BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Showing that the Halloween spirit is alive and well across Canada, a new survey* from Value Village thrift stores finds that with Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, people plan to revel in the festivities all "Halloweekend" long. Half (50 percent) will attend Halloween parties and nearly as many will visit multiple parties. Young and old alike plan to participate with 45 percent reporting they will don costumes for Halloween this year and 88 percent of parents saying their kids will dress up.
Pop Culture Inspires: From Minions to The Dress
Nearly half of people (49 percent) who celebrate Halloween say that current events, entertainment or pop culture tend to inspire their costumes. One in five Canadians believe that the Minions movie is likely to inspire the most adult costumes, and even more (34 percent) predict it will inspire the most children's Halloween costumes. And no matter what colour you saw, 34 percent believe that "The Dress" will be the 2015 event that will inspire the most Halloween costumes this year. There are still traditionalists in the mix, with 29 percent stating they typically stick to classic Halloween themes such as ghosts and witches.
From Trick or Treat to Deals and Steals
More than one in two (57 percent) agree that it's not necessary to spend a fortune to earn the title of best costume. In fact, 50 percent feel that secondhand or thrift stores are great for costume inspiration, which represents a jump from 44 percent last year. The vast majority (77 percent) usually doesn't buy new packaged costumes, instead, they combine new and used, make outfits by hand, repeat costumes or borrow from others.
Other Trends:
- Who Wore it Best? Celebrities Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift lead the pack in who is predicted to have the best Halloween costume of 2015 (both at 20 percent). Meanwhile Prince George and Princess Charlotte edged out Willow and Jaden Smith for the title of best expected celebrity child costume this year (25 percent and 24 percent, respectively).
- Top TV Inspiration: For the third consecutive year, The Walking Dead (33 percent) rates as the top TV show to inspire Halloween costumes this year.
- Fun for Fido: For millions of Canadians, it's important for pets to get in on the howl-o-ween fun. Almost one in two (47 percent) pet owners report that their furry friends have been known to wear Halloween costumes.
- Planning Makes Perfect: Chances are, you're already thinking about Halloween. The survey found that people typically start preparing costumes almost three months (71 days) ahead of Halloween.
"Year after year, we see demand for new and used Halloween merchandise continue to grow, and with Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, we expect adults and children alike to celebrate with multiple parties and multiple costumes," said Ken Alterman, President and CEO of Value Village. "We are proud to be the place shoppers know they can stay under budget and stand out from the crowd not only for Halloween, but all year long."
With its department store-like experience and more than 100,000 items on the sales floor, Value Village brings together the great deals and one-of-a-kind finds shoppers want. During Halloween, Value Village stocks its shelves with new packaged costumes, makeup, wigs and accessories – perfect to combine with the secondhand clothing and accessories that fill the aisles at Value Village for a fraction of their original price.
Value Village's trained "Costume Consultants" are ready to help put together the perfect costume. Also, all stores will host free "Halloween Costume Catwalk" fashion shows at 3 p.m. every Thursday in October showcasing the season's most popular and unique looks for adults and children.
Online Inspiration and Fun
- ValueVillage.com Halloween Hub: ValueVillage.com provides a store locator tool, costume inspiration and instructions for Halloween DIY costumes and home decor.
- Social Media: Find Halloween costume ideas, DIY tips, spooky decor and more on the @SaversVVillage Pinterest channel and engage with Value Village's social networks via the #thriftortreat hashtag on Facebook.com/ValueVillage, @SaversVVillage on Twitter and @ValueVillage_thrift on Instagram.
- Annual Costume Contest: This year, get in the spirit of the season by entering the annual Value Village Halloween Costume Contest! One lucky winner will win a grand prize pack valued at $1,000 and runners-up will have the opportunity to win tons of other spooky prizes! To enter, submit a photo of you, your child or your pet in a unique Halloween costume through Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #thriftortreatcontest, or via the website at ValueVillage.com. Entries accepted Oct. 1 through Nov. 3, 2015. Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges based on costume appearance, styling, uniqueness and creativity.
For full results from Value Village's Halloween Shopping Survey, or to request high-resolution Halloween costume images or a Halloween shopping trend infographic, please contact [email protected].
*Methodology Note: The Value Village Halloween Shopping Survey was conducted by Kelton during the summer of 2015 and polled 1,001 nationally representative consumers aged 18 and older.
About Value Village
Value Village, a Savers brand, is a for-profit privately held global thrift retailer offering clothing and accessories for men, women and children and household goods. Through its unique business model of purchasing, reselling and recycling secondhand merchandise, the Savers family of thrift stores provides revenue to more than 120 nonprofit organizations, gives local consumers a smart way to shop, and saves more than 650 million pounds of quality used goods from landfills each year. Savers pays its nonprofit partners for donated goods, turning otherwise unused items into sustainable funding that supports their vital community programs and services. Savers operates over 330 locations and has 22,000 employees in Canada, the United States and Australia. For more information, please visit www.valuevillage.com.
For More Information, Press Only:
Bridget Gundlach, Edelman for Value Village
[email protected] | (206) 505-6566
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150807/257025LOGO
SOURCE Value Village
Related Links
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article