Consumers don”™t appear to be spooked by the recession if Halloween spending is considered a barometer.
And more non-Halloween entities and tourist attractions are also cashing in.
Staple scares such as Tarrytown”™s celebration of Washington Irving”™s Headless Horseman to Kevin McCurdy”™s Haunted Mansion in Poughkeepsie”™s Bowdoin Park are a given; other are not.
Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison, where Currier and Ives lithographs are on display, held its own “haunted house night” Oct. 30.  Even Brotherhood Winery”™s cellars became “haunted.”
Total spending nationwide on Halloween was pegged at nearly $6 billion, according to the National Retail Federation, with the average person contributing $66 this year, ten more dollars than last year.
“Though Halloween spending will be much more robust than a year ago, consumers will still err on the side of caution,” Phil Rist, executive vice president of strategic initiatives with BIGresearch, said in a statement concerning the polling of 9,291 consumers. “Americans are excited about Halloween but are still being frugal and pinching their pennies where they can.”
Throughout the region, established retailers and restaurant owners embraced the holiday by decorating their windows and interiors. So-called pop-up stores, which fill empty mall spaces and other vacant storefronts for a limited time, also dotted the region with Halloween costumes and items.
Halloween has become big business, second only to Christmas when it comes to decorations and preparations.
Ellen Davis, National Retail Federation vice president, said Halloween spending is discretionary, but noted consumers are spending more on candy with 45.1 percent saying they would buy less.
While New York City”™s annual Halloween parade has taken on mammoth proportions, smaller parades are growing in popularity and in attendance. Nyack”™s Halloween parade Oct. 23, drew about 4,000 revelers. Tappan Police Officer Robert Sick, on loan to help police the crowds, said Nyack moved the parade”™s time up to early evening to keep it more child-friendly. “It”™s a great boost for the restaurants and since the village has made the parade earlier, it is really more focused on the children and less on the adults,” Sick said. “It is great for the stores, even if they don”™t see a lot of business during the parade, people do remember their visit and come back to see the shops once things return to normal. I think it”™s a great boost for the local economy. I”™m also glad they moved the time up so children can enjoy it; it creates an safer atmosphere ”“ there”™s less mischief from teenagers and grownups.”
Storeowners agreed, but some, like Karim Deen, owner of Hacienda on Main Street, decided to close early.
“There are a lot of one-of-a-kind items in the store, and too many children who don”™t know to keep their hands off,” Deen said.
“It is easier to close early during the parade than to create bad feelings with parents. Hopefully, they will come back to visit when the parade is over to shop without having to supervise excited children.”
Funny Biz owners Brett Berland and Arlene Levinson also closed up and rather than go home, decided to dress up and take part in the Halloween scene.
“This is a blast,” said the couple, watching the parade and the crowds packing Main Street. “We didn”™t want to miss this … and we are sure that people will be back to shop after the parade is over.”
Many stores did stay open until 9 p.m. to be available to visitors and are hoping the Halloween parade will lure customers back when skeletons are down and Christmas decorations start appearing in windows.
There”™s a movement afoot to change the date of Halloween to the last Saturday of October, creating a “Halloweekend” and bring in more revenue for restaurants, stores and entertainments venues. Spencer Gifts”™ CEO Steven Silverstein is advocating for the change, telling the media that Americans were loathe to change the date of Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November ”“ but today, that is the date people accept without question.
The National Retail Federation predicts Christmas shopping will average approximately $700 per family this year. Unlike Halloween, Christmas is not a holiday where discretionary spending trumps gift giving, Davis said. The NRF expects the upcoming holiday shopping season to be much more robust than it has in the past two years, warning retailers that shoppers will be looking for more coupons and deeper discounts.
Davis advised retailers to “get your website up and running. Online shopping is going to surpass last year”™s numbers; it is growing every year.” Cyber Monday, this year Nov. 29, will be here before the pumpkin on your porch shrivels.
