How Spirit Halloween Became a Titan of the $10 Billion Halloween Industry | WSJ The Economics Of
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- čas přidán 6. 10. 2022
- Each fall, there’s one store that suddenly seems to be just about everywhere: Spirit Halloween. The brand taps into the $10 billion Halloween industry by setting up shop in otherwise vacant real estate for three months each year.
Photo illustration: Adele Morgan
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#SpritHalloween #Halloween #WSJ
Let’s not forget that Spirit Halloween is more adult oriented whereas Party city is more child oriented
@@guardianoffire8814 So true
I definitely see Party City as more for younger kids but it's kinda cheap depending on store.
Halloween City is another option, a pop-up affiliate of Party City and they say their edgier, etc. than PC
@@katieakin9397 they are and it seems cheaper to me for home decor. I loved halloween city more than spirit this year!
Facts
Perfect example of creating a competitive advantage. Spirit halloween has almost completely cornered the market, and save millions every year in their excellent business strategy.
Why don’t you get fetch a ball you dumb dog 😂
You said nothing and some much at the same time
cute dog
Its absolutely mind bogeling that a store open for 2 months a year can be this successful. Real bang up job.
I have lots of good will towards Spirit Halloween as a business and as a store because it doesn't try to be more than what it is. These days it feels like as soon as a company gets mildly successful, it decides it needs to "branch out" and do other things, e.g. Amazon with their streaming. Spirit Halloween is about Halloween, and that's the end of it. It's always there, everyone knows what it's about, and it isn't trying to take over the world. I respect that. I don't have any compunction spending money on that.
It is refreshing.
I worked at a Spirit last year and I was shocked at how much hard work goes into building those stores. We don't have a crew to come in and build those walls or set anything up, thats all the staff and management building everything. And the rushes that last week before halloween were insane, worse than black friday/christmas/any other holiday. It was so much fun, but I have a newfound respect for those employees too
i worked at spirit for two years by now, and yea so much work goes in to it but the rules they make are complete jokes idk how they enforced them for u, but they would always make us let the customer have their way with anything, we stopped doing returns the 21st and exchanges the 27th and no one tried to even follow that rule at all. idk if the higher ups make every location be ran different
How does that work? Is it just a seasonal job?
@@zenki5089 yea it’s seasonal, i’ve just reapplied there since i kinda know the DM and Store managers that get the store
@@lilbiscuitjz171 its definitely different for each store. we were SUPER strict about the return policy, but also most returns we turned down were clearly worn and gross lol. Mine was owned by a local franchise here who opens a few Spirits every year, so I think we were able to be run a little different than the corporate stores too.
I respect Spirit Halloween. They come, they stay for a month or two, and then leave without a fuss. They mark the beginning of the spooky season.
I love spirit Halloween and I’m so glad they come back each year 🙌🏼🙌🏼🎃
I love your mom and I’m so glad she comes back each year 🎃
@@phillybeccio2782 huh?
My area used to have a really cool year round Halloween store, but it wasn't sustainable. It was cool, they used an old hearse as a delivery vehicle, and sold a lot of performance makeup. Usually what I see is rental companies, such as those that carry event gear like tents and bouncy castles, will carry a few costumes, but it's not the same. I tend to sew a lot of my own and the making of costumes was a highlight for me, but getting accessories like wigs and props at Spirit makes it easier. They tend to have a lot more adult options too.
Many stores rely upon the Christmas season for the bulk of their sales. Spirit uses Halloween as it's season, and it's not spending money on lightly used retail space the rest of the year.
That’s true. Sprit does have some Christmas stuff but it’s true money maker is Halloween
I used to work for a novelty gift store that opened its own pop up halloween store right across the street. We would have to set up the entire store ourselves each year. I really enjoyed it and it really got me into the halloween spirit as I never really celebrated as a child because my mom till this day doesn't care for the holiday. I love seeing Spirit stores pop up because they give me that nostalgia and I can walk into any halloween store and know all the brands and what you should and shouldn't get lol.
