Shoppers search for hot Halloween costumes

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Time is ticking away. Halloween is this weekend. So what costumes are popular this year?

It’s right before lunchtime on a weekday, and Halloween and More on South College Road in Wilmington is busy. Shoppers are pouring in looking for the perfect Halloween costume.

“We’re trying to come up with a family theme, like three characters that we can be and see if we can put it together,” said Nick Battiste, as he shopped with his son Miles. “But the problem is that a lot of theses costumes have hats, and he won’t keep a hat on, so we’re trying to see if we can come up with a costume for him that won’t have some kind of a head piece.”

The Battistes are taking their time finding that perfect costume. They say on holidays like this it’s important to make it a memorable one no matter what kind of effort or cost it may take.

Employees at Halloween and More say this year the kids are all about “Toy Story” costumes. Besides Buzz and Woody, there are some costumes that continue to be popular year after year, like Harry Potter characters, super heroes and Disney princesses.

Halloween has become a favorite holiday for adults as well. For women it seems like sexy is the way to go.

“For women the biggest one is definitely Lady Gaga,” said Halloween and More’s Mackenzi Wicker. “We have four different costumes, and we actually had to hide them behind the counter. What we have on the racks are empty, because people kept stealing them. They’re that popular. Girls come in, rip the tags off and take them.”

Wicker says for men it’s all about getting a laugh, whether it’s a pimp or a Yo-Gabba Gabba costume.

“DJ Lance is big surprisingly,” she said.

So as shoppers check out, spending big money (one shopper spent $200 on just two costumes) on what employees agree is a recession-proof holiday, many are just excited to get a laugh or scare on the night made for kids of all ages.

The staff at Halloween and More says it’s been non-stop for the past two weeks.