The cost of spooky Halloween displays

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Thursday night, trick-or-treaters will be out and about in their costumes looking for sweet treats amongst the decorated houses. And there’s a price that comes with those Halloween traditions. The National Retail Federation estimates total Halloween spending will reach $11.6 billion this year.

Decorations alone are expected to run a total tab of $3.8 billion.

From sinister graveyards to spooky tunnels, Halloween decorating is serious business for some.

“We’ve been putting this together now for about 20 years,” Sioux Falls decorator Jeff Waltrip said. “It started with a neighbor of mine, Garrett down the block, and we sort of had a competition kind of built up over about five or ten years and eventually a lot of people on the block joined in.”

Waltrip says his display changes slightly each year, but in total he’s spent a good chunk of change on them.

“Over the years, probably 15 thousand dollars, over 20 years, I suppose,” Waltrip said.

A few streets down from Waltrip you’ll find a display that Pat Putzier has been putting out for about 10 years.

“You know, we’ve added. I suppose, there’s a couple thousand dollars on all the stuff we got,” Putzier said. “Most of the stuff has lasted, you know, eight or nine years.”

While those price tags may seem scary to some, for these decorators they say come Halloween night, it’s all worth it.

“Last year, we had over 160 kids, they just come off, you know 57th street and come and ride through here with the bicycles and wagons. Moms and dads are bringing their kids, you know, and we set up a fire and we sit outside with them,” Putzier said.

“We usually get between 15 hundred and two thousand trick or treaters and the smiles and the fear is also a lot of fun to see,” Waltrip said.

The price tag on the candy for all those trick or treaters is another story completely. The National Retail Federation found that candy remains the most popular thing to spend money on during Halloween and this year’s spending on sweet treats is expected to hit a total of $3.5 dollars.