This Halloween, we did the math

The Halloween season is getting to be a bigger treat for businesses year after year, with a record $9.1 billion in national spending expected this year — the highest ever from an annual survey by the National Retail Federation.

The amount represents more than an 8 percent rise from last year's national total, and a truly frightening 78 percent increase from a decade ago, as retailers of all stripes cash in on the holiday.. . . more