PHOENIX – October in Phoenix means two things: a reprieve from the blazing heat of summer and Halloween.
In a recent survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, it is estimated that Americans will spend around $8.4 billion in Halloween related purchases. The survey estimates the average spending per consumer to be around $83. Taking into account the estimated population of 1,563,025 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau, the City of Phoenix has the potential to spend $129,621,663.
At the bustling, and surprisingly large, R Salon, located in the Biltmore area in Central Phoenix, Suzie Deadmond offers clients more than just the typical hair and makeup services. The petite blond with a large personality says during the Halloween season her seat gets filled with people wanting her assistance in making their ideas a reality.
“Halloween has been the busiest time for me always, because I have built up a reputation for fun costumes and ideas.” Deadmond said.
Deadmond offers clients options for hair, traditional makeup, airbrush, body painting, special effects makeup and costume creation. The materials she acquires can be expensive.
“I tend to stock up around this time before the store get busy, I would say I can spend about $100 on just one makeup alone. This is also why special effects makeup tends to cost a lot more. You create and use a lot of product and time on each makeup application.” Deadmond said.
It’s not just costumes and makeup that people are spending their trick-or-treating budget on. A lot of consumers throw elaborate parties and even try their hand at building their own haunted houses.
“When my husband, Max, and I met we discovered we each had love for Halloween. Our first Halloween together we went to a party which cemented our love for the holiday and after decided we could throw a much better party. It wasn’t until we bought our house did we start going crazy with it. This is our 9th year hosting it.” Heather Bullis said.
The Bullises start their preparations about a month in advance. As part of their routine they gather their closest friends to come and help them sort through and categorize their inventory, before they commit to making any other purchases. A small gate on the side of their Paradise Valley home leads to a dog run which they convert into a haunted maze leading to their backyard party. On average over a hundred people show up every year for their event
“Our budget for this year is about $700. That includes decorations and food. A good amount of items are also donated by friends. If you include costumes we are looking at about $1000.” Bullis said.
Bullis says she expects to spend less than in previous years thanks to sites like Pinterest.
“We are fortunate to have acquired a lot of things over the years which helps keeps the cost down. Not only that but the accessibility of tutorials that teach you how to make things, and even just looking at pictures to get ideas of things that we can make with things we already have around the house is great.”
Bullis jokes that with all the things they own they could start their own professional haunted house.
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The haunted attractions industry have also seen a rise in success. The LA Times reported that smaller haunted attractions have suffered due to an increase in regulations and insurance costs, but at Fear Farm, director Zach Busse says on average they can see between 2000 to 6000 per night. With general admission tickets starting at $26.99 they can bring in anywhere between $53,980 to $161,940 per night. That isn’t including upgrades for Fast Passes, Skip the Line tickets or Hayride admissions. Last year 13th Floor Entertainment Group, Fear Farm’s parent company, grossed 7.5 million with expectations as high as 10 million for this year according to Forbes magazine.
Halloween has come a long way from ancient Celtic festival, the National Retail Federation estimates that more than 171 million people will participate in Halloween related activities this year.
“I feel Halloween has always been interesting for people all ages. When you’re young it’s exciting to be a hero or something scary. When you’re older it’s fun just to have an excuse to be someone else or have fun spooking people.” Deadmond said.