Like the rest of the US, Los Angeles spends big money on Halloween.

On the corner of a busy intersection in Culver City, a huge inflatable witch and racks of costumes attract customers to Robinson Beauutilities.

Inside, overflowing baskets of accessories lie among the packaged suits and novelties. Although the store’s costume rental shop is open year-round, sales will triple in October, says co-owner Dan Levine.

For many Los Angeles residents, Halloween is a celebration of fall and a chance to embrace some of their favorite whimsical traditions. It’s also an opportunity to spend money, as the holiday brings with it a retail frenzy that reached record levels last year when consumers nationwide spent $12.2 billion on candy, costumes, decorations and more.

According to the National Retail Federation, Halloween spending will reach $11.6 billion this year. survey. According to the survey, consumers will spend an average of $103 on the holidays, with about $3.8 billion on costumes, the same amount on decorations and slightly less on candy.

Levine said costume hunters at his store typically spend about $150. Gary Garland, a Pacific Palisades resident who purchased the costume earlier this week, said he would spend that amount on the costume alone, as well as other Halloween items.

“Halloween is our favorite holiday,” said Garland, who has two children, ages 17 and 22. “We’re all in.”

According to Levine, many customers are willing to spend money on Halloween, especially since the holiday is so popular in Los Angeles.

“They’re definitely going above and beyond because the creative community of Hollywood is here,” he said. “Movies are shot here and people dress up here.”

Boxed costumes at Levine’s store sell for about $70, while rental costumes, which are higher quality and more theatrical, range from $80 to $200. Countless costumes are available at online retailers including Party City and Spirit Halloween, where the Harley Quinn costume is offered for $39.99 and the Catwoman costume for $59.99.

“I don’t think money is an issue as long as it looks really good and they feel good,” Levin said of his clients. In recent years, he said, he has noticed an increased focus on accessories and costume details, especially from shoppers who are particularly interested in the holiday.

At Spirit Halloween in Culver City two days before Halloween, shoppers of all ages wandered the aisles and inspected rubber masks, body paint and wigs. Some shelves have already been cleared.

A National Retail Federation survey found that nearly half of Halloween shoppers start their spending before October because they’re looking forward to the season and want to avoid the stress of last-minute shopping.

“Halloween marks the official transition to the fall season for many Americans, and consumers are looking forward to shopping for new seasonal decor and other fall products,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Affairs Katherine Cullen said in a statement.

Spirit Halloween, which operates about 1,500 seasonal stores across the U.S., opens its doors in late summer and runs through early November.

“A lot of people come in early to get ideas,” Levin said of his store. “Because we’re here year-round, they know they can get what they want.”

Seventy-two percent of survey respondents said they planned to celebrate Halloween this year by taking part in modern holiday traditions, including handing out candy, decorating their home, dressing in costumes and carving pumpkins.

These traditions cost money, and as they become more popular, Halloween costs rise. National spending has increased by $4.2 billion over the past decade, jumping from $7.4 billion in 2014 to $11.6 billion this year, according to the NRF.

commercialization Halloween is nothing new and modern practices such as joke or treat Became popular in America in the 1920s and 1930s, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Holiday origin refers to the 8th-century Celtic festival of Samhain, which was intended to ward off the ghosts of the dead who were said to return on the night before the autumn harvest on November 1st. Festival participants wore costumes made from animal skins and lit huge bonfires to burn crops as sacrifices to the deities.

For Garland, of Pacific Palisades, modern Halloween is worth every dollar, even if his family sometimes goes overboard.

“My wife goes shopping,” he said. “I don’t want to know how much she spends.”