That’s the first time I identify with a shopping stat, but I only spent 5$ this Halloween
So what should and should we not get 😮
My daughter, age 7, has been doing the countdown every year since age 2. As soon as that sign goes up in the summer saying Spirit is opening soon she asks everyday if we can go the day it opens and every week after. Watching her go from terrified to touching everything over the years has been fun.
Every year since as little as I can remember in the late 2000s, Spirit halloween is something I look forward to every year so much. Now at 19 still feel the same way and more!
Hopefully that excitement is something that you can pass on to your kids 🎃🎃🎃
Hahaha the Spiderman dude in 5:29 😅
Spirit Halloween is iconic honestly.
My favorite holiday
Same
I love when companies embrace their memeage
These are the hard hitting questions that need answers
@@pelasion5099 I do too.
I thoroughly enjoy Spirit Halloween’s walk through displays
cool name, pal ;)
I’m sure the employees hate them 😂. The manager at mine kept turning them off remotely because kids were setting them off non-stop. But that’s anywhere in retail.
As a Spirits, employee who helped build the ISE ( Interactive Scare Environment). Actually building them was fun ( painful from all the paper cuts) and yeah the animatronics do get annoying, especially if someone sets them to Auto and not motion detection
Such an unique idea on how to was created form the start. I think it's the only store that only opens once a year and in abandoned stores, and everyone goes crazy over the many costumes and decor👏🏻 my dad and I always love visiting the stores.
Been waiting for this series to be updated
This is really cool. I don't ever buy anything there because of the prices, but now they make a lot more sense! Still, it's really cool. It's a staple of my generation's culture I know I'll one day look back upon fondly, and wish the newer generations that replace us could enjoy. I'm so happy to have it.
I wanna have a beer with the CEO of Spirit Halloween.
My daughter and I have a tradition of going to all of the Spirit locations in town to see their setups each year 🎃
That is a neat tradition.
I am not sure if I have ever been to one of those stores before!
My mom would take me to both of ours in the city every year. You’re creating great memories with the kiddo. I’m 25 and miss living near enough my mom to do it with her…
Happy Halloween!
I was a manager at spirit Halloween and it’s a nightmare of truck load after truck load delivery’s and we started setting up as early as the end of july
You know a company is doing well by how important memes are to the CEO. 😂
Thank you for doing this video, because every Halloween i wonder how do these places make money.
Exactly.
Overcharging
So fascinating! Love the strategy behind the business, it's brilliant.
Whenever I see Spirit Halloween via billboards, I get that good vibe. :D
Basically all the remnants of the 2008 crisis Halloween shops fill now.
This was a cool piece great work 👍🏼
I'm willing to bet that 80% of everything bought at Spirit Halloween stores is thrown in the garbage in 3 months. But hey Earth has unlimited resources and zero harm for exploiting them for a one time use
My son loves going to Spirit Halloween it's kinda expensive and I love how nostalgic the walk and interior is lol.
My dad and I love spirit, whenever we need to go to spirit for something my mom always tells us not to break the bank. I can’t tell you the amount of times it’s been a dress up week at school and we run to spirit to get what I need for the week
I can’t believe Castro Valley had the first Spirit store! We don’t have it anymore, but it was a staple in my childhood
Dope vid
Amazing video
Their marketing team really got a leg up from meme culture
I was hoping to learn about how Spirit actually finds the spots to lease. Is there a website of vacant listings over 40k sq feet?
👉🏽 LoopNet 👈🏽 is likely one of the more popular ones. But there are tons of commercial real estate for sale/lease websites that one could resource. I’m sure that over the years, finding property has become much easier though since they likely have relationships with all the major property managers by now.
I saw one in a parking lot next to a mall. I'm assuming the year round representatives have to go find the real estate directly the hard way a lot of the time.
