Michael Jackson's badly timed death over the summer caused a boost in sales of his music[phpbay] Now his passing is driving sales of look-alike Halloween costumes, particularly his classic red jacket, curled 'do and white sequined glove from the Thriller time, and doctor's surgical masks from his shopping journeys[phpbay]
Interest in Jackson costumes is one of few bright spots in a Halloween season forecasted to challenge shops[phpbay] the state's Retail Federation claims the economy is catching up with Halloween and the theme this year is How creative am I able to be, and how little am I ready to spend? Total spending on the vacation is predicted to reach $4[phpbay]75 bill, with purchasers spending a median of only $56[phpbay]31, down from $66[phpbay]54 last year, according to a survey by BIGresearch for the federation[phpbay] Still, Halloween is the third-largest party day in the U[phpbay]S[phpbay] Behind New Year's Eve and Super Bowl Sun[phpbay] , and as it falls on a Sat[phpbay] This year, clients could be even much more likely to host get-togethers[phpbay]
So office stores, discounters and specialty stores are stepping up their vacation decor offerings from mist machines to open-mouthed monster candy bowls[phpbay] And besides Michael Jackson, other media phenomena are drawing the eye of Halloween consumers[phpbay] Patrons at Dottie Mae's Costumes & Collectable Clothing in the Waldo area are wigging out not only on Jackson and Palin, but also on 1980s icons from Madonna to Farrah Fawcett to Married With kids mom Peg Bundy[phpbay] President Barack Obama is the No[phpbay] One mask[phpbay] And sizes also are popular by one overweight customer planning to don a Medusa outfit, which gives full coverage[phpbay] Still, the down economy means more shoppers will be making their costumes instead of purchasing them[phpbay] The federation's survey really revealed that less folks plan to celebrate Halloween this year ( 62[phpbay]1 p[phpbay]c vs 64[phpbay]5 p[phpbay]c in 2008 ), and folk who are celebrating will take part in less activities[phpbay] Even with the appearance of life-size yard decorations, which became very favored in modern years, less people plan to enhance their home or yard[phpbay] Children, who were last year's enormous spenders for Halloween, plan to reduce seriously this year[phpbay] According to the survey, the average 18-to-24 years old will spend $68[phpbay]56 on the holiday, compared to $86[phpbay]59 last year and $81[phpbay]91 in 2007[phpbay]
But outlets are not just sitting back[phpbay] Hallmark, as an example, first offered Halloween cards in the 1920s and now has more than 325 cards in its line, including themes from Twilight, Harry Potter, The sorcerer of Oz and Cinderella, and for the initial time Halloween cards with lights and sound like someone's Watching Me by Morris Day[phpbay] Americans exchange about twenty-six million Halloween cards every year[phpbay] Other shops also are adding Halloween-themed items to their lineup[phpbay] Krispy Kreme is selling spider web doughnuts that are pumpkin-shaped with orange topping and a jack-o'-lantern face, and a pumpkin spice cake doughnut[phpbay] While shops traditionally use back-to-school time as a barometer for vacation sales, this year they also are taking under consideration Halloween sales to figure out if clients are fatigued with being frugal and prepared for some fun[phpbay] [phpbay]
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