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Matthew Mead / AP
A blend of crunchy cereals and noodles, along with chocolate, marshmallow and peanut butter, is used to create edible "nests" for chocolate eggs and jelly beans.
Retailers will likely have a Happy Easter as Americans are expected to spend more on candy, flowers and little trinkets to celebrate the holiday, according to the results of a recent survey.
Consumers are expected to spend 11 percent more than they did last year, or about $16.8 billion, based on the results of a survey conducted by BIGinsight for the retail industry trade group National Retail Federation. The average person celebrating Easter will spend about $145.28, up from $131.04 last year.
That’s no small sum, especially when you consider that most Americans are paying more for gasoline these days.
“Though the price of gas is on everyone’s mind, Easter is one of the few holidays some consumers are willing to stretch their budgets, especially because many children look forward to treats and new outfits on Easter morning,” said Matthew Shay, NRF President and CEO.
Buying candy and spring clothes will eat up a good chunk of the budget. Nearly half of those surveyed said they plan to take advantage of spring sales that retailers will have in order to buy new clothes. Total spending on apparel may rise to $3.0 billion, according to the survey.
And consumers will shell out another $2 billion on chocolate eggs, jelly beans and other treats. About 89.3 percent of consumers surveyed have candy on their shopping lists.
Another $5.1 billion will be spent on food for an Easter meal, with spending on food by the average person expected to rise to $44.34 this year from $40.05 last year. Others will buy gifts, flowers, decorations and cards to mark the occasion. (Consumer Nation has compiled a list of gift ideas that cost less than $25 for those who are looking to stretch their budget.)
This year there is also some good news for department stores. Although discount stores continue to be popular places for consumers to shop, four in 10 consumers said they plan to head to a department store for gifts and other holiday merchandise. That’s the highest in the survey’s history.
However, the biggest boost in traffic will go to online retailers. Nearly two in five plan to shop online, up from 14.8 percent last year.
BIGinsight polled 9,242 consumers in early March to compile these results.
This article, "Thank you Easter Bunny! Easter spending to rise 11%," first appeared on cnbc.com.
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"Retailers will likely have a Happy Easter as Americans are expected to spend more on candy, flowers and little trinkets to celebrate the holiday, according to the results of a recent survey.
It's so nice to know the true meaning of Easter............ retail profits. It's so sad that holidays like Easter and Christmas are measured in terms of profits for retailers. It makes me sick. To bad the media has to give us such relevant stories.
Is that going to be like the Thanksgiving and Christmas "spending spree" that turned out to be flat?
Little more than a propaganda campaign to get dumb Americans to feel like they should spend more money because "look everyone else is going to do it"... except in reality they aren't.
I don't celebrate the holidays in this manner....I refuse to be a part of the commercialization or go into debt just buying crap we don't need anyways. My family and I started a trend of no gifts for Christmas years ago but we do get together for a nice meal and we laugh and play games, enjoying the tree and decorations. For Spring, we celebrate by cleaning up our yard, tilling the ground for a garden and we spend very little money again buying crap we just don't need. We will have a simple meal, grilling out.
I never thought of Easter as one of those "Hallmark Holidays" until this article.
Corporate Pigs bastardised this holiday just like all of the other holidays. They use the holidays to suck all of the money that they can from every one that is willing to listen to their propaganda and believe every word that they say. You know. Sorta like the government.
Oh for Gods sake. If you do not spend spend spend the country as a hole will go down the s()tter and we the Corporet Pigs will lose money. Oh God! Oh God! Save the Corporet Pigs!
You know? F()k em. I am tired of the Corporet bull s()t that they put out.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present you with case exhibit #3,223 of the media propaganda machine trying to tell us that the economy is great and the good old days are here again...with the ultimate goal of persuading people to get out there and spend money they won't have as gas prices hit $5/gallon by summer. The underlying agenda of course being to put America at a false ease and persuade them to vote for Obama for a second term.
I'm not spending a dime on anything Easter not because of any disagreement with the religiousness of the event just that the marketeers aren't selling anything I need. Retailers have elevated all holidays to Christmas status since the late 1980's while the government has played down the religious history. Father's Day and Mother's Day are now portrayed as big events instead of personal ones. Get guilty everyone and buy, buy, buy.
Another weak msnbc article, co-authored by obama's spinmasters no doubt. We still need jobs folks. I bet many families would rather be employed and off food stamps rather than oblige the retailers!
I am hoping that this economy is letting people see how stupid it is to spend money simply because of tradition. If you are Christian and truly celebrate Easter and Christmas for what they are? Good for you! I am speaking of the fact that every other month this country has some retarded holiday or tradition that is marketed to us like slop to a bunch of pigs. We eat it up. I am so screwed financially that I can't enjoy Easter candies. Christmas pisses me off. Who cares about St. Patrick's day. Independence day what a crock of crap that is now. We have the independently wealthy and the rest of us. Good Luck in next weeks lottery everyone