Shoppers line up at Your Halloween Superstore.
Halloween is big. A 2012 Retail Council of Canada poll found spending for Halloween is topped only by Christmas and back-to-school shopping. Similar research in 2012 by Consolidated Credit Counseling Services of Canada says Canadians spend $1.5 billion yearly to celebrate Halloween. Of that $322 million goes toward candy compared to Canada’s average monthly expenditure of roughly $270 million. Also half of Canadians dress up spending an average of $60 per costume — and 11 per cent of Canadians will spend that much to dress up their pet.
Locally Albertans may have other parts of the country beat. Alaa Fathaddin district manager for Alberta’s Spirit Halloween stores say though the brand has been around for 30 years its dedicated Halloween stores only came to Alberta five years ago and now Calgary and Edmonton are home to the company’s top three most profitable branches.
Halloween-themed stores are relatively new but staff say they are consistently busy. The city’s two Halloween Alley stores two Spirit Halloween stores and its one Your Halloween Superstore all open in September and close in early November and struggle to provide enough staff and stock.
Your Halloween Superstore beside Chinook Centre hires 40 people for its two-month run. Manager Nas Avou and owner Denise Melrose agree it’s not enough to keep up. “On the weekend we were so busy that even if you want to give great customer service it’s impossible. And you can’t really bring more staff on because it wouldn’t make a difference…. You’ve only got so much room for both staff and stock” says Melrose.
Meanwhile the number of Halloween events is growing. Screamfest at Stampede Park Telus Spark’s Monster Mash-Up and Heritage Park’s Ghouls’ Night Out are only some of the profitable haunted attractions that pop up in Calgary for Halloween. Bars and nightclubs compete fiercely to entice Halloween party-goers not only on October 31 but throughout the month.
“A lot of people refer to it as Stampede in October” says The Palomino entertainment manager Spencer Brown.
“It is a big deal to us” he says. “This year we’ll be doing seven bands [on Halloween]…. The staff mandatorily have to wear costumes so all of The Palomino staff will be dressed as superheroes this year.”
Halloween has always been popular but how did it become such big business in recent years? Those directly involved have a range of theories.
Fathaddin points out that whether they are shopping for costumes for their children or not “adults do all the buying” so it makes sense to offer extra gory campy or sexy products geared for them as well.
Melrose says the holiday is now marketed to “everyone from the dog to senior citizens” rather than just children or party-goers in their 20s. That inclusiveness may be motivating older people to get involved who in the past wouldn’t have. Expanded commercialization has also pushed Halloween beyond the bounds of a one-night event.
“October seems to be dress-up month. Maybe that’s a better way of putting it because it isn’t all about the 31st” says Melrose. “There’s more [Halloween] events being used as charity events and fundraisers…. Kids birthdays that are in October often they are all costume-themed parties.”
Melrose points out a father-daughter Diwali event held earlier this month at the BMO Centre was a costume party based on the Disney movie Frozen. Because of that there was a run on Frozen Halloween costumes at her store and throughout the city. Avou recalls a mother who bought 20 Harry Potter costumes for guests at her child’s birthday party this month as well.
Aside from costumes Halloween retailers are offering more elaborate and expensive décor. Avou says some Halloween “hobbyists” will easily spend $5000 on their Halloween setups.
Brown agrees the push to make Halloween a legitimate adult holiday is motivating the economic growth.
“A lot of people are kind of getting both feet in each of the Halloween pools so to speak. So the actual Halloween they take the kids out and anything they’re doing prior they’re taking their wife husband or partner out to engage in non-childlike activities” he says.
Fathaddin adds Albertans’ disposable income and eagerness to throw a party is likely why Halloween is especially good business in the province.
“The culture here locally and in Edmonton and Calgary really supports this. Historically it’s always been people like the pumpkin carving and the decorating and scaring kids. It just snowballed” says Fathaddin. He explains Halloween has always had dedicated retail products but as it became more adult-focused retailers became more competitive improved the quality and variety of costumes and decor and marketed the holiday more aggressively.
