The Scariest Thing about Halloween for Most Consumers? Finding the Right Costume!

BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Does shopping for a Halloween costume scare you more than one of the "Saw" movies? If so, you're not alone. A new survey* released today by Savers, an international secondhand store chain that offers the largest selection of Halloween merchandise of any other retailer, shows that an overwhelming majority (81 percent) of consumers who dress up are unable to create the Halloween costume they envision every year due to a lack of money or time, and 39 percent typically get stressed out putting their Halloween costume together.

"Our Halloween Shopping Survey shows that many consumers are overwhelmed by unnecessary stress when putting their costume together," said George Baltasar, Director of Merchandising for Savers, Inc.

"Only at Savers will you find a huge selection of affordable brand new and gently used costumes and accessories for the whole family, combined with knowledgeable Costume Consultants dedicated to helping shoppers easily create one-of-a-kind looks that will set them apart from the crowd."

The Savers "Halloween Shopping Survey" polled 1,000 adults about their Halloween shopping habits, popular costumes and trends for this year. Below is a sampling of key findings:

• Mixing It Up: More than four in ten (42 percent) of those who dress up in a costume like to combine both brand new and secondhand pieces to create their Halloween look.
• Slashing Budgets, Not Style: Since the start of the recession, consumers have found ways to cut back their spending in many areas. Close to two-thirds of those surveyed (68 percent) want to buy multiple items without breaking the bank or overspending on one item (67 percent).
• Spending How Much? About one-third (34 percent) of costume-wearers generally spend under $25 on their Halloween costume. An additional 32 percent spend between $25 and $50.

"We know from our survey that most people like to find everything they need in a single store, but on average, consumers who dress up for Halloween end up visiting three stores to find all the necessary items for their costume," said Ken Alterman, President and CEO of Savers, Inc. "By offering the widest selection of new and gently used Halloween merchandise under one roof, we're helping shoppers save time and money by allowing them to make a majority of their purchasing decisions at once."

More findings from the Savers Halloween Shopping Survey include:

• Pop Culture Makes For Great Costumes: The cast of HBO's "True Blood" was named the best group costume inspired by television (25 percent), followed by the castaways from "LOST" (14 percent) and Michael Scott and crew from "The Office" (14 percent). "Alice in Wonderland" (24 percent) was picked as the best group costume inspiration from the big screens this year, with "Avatar" (17 percent) and "Toy Story 3" (16 percent) coming in second and third respectively.
• What Your Costume Says about You: More than a quarter of respondents (26 percent) believe a person's level of creativity can be judged based on the kind of costume they're wearing, while 17 percent think the outfit is the key to understanding someone's personality.
• Why Do You Dress Up? When asked about their main motivation for dressing up, close to half of costume-wearers (45 percent) said they dress up in order to express their individual creativity and style. One in five (20 percent) said they are motivated to dress up because they want to look sexy, and 16 percent said they want to win a costume contest or prize.
• Dusting Off Costume Cobwebs: An overwhelming majority (91 percent) of costume-wearers would even consider wearing the same Halloween costume, or at least parts of it, from previous years, in order to save money (61 percent) or time (39 percent).

Savers' Costume Consultants at the Ready

Savers has costumed customers for Halloween for more than 50 years, offering a one-stop-shop for people looking for secondhand items or wishing to buy a brand new costume and accessories. With an unparalleled selection for every budget, Savers offers costumes ranging from officially licensed products to head-to-toe looks for under $20, with new costumes starting at just $7.99 and gently used items often priced even lower. Plus, every one of the store locations has a dedicated "Costume Consultant," specially trained to help shoppers create costumes from scratch, enhance new, ready-made looks with unique accessories to make even the most traditional costume a one-of-a-kind gem, or transform last year's costume into a totally new look.

New this year, stores will host free "Halloween Costume Catwalk" fashion shows at 3 p.m. every Thursday in October. Set to festive Halloween-themed music, each store's Costume Consultant will showcase that week's hottest looks.

Online Inspiration

In addition to in-store offerings, Savers provides a variety of spooky (and simple) DIY Halloween projects at www.savers.com. Visitors to the website will find a wealth of creative costume ideas, including Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and the popular "Steampunk" look, as well as makeup tutorial videos of the season's hottest trends, such as "Jersey Shore" and "Sparkly Vampire." To keep Halloween party planning stress-free, the site also features seasonal home entertaining inspiration to spice up your Halloween bash.

Good Deeds. Great Deals.

Not only does shopping at Savers for Halloween save money, purchasing secondhand items is a form of recycling and helps keep millions of pounds of goods from entering landfills each year. Savers encourages its environment-conscious customers to donate their Halloween costumes after the holiday. Every costume donated to Community Donation Centers, located on-site at Savers stores, benefits a local nonprofit partner and will be resold or recycled for someone to enjoy as a secondhand look next year. For more information about Savers' Halloween Shopping Survey, or to locate the nearest store, visit www.savers.com.

*Methodology Note: The Savers Halloween Shopping Survey was conducted by Kelton Research during the summer of 2010 and polled 1,001 nationally representative consumers aged 18 and over.

About Savers, Inc.

Founded in 1954, Savers, Inc. is a privately held for-profit international secondhand store chain with nearly 250 locations in the United States, Canada and Australia. Also known as Value Village in the western United States and Canadian provinces (and as Village des Valeurs in Quebec), the company employs more than 13,000 people. By purchasing and reselling donated items, Savers has paid more than $1 billion directly to its nonprofit partners – turning otherwise unused items into pure sustainable funding that supports their programs and services. The company also offers local communities a smart way to shop and is one of the largest recyclers of used goods in the world. Visit savers.com or valuevillage.com for more information.

SOURCE Savers, Inc.