Crexi
Pretty easy to do
So we start in April contacting property owners …. Build out starts around July 6th.. it takes about 12 days to build a store and get the displays and everything ready…. First store opens August 5 ish …. It’s a cool process… I’ve been doing it for 5 years … like every job it’s not always the best but it definitely better then other seasonal retail
I prefer November 1st as that's the day Halloween candy goes on sale!
You're a smarty, congratulations.
This is the best piece that WSJ has done in years
I work for one of spirit halloweens logistics vendors. They really have it down to a science.
It’s funny my local spirit Halloween is always in the same store. It’s empty the other 90 percent of the year
very interesting video 💐
They were dead on with that price chart for 2022. They said Americans are expected to spend 100 per person. I have a family of 4 and we spent 380, that's crazy they can predict that.
thank you I've been wondering for years how it all worked
Thank you for making a video on our community
I'd like to get an updated video in the future about the projected 2022 numbers vs the actual 2022 numbers! I think it'd be interesting to compare the two!
I wish Spirit Halloween was open all year, I love seeing that skeleton banner during October.
Halloween is on the decline around me, we’ll at least lawn ornaments. Hard to believe spending this year will be higher than in previous years.
Yeah same. It looks like no one is into holloween anymore. The teens/grownups love to party and get drunk. Meanwhile the kids dont trick o treat just on the phones making tiktoks and getting dressed up.
Spending is up everywhere due to Bidenflation. Last year's $20 gift now costs $50.
Spending is going to be up, bc inflation is up, so everyone's book numbers are "record high"
That's why it's a projection
I've heard other people saying this, too.
Feel like they will only make halloween more popular overtime with exposure like this. I feel like its an underrated holiday.
you’re right but honestly the holiday is just trendy people be all up on “spooky season” but once halloween hits nobody talks about it 😂 it’s all for being aesthetic thanks to tik tok
Yes, their target customers are adults. That's interesting that the company had originated in Castro Valley, CA. And they pay the lease at a limited amount of time to get a real estate deal. It works, and their real estate negotiations, logistics and shipping come into play during the Halloween season.
100% a bot wrote this
Thank you Spirit Halloween for promoting Halloween, a holiday that will become legendary one day.
A pumpkin spice latte is perfect for the month of October.
Thank you for the video.
Not long till it turns "Spirit Holidays" and sticks around till the end of the year
good report on spirit ghsot
Dude at 5:29 training for Black Friday 😂😂
My city doesn't even have a party city anymore. Sometimes I buy something here for next year's costume, even if it's not fully planned yet.
Wow, the first store popped up in my little hometown of Castro Valley. I never knew.
I feel like this video lacks “the economics of…” part. I was hoping for something more in-depth and insightful
It is like a promo for the company!
It’s like they said Every abandoned store becomes a sprit.
My favorite!
It’s crazy how just this morning I was thinking about how spirit of Halloween makes it’s money and then I come across this video lol
My daughter likes to go see those animatronic puppets at the front of the store.
Amazing business model
It would have been cool if this video dove more into the logistics of the whole thing.
Been visiting them since 2011, oh the memories 👻
Spirt Halloween paid for this advertisement
Possibly, but I still like it.
Usually their stuff is a bit high to me but the stuff looks good, especially the yard props and it just doesn't feel like Halloween without seeing one of these stores.
This is an ingenious ide
Ahhh I love video style journalism so much 🌱
I love Sprit Halloween. Just what they have and what’s new for that year. Plus what they have gotten from other stores from past years as well. One near me last year didn’t open till mid Oct due to not getting enough supply in and labor shortage
Hey!….There’s that Nate Guy!!!
They should do this for Xmas
I did your mom for Xmas
Does everything go on sale today since it’s not October
Wonder if they would consider opening up a store, or 3-4 smaller sub stores, inside a mall? Our mall has a few openings where a Victoria’s Secret, sports store and a few others shut down. They’ll need to break up into a few small areas, but for people searching for something specific, it might be a good way to narrow things down.
