Americans Turn to Halloween for Escapism in 2017
From pop culture to politics, new report reveals top Halloween trends
BELLEVUE, Wash., September X, 2017 — According to a new survey* from The Savers ® Family of Thrift Stores, more than half of people (58 percent) want to transform and be someone else on Halloween, and nearly half (44 percent) try to wear a costume they know will make others laugh, pointing to the desire to break away from everyday stresses and our fraught political climate.
Overall, enthusiasm for Halloween is at an all-time high and half of Americans even call it their favorite holiday. Millennials especially embrace Halloween as 93 percent plan to dress up in celebration, significantly more than Gen X and Boomers.
Top Trends
How We Shop and Plan
· Planning Ahead: Females are more likely to plan their costumes one to three months in advance and typically do prior research before going to a store and know exactly what they want.
· Last Minute Men: Males are twice as likely to wait until the last minute to decide what to wear.
· Costume Envy: Millennials are especially prone to feeling deflated when other costumes are better than theirs – 43 percent compared to 24 percent of those aged 34 to 54. Perhaps that’s why millennials are the most likely to visit a thrift store to prepare their costume to ensure they have a unique look.
· Millennial Matching: Half of millennials report they like to match their significant other, compared to about a quarter of those aged 34 to 54 and about 15 percent of those aged 55 and older.
Thinking Thrift for Halloween
For the nearly half of Americans who hate it when someone has the same costume as them, Savers is a one-stop shop for creating a costume that’s one-of-a-kind. In addition to secondhand finds, shoppers can find an extensive selection of new accessories and packaged costumes exclusive to Savers. In fact, about three quarters of Americans take a mixed approach to their costume – buying some new pieces and thrifting others – and the majority (87 percent) admire a person who puts together a costume from a thrift store.
Shopping thrift for Halloween is not only a win for costume contests, but also for consumers’ wallets. Two-thirds of Americans try to maximize their Halloween budgets by shopping at thrift stores, and 88 percent of Americans feel they don’t need to spend a fortune to create the best costume. At Savers, adult costumes start at $14.99, kids costumes at $9.99 and accessories start at $0.99.
Aside from the green they’ll save, shoppers also see thrift as a greener option for the planet. A majority of Americans think of thrift stores as better for the environment, and 68 percent of people try to encourage others to use thrift stores for costumes.
“Each Halloween, Savers is proud to be the destination for unique and budget-conscious costumes. Our impressive selection of both new and pre-owned Halloween merchandise allows shoppers to put together something that’s truly special. By combining new and pre-owned elements, our shoppers can not only create great costumes, but also be kinder to the environment," said Duane Woods, CEO of Savers.
Celebrate with Savers
· In-Store Inspiration: Savers stores have trained Costume Consultants ready to help put together the perfect costume. Many stores host free “Halloween Costume Catwalk” fashion shows throughout October that showcase Halloween looks for adults and children.
· Halloween Hub: Savers.com provides a store locator tool, costume inspiration and instructions for Halloween DIY costumes and home décor.
· Social Media: More than half Americans share photos of their Halloween celebrations, so join in on the fun by engaging with Savers’ social networks via the #thriftortreat hashtag on Facebook.com/Savers, @SaversVVillage on Twitter and @Savers_thrift on Instagram.
· Pinspiration: Discover Halloween costume ideas, spooky décor ideas and more on the @SaversVVillage Pinterest channel.
For full results from Savers’ Halloween Survey, high-resolution Halloween costume images or a Halloween shopping trend infographic, please contact press@savers.com.
*Methodology Note: The Savers Halloween Shopping Survey was conducted by Edelman Intelligence during the summer of 2017 and polled 1,044 nationally representative consumers aged 18 and older.
About Savers
The Savers family of stores is a for-profit, global thrift retailer offering great quality, gently used clothing, accessories and household goods. Our business model of purchasing, reselling and recycling gives communities a smart way to shop and keeps more than 700 million pounds of used goods from landfills each year. We also help more than 120 nonprofit organizations by paying them for donated goods, which supports their vital community programs and services. Our brands comprise Savers® (in the U.S. and Australia), Value Village™ (in the U.S. and Canada), Unique® (in the U.S.), and Village des Valeurs® (in Quebec). All in all, we operate over 330 locations and have 22,000 employees.
Email: press@oc.usda.gov
Secretary Perdue Announces USDA Improvements for Customer Service & Efficiency
Please click here or on image to watch a video message Secretary Perdue sent to USDA staff
(Washington, D.C., September 7, 2017) – Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the realignment of a number of offices within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in order to improve customer service and maximize efficiency. The actions involve innovation, consolidation, and the rearrangement of certain offices into more logical organizational reporting structures. The changes build on the reorganization Perdue announced in May. As with the previous realignment, today’s announced restructuring comes with the intention of handling any staffing changes through attrition or reassignment.
