Costumes stores report drop in sales over Halloween season
Odyssey costume stores have seen a dramatic
loss of revenue from costume sales this year. "This has been our worst year
ever," says Dwight Farnsworth, owner of Costumes Unlimited. "We didn't even
sell half of our inventory." Dwight attributes the drop in sales to
alternative celebrations, such as the annual All Saint's Day party at Whit's
End. Costume sales have always been a risky business, says Farnsworth. You
have to guess in advance what people will want to get.
Farnsworth noted that this year there was a special interest in duck masks.
"The popularity of that new show 'Quacky the Duck' is responsible, I think."
Cinderella masks have also been popular ever since they showed the movie at
a recent Odyssey Middle School event. Farnsworth anticipated both of these
buying trends, but missed another.
"I should have bought Pocket Animal masks from that card game and cartoon,"
he says. "Kids came in here looking for Pikaboo and Sneezing masks, but I
had gotten less valuable Geobabe and Teasing masks. Oh, well. I'll know next
year."
This
article originally appeared in "The Odyssey Times," a
special fictional newspaper produced by Focus on the Family to promote
Adventures in Odyssey.
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