It may not come as a surprise to Iowans who have small children, but Halloween has become one of the most expensive holidays of the year. Retail expert Buzz Anderson says that’s not just because people are buying better costumes and more candy. Anderson says “Halloween has become the second-most significant event for households in terms of how much they spend for decorating a house, second only to Christmas.” He says the holiday retail season used to start the day after Thanksgiving, but now begins in early October. Anderson says Halloween is becoming a more important time for Iowa’s stores as it can dictate the upcoming holiday season as well. He says “It has tended become a bit of a precursor for the holiday season in the sense that if there’s a strong Halloween shopping season, it seems to also to translate into a good holiday shopping season.” Anderson says while people are spending more money on Halloween, some stores already have decorations out for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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