Boo!  Halloween is here once again – and, commercially speaking, the holiday seems to gain popularity as each year passes.

Last year, the National Retail Federation released the following projections about the 2007 celebration based on its research:

• An estimated 36 million trick-or-treaters would be knocking on doors for ghostly treats.
• The average U.S. consumer planned on spending $64.82, adding up to the chain rattling figure of more than $5 billion.
• More than 70% of consumers were expected to hand out candy.
• Almost 50% said they planed on decorating their yards or homes.
• More than 40% planned to carve a pumpkin.
• Nearly 30% said they were planning on throwing or attending a Halloween bash.

October 2008 newsletter