SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Harry Potter, the young adult book series that most critics agree you're never too old to read, will be one of the more popular costumes this year for the activity many agree you're never too old to do. Almost 43% of Americans agree you're never too old to trick-or-treat, and almost 72% plan to trick-or-treat this year, according to a Macerich Company (NYSE: MAC) seasonal survey.
Macerich's "Boo-ology" surveyed over 5,000 shoppers nationwide on their Halloween shopping trends, plans, and trivia knowledge. Although this Halloween season looks to top shopping figures of last year, the survey discovered that few shoppers know the history behind the haunted holiday. Nearly half of Halloween shoppers believe the holiday originated in America, while 19.8% believe it originated in Transylvania. Actually, the holiday was a Celtic custom brought to America by Irish immigrants.
"Halloween is much more than just a children's event, in terms of history and retail significance," said Susan Valentine, senior vice president and director of marketing at Macerich. "Each year our survey shows us that Halloween is a growing force in terms of seasonal shopping, with shoppers not only looking for costumes and candy, but also new trends in party planning, gift-giving and home decor."
Over 40% of shoppers this year will use Halloween as an excuse to buy gifts for friends and family, with the teenage market mostly buying for friends, and adults buying for their kids and co-workers. Over 80% surveyed will decorate their house in either Halloween or fall decor, ranging from a few decorations to a full-blown haunted house (12.6%).
Candy corn may be the Halloween tradition, but a majority of trick-or- treaters this year are looking for the house giving away candy bars (55.8%). While trick-or-treating is a favorite tradition, one third of shoppers agree that Halloween parties are their favorite tradition, with over 80% hosting or attending some type of Halloween party before the holiday ends.
The majority surveyed (65%) will purchase or make a costume this year, with 42.7% shopping in malls and 50.8% looking for a packaged costume. For the second year running, Pokemon characters will be the most popular kid's costume (41.6%), followed by Disney (12.6%), X-Men (11.4%) and Harry Potter (11.2%). Traditional costumes, such as monsters and pumpkins will also be popular.
Stores may be stocked and ready for Halloween shoppers in August, but the survey shows that most Halloween shoppers are last minute shoppers, waiting until mid-October (42.6%), one to two weeks before (30%), or even the day before Halloween (12.1%). About 85% of the more than 5,000 surveyed will make shopping trips this year for costumes, candy, decorations, and gifts, spending an average of $58.80.
The Macerich Company, which has ownership interest in over 50 malls across the continental United States, is one of the nation's largest owner/operators of regional malls. Founded in 1965, Macerich is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol "MAC". For more information on Macerich, visit the Macerich web site at www.macerich.com. SOURCE Macerich Company
CONTACT: Betty Lovell of Lovell Public Relations, 972-788-4511, or pager, 214-910-5296, for Macerich Company; or Susan Valentine of Macerich Company, 310-394-6911/