Americans are projected to spend more this Easter than last year, which is good news for several Chattanooga retailers relying on a early bump in spring sales.
Last year, the average American spent about $118 on Easter-related purchases such as chocolate eggs, Sunday dresses, greeting cards and flowers. This year, the National Retail Federation expects consumers to bump up their spending to about $131 for the average person, or nearly $14.6 billion in total nationwide spending.
There’s still one shopping week till the big white bunny comes, and Candy Craze at Hamilton Place mall has already seen droves of shoppers over the past two weeks preparing for egg hunts.
“When we get to holidays such as Valentine’s, Christmas and Easter which deal with candy, there’s a big increase,” employee Ronald Harmon said.
The small shop at the mall’s food court entrance sees between $500 and $600 in sales on an average weekday, Harmon said. In the past few weeks, daily sales have increased to between $700 and $800, with Jelly Belly jelly beans a top seller.