In a poll of Canadians conducted by Leger in 2023 that focused on Halloween habits, 45 percent of respondents reported believing in angels, 38 percent said they believe in ghosts and the paranormal, and 35 percent said they believe some people have special powers such as speaking to the dead. An additional five percent said they believe in vampires and four percent said they believed in zombies.
Given those responses, it’s no wonder Canadians who love this haunted holiday help push annual Halloween spending to as much as $1 billion a year. That includes everything from costumes and candy to giant ghoulish creations that get anchored into front lawns to frighten Halloween trick or treaters. In fact, Canadians have become so enamoured with Halloween that holiday related spending on Halloween is second only to Christmas – and more per capita than in the United States!
That could be the reason you may have seen Halloween decorations available at Canadian Tire’s McNabb Street location in August.
“I love Halloween so much, and Canadian Tire seems to have embraced the spooky season in a big way this year,” said Kathy Oben, Seasonal Manager at Canadian Tire. “They’ve brought out a whole new line of Halloween yard décor. We’re pretty enthusiastic about it.”
In the new spirit of Halloween, putting a simple carved Jack-O-Lantern on your front porch is just not going to cut it. Instead, you may want to head to Canadian Tire to consider their giant 12-foot-high mummies, their 10-foot-high skeletons, and a variety of different animatronics that are not only frightening to look at but also emitting haunting Halloween sound effects. According to Oben, this new-found fondness for Halloween decorating has its roots in nostalgia.
“We’re seeing a real peak in shopping for the spooky season,” said Oben, who has hosted Halloween-themed birthday parties for her children since they were five years old. “I think people just like the feeling of Halloween that they remember when they were younger. Now they’re bringing that spirit into their lives again to get a little of that magical feeling back.”
Along with a wide variety of Halloween decorations, Canadian Tire is also a destination for costumes and accessories. According to Oben, traditional costumes are still the most popular.
“We have a lot of classic Halloween costumes like witches and ghosts,” she said. “We also have trendy costumes like Barbie in her box.”
Given her popularity, is there a Taylor Swift costume of the shelves?
“We don’t have a Taylor Swift costume, but we are selling five-foot glow-in-the-dark skeletons regularly priced at $69.99 for $39.99.”
For the best selection of all your Halloween supplies, get into Canadian Tire now. For prices that are never scary, visit them at 200 McNabb Street, Sault Ste. Marie.