(Updated at 9:45 a.m.) Halloween has not been cancelled, but the pandemic is putting a damper on the usual spooky spirit of the holiday.
The owner of a local costume store in the Crystal City Shops told the Washington Post that his sales are down 80%, amid a nationwide drop in Halloween spending. Sales of adult costumes in particular are down significantly, as parties are curtailed.
Overall Halloween spending is expected to fall 8%, according to the Post, citing the National Retail Federation.
Around Arlington, Halloween decorations can still be found, but three-and-a-half weeks out from Oct. 31 it feels like there are fewer ghouls, goblins, fake spiderwebs and pumpkins to be seen.
Are residents reluctant to decorate when trick-or-treating will be much diminished and when fake skeletons feel a bit, well, insensitive? Or is it actually business as usual for most people, despite the deadly global pandemic?
Let’s find out.
