Hallloween had a larger presence in the battleofrds this year, both in decorations and candy for trick or treaters. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Seasonal shoppers show

Battlefords produce some trick r’ treaters, huge Halloween retail

Nov 3, 2021 | 6:00 AM

While some hesitation around COVID-19 remained for many residents, Halloween spirit was much more present in the Battlefords this October than in 2020.

Several retail outlets told battlefordsNOW that the number of people shopping for a new Halloween costume picked up in 2021, with more individuals participating in either trick or treating or private gatherings.

Sarah Weiler, Manager at Warehouse One in North Battleford said the lead up to Halloween definitely had less volume in shoppers, when there were more strict COVID-19 restrictions on gathering sizes.

“I can’t remember last year’s numbers, but it was not as busy,” she said. “We also got a lot more seniors visiting us this year, after they’ve left the pharmacy.”

“We pretty much made our whole week because we were so busy with early Christmas shopping, as well as Halloween costume shopping.”

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Weiler said some were getting the Christmas shopping done early in part from worries about the possibility of more restrictions in the future. And while there was an increase in people getting into the Halloween spirit, there were limitations on meeting those needs amidst a shorter supply than in previous years.

“A lot of people were doing the 80s and 60s,” she said. “But we couldn’t really help them because we are sold out right now.”

Trick or treaters

Some of that increase translated in trick or treaters, though battlefordsNOW observed a fairly small number of families and groups of kids going house to house in the community. Weather was a likely a factor, along with COVID-19 concerns, as the temperature in the Battlefords was around -2° Celsius during supper hours.

(Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW)

Barring youngsters taking larger amounts from each household offering candy, there’s likely a fair number of leftovers. Multiple retails outlets reportedly sold out variety boxes of chocolate bars and other assorted sweets. Discovery Co-op was one of those retailers, selling everything brought in for this holiday period.

“Sales went better than last year and better than expected,” General Manager Mike Nord said in a statement to battlefordsNOW.

(Photo 46311126 © Darryl Brooks | Dreamstime.com)

The staff at Co-op are hopeful for this being a positive sign for retail, but are remaining cautious in following government mandates and managing operations.

“We’re trying to keep that in mind when planning anything for the organization, but we are really hopeful to see if this [trend] moves forward for retail,” Nord said.

The next gauge for economic recovery in Saskatchewan when it comes to shopping sprees will be Black Friday and Cyber Monday later this month, ahead of the weeks preceding Christmas in December.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW