Survey: Easter spending to rise

Washington, D.C. Easter couldn’t come at a better time this year for Americans eager to say goodbye to winter. According to NRF’s 2010 Easter Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, holiday celebrants will spend slightly more this year with the average person expected to shell out $118.60, up from $116.59 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $13.03 billion.

The average person will spend $17.29 on candy, compared with.55 last year, and $18.16 on gifts, up from $17.30 last Easter. Other holiday purchases include clothing ($19.03), food ($37.45), flowers ($7.84), decorations ($6.34) and greeting cards ($6.30).

When it comes to buying Easter merchandise, most Americans will shop at discount (64.8%) and department stores (33.2%). People will also head to specialty stores such as florists or gift/greeting-card stores (22.0%), online (13.1%), specialty clothing stores (7.0%) and catalogs (3.7%).