Costumes on a Budget: How to Maximize Savings with Halloween Coupons

By Admin

Halloween only comes once a year, but it is an event big enough to generate more than $7 billion in revenue in a short period of time—and that’s only in the U.S.!  If you are a devout Halloweener you probably spend money on candy, decorations, invitations—plus drinks and snacks if you throw parties—on top of dishing out some serious cash for the most important element: Halloween costumes.  Halloween coupons can make a huge difference in your spending, but you have to know where to get the best deals and how to use them properly to really maximize your savings.  We, for example, have special coupon offers posted on our site, but we also offer additional savings when you follow us on social media or sign up to our newsletter.  It is a tradeoff that pays off for both in the end.  We stay in touch with our customers and you get the maximum savings that we are able to give. 

Why Halloween Couponing Matters  

Halloween was once all about dressing up in frightening costumes but nowadays, anything goes.  More people feel encouraged to celebrate Halloween every year as they find ways to express anything from sense of humor to fanaticism of film or TV characters through costumes; sometimes these overlap.  If you browse our Halloween store, for example, you will notice characters from Horror films like Michael Myers, Freddie Krueger and Jason Voohees, but you will also see not-so-scary options like Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean and Stay Puft from Ghostbusters.

While it is great to be able to portray your favorite movie characters on Halloween, it is likely that you are willingly, but not conveniently, paying more for officially licensed costumes.  Everyone from the film’s franchise down to the retailer gets a cut of the profits, and the customer is the one that makes it happen.  Seems unfair to pay so much more, right?  That’s why we created this useful list of tips to help you maximize your coupon savings when shopping for Halloween costumes this season.  After all, you are probably wearing the costume one night; very rarely do our customers say otherwise.  So why would you want to spend more than you need to?  

The Many Ways to Save 

1. 1. Set a budget: Before you start your Halloween costume shopping spree, decide how much you want to spend.  You don’t want to go out into the wild with an open tab.  Many costume stores increase the prices of all their products during the Halloween season, and if you don’t have a target figure, you are more likely to fall for the first store that has your ideal costume before shopping around for the best price.  Go out with a frame of mind that limits your spending: I will spend no more than $50 on a Dark Knight costume, for example.  Even if you get a hefty discount on an expensive costume, it may still not be worth your while if you were never planning on spending that much anyway.  Besides, a coupon that gives you a 30% discount on a product that was marked up 40% is useless.
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6. 2. Compare standard retail prices: Once you have a set amount in mind, go out looking for the best “regular” retail price.  Halloween costume stores try to lure you in with big coupon discounts and storewide sales, but for the most part, it’s all smoke and mirrors.  Don’t be fooled, sometimes a shop that offers a decent price and no coupon discount will give you a better deal than one that clutters the store with “sales.”  This is especially true when shopping for Halloween costumes online.  If that store also offers a promo coupon code, BONUS!  So, do your homework and do the math, literally.  10% off $40 is way better than 20% off $50.
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13. 3. Research shipping costs: When shopping online, ALWAYS consider shipping costs; and this is not necessarily suggesting that you look for free shipping offers.  What it means is, take into account the total cost of the order, including calculated coupon discounts and other promotions.  Try entering the same order into the shopping cart of another store and apply all possible discounts to determine the final price after shipping cost is calculated.  You may be surprised to find that the stores with the biggest discounts and “best” promotions are often the most expensive.
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21. 4. Ask for a coupon: If you have a hard time finding Halloween coupons online for a specific company, try calling the store directly and asking what coupon codes are available.  Coupon codes and special promotions are usually no secret, and marketing departments often encourage customer service reps to share special promotions in exchange for a social media follow or newsletter sign-up (like we do ;-).  Sometimes there are simultaneous ongoing sales and you can greatly benefit from a simple phone call.
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30. 5. Consolidate orders: Have you ever seen deals online that require you to spend a certain amount before a promotion is activated?  Halloween coupon codes and promotions often come with conditions—“spend $50 and get 10% off with coupon,” or “free shipping on orders $60 and up.”  After you have considered the prior points, it is always good to investigate if the company you opted for has such offers.  If they do, try asking a close friend or relative who is also interested in buying a costume to join you in the purchase.  If you consolidate your orders, both of you will be able to save big, maybe get free freight, and that person will thank you for helping them save as well.  This is especially useful when you are part of a big party because sometimes, bigger discounts apply the bigger the order.
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37. 6. Look for “past season” costumes:  You’ve done your homework, you’ve got your coupons, you’ve convinced your sibling to join your Halloween saving journey and you are ready to complete your order.  Heck, you may even have the exact character costume that you wanted in your shopping cart.  But are you sure that is the best deal on that character?  Here is a little not-so-secret “secret” in the Halloween industry:  Buying the latest version of a character costume does not necessarily mean it is different than the past season’s version.  For example, many times, a movie sequel is released featuring the exact same outfit as the prior film.  Manufacturers obviously need to produce outfits from the new movie but they find it hard to really alter the look of the costume since it is pretty much the same as the prior movie.  Would you really know the difference between these suits from The Amazing Spider-man?

1. The price is certainly different and some may even prefer the first version.  The main difference between the first and the second is that they were made in different years and labeled with their respective movie title—to please the die-hard fanboys that insist on getting “the latest” version.  Other than that, you will be able to save big on costumes if you combine savvy tactics with Halloween coupons.
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10. 7. Head straight for the clearance section: If you don’t have your mind set on a particular costume and are not interested in the latest craze, the clearance section may be the best place to start.  The clearance section is desperation for Halloween costume stores and it is where you will really be a able to get unbeatable deals.  Think about it, costume shops buy loads of seasonal merchandise every year—for the most part—and not all of it sells.  When the next year creeps up and new costumes come out based on new movies and TV show characters, Halloween costume stores scramble to sell the old merchandise before this new outfits arrive.  You will find costumes being sold at rock bottom prices, often below cost!  All they want is to get something, ANYTHING, back from their investment.  We’d be lying if we said we were any different. Check our clearance section and you will see clear desperation sales as we try to clear out as much of the old inventory before Halloween.  This does not mean that those products of inferior quality or of lesser popularity; it just means that we are overstocked and need to make room for the next batch of merchandise.  The best part of all is that you’re often allowed to combine coupon codes with already existing clearance sales.  Shop at a costume store that allows you to do that and you will be Halloween couponing like a pro.