Classic and Pop Culture Costumes Unite for the Ultimate Halloween Fun

BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Halloween is always a time for childhood fun, but this year with Halloween landing on a Friday, grown-ups are getting in on the action with nearly half of American adults planning to don a costume according to the annual Halloween Survey* released today by thrift retailer Savers. The classics are making a comeback as 30 percent of adults look to traditional themes like vampires or witches for costume inspiration, while pop culture is still a top source of inspiration with 31 percent getting ideas from movies, TV shows and celebrities. Whatever the look, nearly half of the nation agrees you don't have to spend a fortune to put together the best costume. In fact, 41 percent typically combine new and gently-used items for a one-of-a-kind look, and 35 percent feel thrift stores are a great place to get costume inspiration.

There is excitement this year predicting "Best Celebrity Child Costume" with Prince George, son of Prince William and Kate Middleton, beating out Queen Bey's Blue Ivy Carter. Halloween remains a fun day for kids across the country as 88 percent of parents report their children dress up for Halloween, and more than half let their kids have free reign over their costume choice. Thirty percent of parents tend to combine new and second-hand items to help their child have a standout look from the crowd.

Trends for Halloween 2014

• #Selfie: With the "selfie" bigger than ever, more than 60 percent of social media users who dress up report their social networks will impact their costume choices. Social media has continued to spark costume wearers' creativity – if a photo is likely to be posted to their social channels, 35 percent would be more inclined to create a one-of-a-kind costume. Forty-four percent plan to get inspiration from their newsfeed, while 34 percent want to wear something different every year to avoid posting similar photos.
• Celebrity Costume Watch: With a close eye on Hollywood, Americans believe Lady Gaga will take home the award for best Halloween costume this year, followed by Ellen DeGeneres.
• Don't Get Left in the Cold: This year, Americans think Disney's "Frozen" will glide out in front of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "X-Men: Days of the Future Past" for the top movie costume inspiration.
• Halloween Hype: People are getting excited to celebrate; 82 percent of those who usually dress up plan well in advance – on average, preparing for the big day two and a half months ahead of time!
• Walkers, Fangs and Swords! Oh My!: For the fourth consecutive year, Americans chose "The Walking Dead" as the TV show that will inspire the most costumes. And if dressing in a TV-inspired group costume, respondents are most likely to choose the regal furs, swords and wigs from the "Game of Thrones" cast.
• Fun for the Whole Family: Parents love dressing up their kids and they are also bringing their "fur babies" into the celebration. Some costume-crazy pet owners (22 percent) are willing to pick coordinating costumes for themselves and their animal pal, while 22 percent take their pet trick-or-treating and 15 percent enter their pet in a costume contest.
• For Laughs or Looks?: This year, it's all about fun. More than two in three prefer a funny or scary costume over a sexy look. But on the flip side, nearly half of 18-29-year-olds care more about looking good in their costume, versus 27 percent of their 30-plus counterparts.
• Deck the Halloween Halls: Christmas isn't the only holiday where people like to make a splash in their neighborhoods. More than half of Americans – 53 percent – plan to decorate their house for Halloween.

Whether shoppers are looking to stand out from the crowd or they want to get a good deal, the Savers family of thrift stores is the ultimate Halloween destination. The stores offer the largest selection of both new and gently-used costumes, accessories and home decor, which means there's a costume to match every budget. Every store has thousands of brand-new, ready-made looks that can easily be paired with pre-loved clothing and accessories that fill the aisles at Savers for a fraction of their original price. The possibilities are endless at Savers and shoppers never know what they might find.

"Halloween continues to be a celebration for all ages and this year will be no exception. Last year with Halloween falling on a Thursday, sales grew nearly 10 percent – with this year's observance on Friday, we anticipate even higher growth," said Ken Alterman, President and CEO of Savers. "Halloween is to thrift stores as Christmas is to traditional retailers, with new and seasoned thrifters flocking to our stores to find their costume solutions at a great value. It's our busiest time of year."

Costume Consultants
Because each store is filled with more than 100,000 new and gently-used items during Halloween, each store location has specially trained, knowledgeable "Costume Consultants" to help people create their perfect costume by combining items in ways they never thought possible.

To provide further inspiration, stores will host free "Halloween Costume Catwalk" fashion shows 3 p.m. every Thursday in October. Set to festive Halloween-themed music, each store's Costume Consultants will showcase the season's most popular costume looks while providing useful Halloween shopping tips.

Online Inspiration and Fun
Savers is hosting two exciting Halloween costume contests on social channels and through its Super Savers Club Card program this year.

• Savers' Halloween Costume Photo Contest offers participants the chance to win $500, $250 or $100 Savers gift certificates by sharing photos of their best Halloween costumes on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. From October 1 to November 3, 2014, fans can enter to win by uploading photos of themselves, their families or pets in their Halloween costumes through the page's Facebook tab, by tweeting photos @SaversVVillage using #thriftortreat or by using the same hashtag on their Instagram photos.
• Join the Club for a chance to win a magical trip to Orlando, FL. All Super Savers Club Card members are automatically entered to win a trip for four to Orlando, plus theme park passes of their choice. Become a member at www.savers.com on or before October 31 for a chance to win.

In addition, Savers has all the Halloween inspiration you need. Check out:

• @Savers_thrift on Instagram and @SaversVVillage on Pinterest features unique and fun Halloween costume ideas, DIY tips, spooky decor, and more.
• Savers.com provides information on Savers' Halloween offerings, a store locator and instructions for a variety of simple Halloween DIY costume and home decor projects.
• Shoppers can also become a part of the Savers social network this season by visiting Facebook.com/Savers, @SaversVVillage on Twitter and @Savers_thrift on Instagram and using the #thriftortreat hashtag.

For full results from Savers' Halloween Shopping Survey, or to request high-resolution Halloween costume images or a Halloween shopping trend infographic, please contact [email protected].

*Methodology Note: The Savers Halloween Shopping Survey was conducted by Kelton during the summer of 2014 and polled 1,033 nationally representative consumers aged 18 and older.

About Savers
Founded in 1954, Savers is a privately held global thrift retailer offering clothing and accessories for men, women and children and household goods under the Savers, Value Village, Village des Valeurs and Unique Thrift Store brands. Through its unique business model of purchasing, reselling and recycling secondhand merchandise, the Savers family of thrift stores benefits more than 150 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 more than 330 locations and has 20,000 employees in the United States, Canada and Australia. For more information, please visit www.savers.com.

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