Easter candy is dandy, but spending appears flat, forecast says
Don’t expect much to change in retail sales this Easter.
About 83.1 percent of consumers nationwide will celebrate Easter this year with plans to spend an average of $145.13, flat compared with last year’s average of $145.28, according to the National Retail Federation’s Easter Spending Survey conducted by BIGinsight. Total spending will reach an estimated $17.2 billion.
Assuming consumers in Nevada follow national trends, retailers in the state can expect sales of up to $251 million this holiday, the Retail Association of Nevada said.
“We are keeping a close eye on the Easter holiday in light of Congress’ restoration of federal payroll taxes,” said Mary Lau, president of the Retail Association of Nevada.
“Consumers are essentially indicating that their spending will be unchanged, but the reality is most of them will have a bit less to spend this Easter season.
“We are hopeful that an improved economy, with fewer people out of work, will be the stronger force.”
At the Las Vegas Rocket Fizz store, sales are pretty much in line with the national projections.
“We’re sticking right with the numbers from last year, so that’s always a good thing,” said owner Sheri Stewart.
Sales increase about 7 percent during the Easter season at the candy and soda shop at 9410 W. Sahara Ave., Stewart said. Generally, she said, the uptick starts about 10 days before Easter.
Rocket Fizz carries specialty candies and soda pops that aren’t readily available at mass market stores, so Stewart doesn’t stock Easter-branded candy such as bunny-shaped marshmallows or egg-shaped chocolates.
Instead, her customers come in to buy candy necklaces, Zagnuts, wax lips, Pez dispensers and whirly pops.
“People come in specifically to get the stuff you can’t get at Wal-Mart,” Stewart said.
For the holiday, Easter candy tops most consumers’ lists, with 90.5 percent of those celebrating planning to buy some type of candy, spending an average of $20.66 on the sweet stuff.
They also plan to spend an average of $45.26 and $25.91, respectively, for holiday food and clothing.
Consumers also will spend about $20.82 on gifts, $9.49 on flowers, $9.11 on decorations and $6.74 on greeting cards.
The majority of shoppers — 63.4 percent — will head to discount stores for Easter goods.
“While many of today’s consumers are coping with tight budgets, the Easter Bunny isn’t headed toward retirement in 2013,” said BIGinsight Consumer Insights Director Pam Goodfellow.
“Look for cost-conscious parents to scope the sale racks, head to discounters and clip coupons to keep spending on track and to make the holiday special for youngsters this year.”
Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@
.reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Follow @lscvegas on Twitter.
