Mass retailers and dollar stores are neck and neck when it comes to intended share of Halloween spend among Canadians.

That’s according to Numerator’s 2023 Q4 holiday preview, which surveyed 2,164 Canadian consumers.

The research found that Halloween is the only holiday on the calendar where dollar channels lay claim to the top spot: 46% of consumers expect to purchase Halloween items from these stores. However, that is a tie with mass channels (46%). Grocery was in third place at 41%, with club and wholesale stores in fourth at 23%.

Identical to last year, 76% of those surveyed are purchasing candy, but Halloween food purchase intent is down 7% from 2022 levels. Party supplies and apparel are also consistent compared with 2022.

Nearly a third of Halloween shoppers expect to spend between $26 and $50 on their holiday items, with only a fifth planning to spend over $100. Consumer spending this Halloween will likely be on par with last year, with 18% intending to spend more, 19% looking to spend less and 63% spending about the same as 2022.

Among those who plan to purchase alcohol for Halloween, beer will be the top choice (55%) followed by ready-to-drink beverages (49%).

For Thanksgiving, 71% intend to celebrate, the same as last year. Also, 67% of shoppers will purchase their Thanksgiving goods from grocery stores, with 39% intending to shop at liquor stores, 30% at mass retailers and 24% at club and wholesale stores.

Eighty-two percent of Thanksgiving celebrators will purchase food for the holiday, up 3% from last year, while 41% will buy booze (compared to 40% last year). Approximately one in five intend to buy nonalcoholic beverages, a slight uptick from 2022.

The majority of Thanksgiving shoppers expect to spend between $75 and $200 on items for their holiday celebration. Roughly two-thirds say they will spend the same as last year, with the remaining third split between more and less.

Numerator also finds that 57% of Canadian consumers intend to cook or bake something special to celebrate the holiday this year, up from 50% last year and outpacing intentions to attend or host a gathering, which is down 4% year over year. Intention to decorate, travel, order in and dine out are all up.

Among those who plan to purchase alcohol for Thanksgiving, wine will be the top choice (70%) followed by beer (57%) and spirits (28%).