More than Half of Country Plans to Party this "Halloweekend"

BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Showing that the Halloween spirit is alive and well across America, a new survey* from Savers thrift stores finds that with Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, people plan to revel in the festivities all "Halloweekend" long. More than 56 percent will attend Halloween parties and nearly as many will visit multiple parties. Young and old alike plan to participate with close to six in ten reporting they typically don costumes for Halloween and 92 percent of parents saying their kids will dress up.

Pop Culture Inspires: From The Donkey to The Dress

The majority of people (51 percent) who celebrate Halloween say that current events, entertainment or pop culture tend to inspire their costumes. As the election season progresses, most Americans (63 percent) believe that the Democratic candidates for President will have better costumes than the current Republican candidates this year (sorry, Donald!). And no matter what color you saw, nearly 30 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 almost 30 percent stating they typically stick to classic Halloween themes such as ghosts and witches.

From Trick or Treat to Deals and Steals 

One in two agree that it's not necessary to spend a fortune to earn the title best costume. In fact, 41 percent feel that secondhand or thrift stores are great for costume inspiration, which represents a 20 percent jump from last year. The vast majority (68 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 (21 and 19 percent, respectively). Meanwhile Willow and Jaden Smith are expected to have the best celebrity child costume this year (25 percent).
• 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 Americans, it's important for pets to get in on the howl-o-ween fun. One in two (50 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 (81 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 Savers. "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, Savers brings together the great deals and one-of-a-kind finds shoppers want. During Halloween, Savers 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 Savers for a fraction of their original price.

Savers' 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  

• Savers.com Halloween Hub: Savers.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 Savers' social networks via the #thriftortreat hashtag on Facebook.com/Savers, @SaversVVillage on Twitter and @Savers_thrift on Instagram.
• Annual Costume Contest: This year, get in the spirit of the season by entering the annual Savers 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 Savers.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 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 2015 and polled 1,001 nationally representative consumers aged 18 and older.

About Savers

Founded in 1954, Savers is a for-profit 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 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 more than 330 locations and has 22,000 employees in the United States, Canada and Australia. For more information, please visit www.savers.com.

For More Information, Press Only:
Bridget Gundlach, Edelman for Savers
[email protected]  | (206) 505-6566

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SOURCE Savers

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