{"id":104431,"date":"2019-10-30T12:26:27","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T16:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/half-a-billion-on-halloween-pet-costumes-is-latest-sign-of-americas-out-of-control-consumerism\/"},"modified":"2019-10-30T12:26:27","modified_gmt":"2019-10-30T16:26:27","slug":"half-a-billion-on-halloween-pet-costumes-is-latest-sign-of-americas-out-of-control-consumerism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/half-a-billion-on-halloween-pet-costumes-is-latest-sign-of-americas-out-of-control-consumerism\/","title":{"rendered":"Half a Billion on Halloween Pet Costumes is Latest Sign of America\u2019s Out-of-Control Consumerism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Half a Billion on Halloween Pet Costumes is Latest Sign of America\u2019s Out-of-Control Consumerism<\/b><\/p>\n

Image by nancy sticke<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Halloween spending is out of control.<\/p>\n

Americans are expected to spend US$8.8 billion<\/a> on candy, costumes and decorations this year \u2013 or $86 for every person who plans to celebrate. That includes a half a billion dollars<\/a> on costumes that Americans are buying for their pets, which is double the amount they spent a decade ago. Pumpkins and hot dogs<\/a> are the favorites. <\/p>\n

How did a holiday that began as a way to honor the dead morph into just another ritual of over-the-top American consumption? As a relatively frugal person who has reused the same Halloween costumes for years, I found<\/a> the $86 figure shocking. But I\u2019m hardly the first economist to moan about out-of-control consumerism. <\/p>\n

Day of the decadent<\/h2>\n

Halloween started as a Celtic holiday<\/a> honoring the dead. <\/p>\n

It was then adopted by the Catholic Church as a time to remember<\/a> saints. One research paper described Halloween as an \u201cevolving American consumption ritual<\/a>,\u201d but a better description might be an over-the-top spending ritual. <\/p>\n

To put the $8.8 billion being spent on Halloween in context, the budget for the entire National Park Service<\/a> is only $4 billion. The U.S. spends less than $2 billion on flu vaccines<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The $86 average may not give us an accurate look at per-person spending. Only about two-thirds of respondents<\/a> to the National Retail Federation\u2019s annual survey of Halloween spending<\/a> said they were celebrating the holiday. And while some spend nothing, others go overboard. <\/p>\n

As just one example, the Palo Alto neighborhood where Silicon Valley\u2019s tech stars live<\/a> is a sight to behold as local moguls try to outdo each other on Halloween decorations, candy and bands. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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Why people spend like crazy<\/h2>\n

In the late 1890s, an economist named Thorstein Veblen<\/a> looked at spending in society and wrote an influential book called \u201cThe Theory of the Leisure Class<\/a>,\u201d which explained reasons why people spend. It laid out the idea that some goods and services are bought simply for conspicuous consumption.<\/p>\n

Conspicuous consumption is designed to show others you are rich, smart or important. In Veblen\u2019s mind, conspicuous consumption was spending more money on items than they are really worth. Veblen pointed out that people buy homes with rooms that are rarely used, just to show off the owner\u2019s wealth. <\/p>\n

If Veblen were writing about the world today, he would probably not focus on real estate. Instead, he might be using examples of people trying to attract attention on Instagram by dressing their pets in expensive costumes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Understanding how much people spend on holidays like Halloween and other activities is important because this shows what society values. And apparently, we value what others can see us consume.<\/p>\n

[ Like what you\u2019ve read? Want more?<\/em> Sign up for The Conversation\u2019s daily newsletter<\/a>. ]<\/p>\n

Jay L. Zagorsky<\/a>, Senior Lecturer, Questrom School of Business, Boston University<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The post Half a Billion on Halloween Pet Costumes is Latest Sign of America\u2019s Out-of-Control Consumerism<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Half a Billion on Halloween Pet Costumes is Latest Sign of America’s Out-of-Control Consumerism<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n