By Nick Zelaya JAMESVILLE, N.Y. (NCC News) – It’s no surprise that people like to go hard or go home during the Halloween season whether it’s covering their front yards with skeletons and graveyard stones, carving pumpkins for their front steps, or even dressing up to the extreme for one night only. But over the last decade, Americans have been spending an increasingly amount of more money in order to be the spookiest house in the neighborhood. Especially this year as people are rushing to get their Halloween decorations quicker than ever.
“Décor isn’t the first thing to sell out, it’s our costumes,” Sky Valerio said, who is the district store manager of Spirit Halloween in the Syracuse area. “Our décor didn’t sell until the last two weeks of Halloween but now it’s the first thing out the door.”
Spirit Halloween will tend to see the most sales for someone’s October necessities, but some local places are also finding success with their customers, such as Plumpton Farms in Jamesville, NY. Plumpton provides a variety of different pumpkins for numerous occasions, such as carving, or using to make some delicious pumpkin bread. Plus, the customers at a local spot like Plumpton Farms are extremely dedicated, and they will continue to spend money and keep the business open.
“Halloween is a big time for us because everybody who’s come here for 40 years, now their children are all grown up and they come and grow more memories,” Sindey Plumpton, the owner of the Syracuse farm said.
According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to spend two billion dollars more in 2021 compared to 2020, when they spent $8.05B on costumes, decorations, candy and cards. This year’s Halloween earnings for stores will be soaring by record numbers, and be the most in at least half a decade. Valerio is in charge of four regional stores, including Spirit Halloween in Syracuse, and she added that they earn about $2.6M in a 90-day span, and the entire corporation as a whole is projecting $1B by the start of the new year.
“It’s a lot of people, it’s fast paced, you just go,” Valerio said. “It’s nerve-racking for me because I am responsible for that amount of money.”
Halloween is just 17 days away now, with plenty of more time for businesses to earn money, and customers to spend it.
(WITH OCTOBER HERE AMERICANS ARE SPENDING THE MOST MONEY THEY EVER
HAVE ON HALLOWEEN THIS YEAR… N-C-C NEWS REPORTER NICK ZELAYA TELLS
US EXACTLY HOW MUCH PEOPLE ARE INVESTING IN THE HOLIDAY…)
(Track 1)
(CG: xxx )
IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT PEOPLE LIKE TO GO HARD OR GO HOME DURING THE
HALLOWEEN SEASON… COVERING THEIR FRONT YARDS WITH SKELETONS AND
EVEN DRESSING UP TO THE EXTREME FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY… BUT OVER THE
LAST DECADE AMERICANS HAVE BEEN SPENDING INCREASINGLY MORE MONEY
TO BE THE SPOOKIEST IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD… SPIRIT HALLOWEEN MANAGER
SKY VALERIO SAYS PEOPLE ARE RUSHING TO GET DECORATIONS QUICKER THAN
EVER…
{***SOT FULL***}
(CG: xxx)
[TAKE SOT
NAME:Sky Valerio
DURATION:0’09”]
(Decor isn’t the first thing to sell out, it’s our costumes. Our decor didn’t sell until the last two
weeks of Halloween but now it’s the first thing out the door.)
(Track 2)
STORES LIKE SPIRIT HALLOWEEN WILL SEE THE BIG SALES BUT LOCAL PLACES
ARE ALSO STRIVING DURING OCTOBER… PLUMPTON FARMS OWNER SINDEY
PLUMPTON SAYS THEIR CUSTOMERS CONTINUE TO RELY ON THEM FOR
DECORATIONS AND SEASONAL FOODS…
{***SOT FULL***}
Zelaya101421_HalloweenSpending Duration: 1:35
Printed:10/14/2021 6:01 PM by Nicolas Zelaya Page 2
(CG: xxx )
[TAKE SOT
NAME:Sindey Plumpton
DURATION:0’10”]
(Halloween is a big time for us because everybody who’s come here for 40 years, now their
children are all grown up.)
(Track 3)
ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION AMERICANS ARE EXPECTED
TO SPEND TWO BILLIONS DOLLARS MORE IN 2021 COMPARED TO 2020… AND
VALERIO’S FOUR REGIONAL STORES ARE BRINGING IN NEAR THREE MILLION
EVERY 90 DAYS… A NUMBER THAT’S DAUNTING FOR ONE TO MANAGE…
{***SOT FULL***}
(CG: xxx )
[TAKE SOT
NAME:Sky Valerio
DURATION:0’09”]
(It’s a lot of people, it’s fast paced, you just go. It’s nerve-racking for me because I am
responsible for that amount of money.)
(Track 4)
AFTER A COVID YEAR FAMILIES ARE VERY EAGER TO GET BACK TO THE PUMPKIN
FARMS AND HALLOWEEN STORES TO GET THEIR DECORATIONS, COSTUMES AND
CANDY FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON… REPORTING IN JAMESVILLE, NEW YORK NICK
ZELAYA N-C-C NEWS
