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Retailers Expecting Record Halloween Haul

The Florida Retail Federation is predicting record spending for Halloween, with the average shopper plunking down $83.

Spokesman James Miller says the whopping 10-dollar increase from last year’s forecast is an encouraging sign.

“That’s a want that people have, it’s not a need.  So when you see increased spending like that on things that people don’t necessarily need, but they want, that’s a great sign for the economy and it shows that things are improving.”

Overall Halloween spending is expected to reach $8.4 billion, up from $6.9 billion last year, according to the trade association’s forecast.

Miller is urging parents to do their shopping early before the most popular costumes disappear.

A Miami native, former WFSU reporter Jim Ash is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience, most of it in print. He has been a member of the Florida Capital Press Corps since 1992.