EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Jordan Agosto has been helping customers at Rumford Pet Center pick out Halloween costumes for their favorite furry family members.
He also has a plan for Pearl, his Chihuahua Maltese mix.
“I’m going to take her out in her little pumpkin costume,” Agosto said.
Across the country, 29 million people are planning to dress up their pets for Halloween and, according to the National Retail Federation, those pet costumes will cost consumers $490 million.
That’s about double what people spent on costumes for their pets in 2010.
Johnson & Wales University’s Kristen Regine is an expert in retail and marketing trends, and she said she’s not surprised that people are spending money on costumes for their pets.
“The overwhelming majority of Americans plan to spend the day handing out candy, so it would make sense that I’m going to be home, I’m going to hand out candy, so therefore just let me dress my pet up,” Regine said.
Of course, a costume for Fido isn’t the only Halloween expense.
Costumes for everyone in the family, a big bowl of candy and decorations are also in the mix.
“It’s a whole other category that’s been created that plays off the holiday season,” Regine said. “You can have orange lights and purple lights and all different things that create sort of a spooky and fun environment for the outside of the house to welcome in your trick or treaters.”
This year, total spending is expected to come in at $8.8 billion. It’s not quite record-breaking, but it is close.