Email there corporate real estate team, usually they respond quickly.
they're in many malls, but usually in one floor of the big abandoned anchor stores.
I have a store in an old clothing store in the mall
My mall has one downstairs around the holidays in addition to the Spencer’s upstairs.
They opened one up in the mall by my house
I just wished they sold more plus size costumes in store. I have to go online to buy my costumes since they don't carry my size in stores
Interesting that must suck how far ahead do you order out to get your costume?
How do they find workers willing to work for 2 months every year? Do they keep contact information on a call-list to ask every year if they're willing to work?
seasonal positions, derppo
Spirit Halloween is always a welcome sight! Great business and great selection. I always go there for my last minute Halloween needs 🎃
Wow
I have never seen a Spirit Halloween that looked half as nice as the ones shown here.
yeah! the spirit i go to isn’t half as organized as this one.
I’ve seen a spirit Halloween all year this year
POV : the American Dream mall hasn’t got all of their store occupied : WAIT THERES 7 SPIRIT HALLOWEEN STORES?!?!?
Halloween is the best holiday of the year.
Interesting
Anyone know what they do, with their unsold merchandise after the season? Put into storage, sold online???
Spirit Halloween is a must every year!
I love halloween!..candycorn! and catching spirits inside the pumpkins I cut up..then releasing those spirits in my pumpkin the next day by slamming the pumpkin on the ground into pieces..trapping spirits in the pumpkin keeps them from playing tricks on you and the trickortreaters..
My mom loves candy corn, I don't.
I live in San Bernardino California and our spirit store is open all year
Personally I’m surprised spirit Halloween hasn’t rebrand as some sort of seasonal decor brand. Basically once September hits you can sell fall decor stuff, then Halloween then thanksgiving then Christmas then new years (new me/resolution) then Valentine’s Day then spring and close up till fall again.
While college was awhile ago, if you start in the fall semester, you basically just go through monthly decor till April and that was always fun to me.
Spirit Christmas stores would be amazing for families and sell unique items, etc
Christmas is peak spending season, which means more expensive real estate and more competition, Halloween works because October is usually a slow season
I was just wondering this yesterday…
I think I been there 6 times for last minute things 🎃
I prefer Spirit holloween over party city and thier pop up shop. Spirit is on top of the holloween retail. I miss Rubies coustume store I worked for them one holloween. Great store too
I had allot of fun working a seasonal job at Spirit wish it never ended in a way haha
Our monsters LOVE Spirit Halloween.
Cool. I can get any costume I always wanted. Superman the first, and the rest later. I love costumes and which ones my best favorite? I enjoy everything about Halloween, cool candy and loving the night.
currently my goto for themed ceramic cups &Halloween makeup/face paint(oh how I love their merchandise, let me count the ways) &my brother's goto for masks &hats,
They showed the Spirit holloween that's in Marina Del Rey.
Good times
For the first time, a Spirit of Halloween store didn't open near me. I was gutted this year.
Oh by now I understood why there are some stores that decorated Halloween one month before Halloween official day. I didn't pay attention to the name of these stores are Spirit Halloween or not. But it's quite interesting why the spirit Halloween appeared around America and Canada. To be honest, October doesn't have any special events so revenue from the stores is low. Halloween is an excuse for them to push their sales and revenue, and attract customers to come to the store.
Spirit Halloween just opens in only three months, so they need to find a landlord and rent in temporarily. There are many complex things from renting a large space to decorating and setting up space for Halloween. In order to prepare for official Halloween day, they have to set up and come up with the idea to attract more and more customers.
It is interesting for me.
I never understood how such a dark time became such a big thing in our country.....
With that kind of thinking of course not. For a while it was kind of seen as a harmless children's holiday where kids dress up as anything they want and go get candy. Also scary movies and True Crime shows & podcast are quite popular with adults so it doesn't surprise me.