It’s October 23rd: do you know what you’re going to be for Halloween? How about your kids? If your answer is “no,” don’t worry. Most people don’t really plan ahead for this holiday, but do you know who does? Costume shop owners. They have to not only plan for Halloween, but try to figure out what people will be rushing to stores to buy at the last minute.

This year, the hottest costumes weren’t hard to predict, at least not if you have any contact with children under age ten or so. NPR interviewed a costume shop owner in New York City who has a six-year-old son, so he knew to stock up on costumes of characters from the Disney animated film “Frozen.” While those costumes are very specific (and licensed by Disney) he points out that you can’t go wrong with generic princesses, along with witches, wizards, vampires, and superheroes.

Last year, the nightmare scenario for costume shop owners happened: a hot costume struck at the last minute. The drama series “Breaking Bad” ended in September, and people still remembered it fondly and wanted to dress up as characters from that show a month later. The costume shop owner in New York City assembled his own costumes at the last minute with parts from different suppliers, but still sold out.

Pirates, Princesses, Witches And Vampires: Stocking Costumes Is Serious Business [NPR]

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