[Shockwave199]

I was in home depot and they had a bunch of stuff half price. The only thing that caught my eye was the massive and heavy half coffin with the mummy corpse in it. I mean, that sucker is heavy. Wasn't even interested in lugging THAT thing home, but it is cool. Did have the will to go shopping anywhere else. I do hope twitching banshee returns next year. That was a great prop but I knew that one would sell out before halloween.

 

[spinachetr]

Home Depot.com has some stuff 75% off. I picked up a few of the animated skulls http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-10-in-Tabletop-Realistic-Animated-Skull-with-LED-Illumination-5345-09289HDD/206096222

 

[Bruzilla]

I refuse to go to post-Halloween sales. I think they're a big part of the reason the prop market sucks so bad.

 

[halloween71]

Home Depot.com has some stuff 75% off. I picked up a few of the animated skulls http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-10-in-Tabletop-Realistic-Animated-Skull-with-LED-Illumination-5345-09289HDD/206096222

Thank you I picked up two of these as well as a lighted candelabra a zombie candy bowl and reaper pop up pumpkin for 31.00.

 

[halloween71]

The only other items I have bought are costumes.

 

[Stinkerbell n Frog Prince]

Thanks the the check out home depot site and picked a few things... shucks and dang by the time I hit the check out button 2 of the things I really wanted were now no longer available.

 

[themyst]

I was so mad. I checked Home Depot online and they had the animated lurching reaper I wanted on sale for fifty bucks! But it was unavailable online, in store only. Since I live way rural, it is not possible for me to drive down.

It's in their inventory, I don't know why I couldn't order it online and have them box it up and send it. Not saying that my local store had it anyway, but any of their stores should have this capability I would think. Oh well.

 

[ichasiris]

Only place I went was Spirit and some WalMart stuff.

 

[annamarykahn]

I refuse to go to post-Halloween sales. I think they're a big part of the reason the prop market sucks so bad.

i'm curious about this ... can you further explain how this works?

thx

amk

 

[jenrens]

I ran to CVS to pick up some paper towels and saw that bobbly headed butler on sale for 19.99 - needless to say he's jabbering away in my living room.
I am using him to dispense cat treats at the moment.

 

[Bruzilla]

i'm curious about this ... can you further explain how this works?

thx

amk

Gladly. Too many people wait to make their prop purchases after the holiday when prices are half off. Costumes and candy are all bought ahead of the holiday and at or near full price, which is why there have been tremendous investments and improvements made to costume designs and quality over the years. This is also the reason why Halloween stores are about 70-80% costumes and 20-25% props. In short, retailers make their money off costumes, not props, and the investments and improvements show they are willing to step up to meet consumer demand.

Props on the other hand seem to be more for drawing people into the stores so they can be sold a costume or make up or accessories than to sell the props themselves. Spend an hour in a Spirit store and you'll see dozens of costumes go out the door but no props. Why? Because most people who buy props only do so the day after Halloween. Yes, they'll buy a few things they gotta have to get through the holiday, but they won't make any major purchases until Nov. 1st. This means that retailers have to expect to sell any prop item they buy at 50% of it's list price, and pay for those items accordingly and this creates a chain effect.

Let's say there's a prop that lists for $300. The retailer has to expect that prop is going to end up selling for $150, which means they are only going to be willing to pay $75 or so from a manufacturer. This means a manufacturer has to figure out a way to build a prop, factoring in parts, labor, overhead, and shipping, for $30-$50 for it, and that money just doesn't buy a lot of prop.

Look at Christmas props. Most of these are bought before Christmas as impulse buys and at full price, which enables everyone in the production chain more money to work with and it shows. I know people with motorized Christmas decorations that they've had working problem-free for years. How many of us see a prop fail within days or weeks?

When it comes to props, you get what you pay for, and unfortunately most Halloween buyers don't want to pay much for what they get.

 

[annamarykahn]

bruzilla,

that makes sense ...

but, i'm wondering why xmas props are impulse buys and halloween props are not? is it because "everyone" does xmas & "no one" does halloween?

obviously, the volume of xmas stuff dwarfs h'ween ... but i keep hearing/reading that h'ween is the 2nd biggest holiday in terms of $? i've always wondered how "they" came up with this. is the majority of that costumes & candy? it has to be ... and if it is, doesn't that imply that people are "celebrating" h'ween, so wouldn't they decorate their place as well? no, it doesn't have to be as elaborate as we all do here, but doesn't "logic" dictate that they must have some props? or else, they just get a costume so that they can get a bunch of "free" candy? i guess, i'm just trying to understand why h'ween isn't more popular ...

amk

 

[hermit4099]

If a prop is well made it should last for years. Costumes change year to year. One year its the Hulk and the next its Ironman. Kids grow up and can't fit into their old costumes. Retailers have it down to a science what we the consumers are going to do before we do it. So it goes without saying costumes and candy are big sellers. Props are a different part of Halloween. Not a lot of people decorate their homes for Halloween, so the props do have a higher cost attach to them.
In any given year the major holiday that people decorate or buy special item(s) would be in my opinion as
1 Christmas - gifts, tree, lights, food
2 Halloween - props, costumes, candy
3 Easter - plastic eggs, baskets, candy
4 Thanksgiving - FOOD
That's my opinion for what it's worth.

 

[hermit4099]

Before Halloween I did purchase several skeleton dogs from Grandin road. I also purchase the air inflated dragon that home depot.

 

[IshWitch]

I got some string lights post Halloween. And a bunch of can cozies to give out at my make and take in March.

 

[heresjohnny]

I visited every Walgreens around over the weekend and cleaned up at 90% off. Skulls with movable jaws, big spiders with multi-color LED eyes, lots of LED candles, LED Jack-o-lantern lights, black roses, tombstones.

 

[CaliforniaMelanie]

Have had a really tough (financially) summer/fall so I didn't do any post-Hween shopping, will just perhaps budget for next year if 2016 starts off on better footing? I did see a few good sales here and there but mostly our stores were picked CLEAN by H'ween anyway! Even Walmart had hardly anything left the day before Halloween (when I went in for my candy). I wonder if stores are buying less or perhaps had put out last year's stuff this year?

Anyway, the up side is that I didn't feel I "missed out"...and onward and upward to next year! Or rather, to Thanksgiving and Christmas, taking a breather in late winter and then dreaming of H'ween 2016.

 

[MichaelMyers1]

I visited every Walgreens around over the weekend and cleaned up at 90% off. Skulls with movable jaws, big spiders with multi-color LED eyes, lots of LED candles, LED Jack-o-lantern lights, black roses, tombstones.

I also hit Walgreens! One day when it was 75%, the next when it was 90%. Two spooky lighted winged reapers, 1 LED Ghost, 1 LED pumpkin reaper, gigantic plug in lighted skull, gigantic plug in lighted pumpkin, two small candelabras, Jason Vorhees mask and knife set, two small lighted skulls, 4 skulls with moveable jaws, 6 glitter bounce balls with light up eyes, 1 bag of mini Kit Kats. I may check to see if there is anything left, but lots of great buys! Items that were normally $24.99 were $2.49. Cant beat that!!

 

[Bruzilla]

bruzilla,

that makes sense ...

but, i'm wondering why xmas props are impulse buys and halloween props are not? is it because "everyone" does xmas & "no one" does halloween?

I suspect that's a large part of it. There's probably a lot of "keeping up with the Jonses" going on as well. People come home and see the nighbors have something new and cool up, so they go and buy it too. The idea of "I'll wait until after Christmas and get it for next year" doesn't fit into that thinking. They feel the holiday spirit and are willing to pony up the money to buy decorations for the holiday.