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Even in a recession, Halloween means cash for retailers

Keep an eye out for trick-or-treaters as you head out on the roads this evening Despite the down economy, retailers expect Halloween spending will rise this year.

The National Retail Federation's annual Halloween spending survey found that the average person plans to spend about $72 on costumes, candy and decorations. That's a jump of more than $15 over the past two years.

And it's playing out at specialty stores like Halloween Warehouse in Beaverton, Oregon. Manager Heather Rose says the most popular costumes for adults start around $55. Rose says she has a theory as to why people are spending more this year.

"Because Halloween is on Monday. So the parents are able to go out and able to party Friday, Saturday night," she says. "They can rest up on Sunday and take their kids out on Monday."

The retail group's survey found that people in the West like to dress up more than the rest of the nation. Nearly half of all adults surveyed in this part of the country said they intended to wear a costume on Halloween.

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Copyright 2011 Northwest News Network

Chris Lehman graduated from Temple University with a journalism degree in 1997. He landed his first job less than a month later, producing arts stories for Red River Public Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Three years later he headed north to DeKalb, Illinois, where he worked as a reporter and announcer for NPR–affiliate WNIJ–FM. In 2006 he headed west to become the Salem Correspondent for the Northwest News Network.