North Americans love to celebrate Halloween — from trick-or-treating to costume parties to haunted houses, there is no doubt a Halloween frenzy takes over even before October hits. In fact, 50 percent of Americans report Halloween is their favorite holiday. However, purchasing new costumes, candy and décorations for the whole family can quickly add up. The National Retail Federation reported that in 2017, Americans are predicted to spend an average $86.13 each on Halloween costumes, décor and candy, collectively spending $9.1 billion on Halloween-related purchases.
Since budgets are major influences for consumer purchases, thrift stores such as Savers offer a financially savvy way to celebrate. Two-thirds of North Americans say they try to maximize their Halloween budgets by shopping at thrift stores, plus 83 percent of U.S. and 88 percent of Canadian consumers state that secondhand or thrift stores are great places to find costumes. The combination of new accessories and one-of-a-kind used goods is exactly what consumers are looking for as they create unique and affordable costumes and decorations.
Beyond being wallet-friendly, shopping thrift for Halloween can also be a more sustainable option. By mixing in secondhand goods or creating DIY costumes and décor using thrifted materials, you’re giving previously owned items another life and keeping them out of landfills. About three-quarters of North Americans take a mixed approach to their costume — buying some new and thrifting others, and roughly 4 in 5 try to use costumes or parts of costumes from previous Halloween seasons. This approach helps Halloween shoppers reduce their clothing footprint during a popular holiday.
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Published Oct 3, 2017 6pm EDT / 3pm PDT / 11pm BST / 12am CEST