm.
Other retailers are seeing sporadic shortages so experts advise shopping now and not waiting.
The National Retail Federation said the average family with kids is expected to spend nearly $150 on Halloween-related items.
