Thread: Retail quality

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I am sure this has been covered in threads below me but I don't have the time to go looking right now and this can be considered a editorial pretty much then lol.
I basically bought everything for halloween this year at spirit and made things myself which is fine. But this was the first year I noticed that the major retailers are just pumping out the same stuff they have been pumping out for the last 3 years. Even K-Mart took a nose dive, surprisngly I have been able to pick up some somewhat quality stuff from them. The only retailer I think that puts out anything around me worthwhile is Michaels but even then it is the same stuff, just a little better. I think we has major supporters of halloween and sharing a love for halloween are a very select group of people with passion and love for what we do and the holiday and we hold our retailers up to the same standards I guess. But the meat and potatoes of the situation to me at least is they will never feel the same way or carry things that meet our expectations or standards. They are interested in making a quick buck off a family of 4 who needs some halloween decor and a cheap costume for their 2 kids and maybe a dog. And it stonks like a moldy corpse but we have to deal.
I am very thankful that there are places like spirit and some of the other higher end places out there and things like hauntworld magazine so we can share our passion and have places to go where companys are going to understand our needs for quality and realism, not just some cheap looking 5 dollar skeleton draped in grey fabric. Now spirit from experience can be quite cheap too. Even this year some of the props they carry really are way overpriced for their quality. We are talking egg carton cardboard and hot glue. I bought something called "hanging clotheslined" for 50.00 cause I decided I really wanted it cause I needed a higher quality prop. needless to say the head fell off a week after I bought it cause the hot glue was glued onto egg carton material which is just gonna pull off anyway when it should be glued or actually I think put on with something of higher quality. Luckilly I grumbled enough for the manager to ok a exchange after the 17th. Their return policy is a whole other thing to go over I think at another time.
Then you go to the other end of the realm with the "3 piece lawn zombie" which I can't recomend enough from them. I was lucky to get one online at 50 percent for 35.00 instead of 70.00. Im sure someone has it here. Very detailed even down to glossy looking eyes with metal spikes to stick in the ground very solidly. So I guess its hit and miss if you really plan to spend some money on props make sure you inspect them thoughly for build quality. And don't get caught up in the whole "this prop is so cool! I must have it" routine I am sure we all get and have succumbed to. Thats when you make mistakes.
I don't think it will be like it was 4 or 5 years ago when there was much better stuff ever again or at least for some years. I mean, I know there was. I remember getting stuff, much better stuff, having good choices after halloween to pick up clearenced goodies. Not the last couple years. Until retailers see a reason to boost halloween up to what it should b at least a little in our eyes. The economy is bad no doubt. But I think thats only half the reason. We all know halloween is the second largest grossing holiday, I am sure retailers know this. They also know the average joe and his family aren't us. Everything is about trends. When I shop in a place like spirit (I am using this place whey too much I know but its all thats out there for quality) and look at the people around me, I get somewhat blahish cause the people don't feel the same way about the things they are buying. I feel its just something they are doing cause everyone else is doing it or having a costume party and they just need a coustume not really putting any thought into it. Which will proabably be discarded after cause really these costumes people are buying, most of them have no staying power. They are cheap excuses for costumes. A different one bought every year. Pherhaps it is just me calling to my youth when I took pride in making my own costume, something I put my own mark on. And it wasn't that long ago. I am 27 years old. I am sure everyone hear remembers the years they went and the costumes they had. Kids today I don't think they will feel the same and it stinks.
So I think we are just gonna have to accept the fact that we will never be totally satisfied with what stores give us or what the general public feels or needs for halloween. And if we want quality we are gonna have to pay a little more, or in alot of our cases cause we love it so much lol, alot more to make our Halloweens amazing for us and the people that see us. And continue to invent out own things so to speak and make our own haunts. It is our job to keep the spirit of Halloween alive and I am proud to stand by all of you and do it every October, and all year round. It is a cool feeling to know so many people feel the same way about things. Hopefully some of this makes some sense and im not just rambling to everyone.

And oh yeah, death to inflatables!

Hi Scotty,

As a Halloween retailer, I thought I'd respond. I agree that a lot of mass-produced items are of poorer quality these days, but this is not solely on the retailers, but the manufacturers. In the case of a big retailer like Spirit, they do have exclusive items that are made only for them, so I'm sure they can dictate the quality on those. But for most of us, we are presented with choices and we choose the best we can. Quality has gone down on some things over the years, but the cost to us goes up every year.

As a fan of Halloween masks, I can't believe how much the quality has dropped over the years on these as manufacturers turn to China and even places like Sri Lanka just to save a buck. The quality is horrendous on some of these. And the sad thing is, the original sculpt of the mask may be incredible. We buy the majority of our latex masks from Ghoulish Productions, a factory out of Mexico, and they are stunning... thick latex, extremely detailed painting, and original, unique designs. I have had conversations with this company and told them that I think my customers would rather pay an extra $1 or $2 and have a better quality mask that they'll love than to save a couple bucks only to be disappointed because of poor quality due to cutting corners.

There seems to be fewer options for props though. The mass produced props that we can buy at wholesale are limited. The higher quality props that are made by smaller companies are also usually sold only by them - there is no wholesale price available to retailers. These are usually marketed directly to haunts. It's for reasons like this we are looking into producing some of our own props. We may only be able to create a few of our own items for 2010, but we hear you and agree with you wholeheartedly. We're trying to find a way to bring higher quality items at a more reasonable price to our customers.

But I have to say from reading this forum daily, that it sounds like people tend to shop more at corporate giants like Walmart, Target, Michaels and so on. These companies usually only carry mass-produced items. If you want the more unique, better made pieces, you're going to have to look more to specialty retailers... the independent stores who specialize in Halloween. And yes, like you said, you may have to pay a little more, but hopefully too you get a little more too.

scotty10_31, I think the retailers are trying to play it safe with things they know will sell. Why take a chance on something unusual or higher priced if they are afraid no one will buy it and they have to sell it cheap after Halloween.

Nancy, Great points. I remember 10-15 years ago everyone was worried about losing jobs and manufacturing to Mexico and other countries south of the border because of NAFTA. So much attention was paid to keeping U.S. jobs out of Mexico that no one noticed when they all went overseas instead.

I had a thought recently that I can't get out of my mind. I would like to see online retailers like yourself put a note in item listings if they are made in North America. Made in the USA would be great but there would probably only be a couple of items. I would definitely be inclined to buy something made on the same continent rather than China; I think that is killing our economy. As you said, the quality is terrible as well. I look at some of the things that came from there and can't believe what I paid for them. And I think about all the lead paint probably being used on them.

Actually my goal in coming years as I expand my haunt is to not buy props made in Asia. That sounds like a tall order but there are many small companies here in the U.S., Canada and Mexico who still make things here and I will be giving them all the support I can. There items tend to resemble their photos much more closely than the Chinese items as well.

Just something to think about. Remember 15 or 20 years ago when Walmart used to proudly point out the Made in the USA products in their sales flyers, along with a little article and photo about a U.S. company that they had saved by buying their products? They don't do that anymore; they just gave up and buy everything in China now.

I think that all the points presented here are valid and true. Quality has gone done in all products. If we want quality items we are either going to fork over the dough or just make our own. How many items do you see for sale in the stores were originally conceived by people like us? Lots of them. I have see cheap imitations of the FCG and the kicking legs. I really think that one's best bet is to be creative and build the most awesome props one can. When you see a really good home haunt, is it the store bought stuff that impresses you, or is it the homemade stuff?