“On my first day as secretary, I told our employees that I wanted USDA to be the most effective, most efficient, and best managed department in the federal government. These changes will move us further toward that goal,” Perdue said. “We are already providing our customers with great service, and our career professionals are among the best in the federal government, but we can be even better. This realignment represents further progress on the improvements to USDA we made earlier this year, and will help us better meet the needs of farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers, while providing increased accountability to American taxpayers.”
The realignments include:
Advancing Trade
In keeping with Congress’ directive in the 2014 Farm Bill and to advance agricultural trade, the Department in May created an Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs (TFAA). The importance of this addition is underscored by recent U.S. advances in international trade. USDA anticipates that U.S. farm exports will total $139.8 billion this fiscal year, the third-highest tally in history. We have also seen the return of U.S. beef to China after a 13-year hiatus, while significantly, an agreement was reached to allow the U.S. to export rice to that market for the first time ever. In addition, South Korea has lifted its ban on imports of U.S. poultry and poultry products, including fresh eggs, and an agreement was reached with Colombia to allow for expanded market access for U.S. exports of paddy rice. Just this week, Vietnam announced that it will resume importing American distiller’s dried grains (DDGS).
While reviewing options for improving coordination on trade and international activities, USDA determined that the Codex Alimentarius program (U.S. Codex Office), currently housed in the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), will be moved to the newly created TFAA mission area. The U.S. Codex Office is an interagency partnership which engages stakeholders in the development of international governmental and non-governmental food standards. The focus of the Codex Office aligns better with the mission of TFAA.
Driving Rural Development
The USDA reorganization announced in May created a new position of Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development (RD) and situated it to report directly to the secretary. Since then, RD has been leading efforts to promote economic development and revitalization, job growth, infrastructure, innovation, and quality of life issues for rural America.
RD has spearheaded efforts to improve the rural economy through the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity. There have been meetings in which participants held a wide-ranging dialogue, discussing – among other issues – access to broadband, community infrastructure, community mental and physical health, workforce training and veterans’ employment, agricultural research, regulatory reform, improved access to capital, and increased local control of decision-making. Four working groups have been established to gather recommendations on issues regarding the quality of life in rural America; the rural workforce; innovation, technology, and data; and economic development. These working groups have met at least 10 times. In addition, Secretary Perdue has hosted five Task Force meetings – either with Cabinet members or in listening sessions with the people of American agriculture during his “Back to Our Roots” RV Tours. By doing this he has heard the opinions of many hundreds of citizens. A report with concrete actions on statutes to be enacted or repealed; regulations to be promulgated, amended, or eliminated; and programs and policies to be implemented, streamlined, or discarded will be provided to President Trump in late October.
In order to develop fresh, creative solutions to reinvigorate rural America, the new structures announced today establish an Innovation Center within RD. The RD Innovation Center will be tasked with evaluating the impacts of the business, housing, and utilities programs provided by the Department. Through such evaluation, USDA will be better informed as to where additional investments will be most impactful when it comes to RD program delivery. RD will be continuously identifying best practices in economic development, measuring performance of programs, and promoting collaboration across agencies.
Concentrating Industry Engagement
The realignment announced in May reconstituted and renamed a mission area headed by the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC). Under the newly-organized FPAC mission area, the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the Risk Management Agency, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service were realigned to report to the renamed Under Secretary. The improvements announced today make changes to some programs to fit them into more logical places to help better coordinate service to USDA customers.
Rather than have commodity procurement in multiple agencies of the USDA, the International Food Commodity Procurement program currently in the Farm Service Agency (FSA) will merge into the domestic Commodity Food Procurement program in the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). This action will consolidate commodity procurement activities across the USDA and allow for greater efficiencies in the acquisition of commodities.
Also, instead of having commodity grading and inspection in multiple USDA agencies, the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) will be merged into AMS. Currently, GIPSA and AMS both carry out grading activities and work to ensure fair trade practices. Specific to fair trade practice work, the new structure will contain a program area composed of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act Program and the Packers and Stockyards Program, as well as some other regulatory activities AMS is currently directed to carry out. In addition, this new program area will have the responsibility to carry out Warehouse Act functions currently being provided by FSA. The grain inspection activities will become a separate program area in AMS. These improvements will provide a unified USDA presence focused not on programs, but on customers and the services they are provided.
In addition, FPAC is currently undertaking a customer engagement review to better understand what is working and what needs improvement so that USDA can best support farmers and producers today and in the future.
Reducing Redundancies
While creating the Farm Production and Conservation mission area, it became apparent that across USDA there are redundancies and inefficiencies in the mission support activities. Presently some agencies maintain redundant administrative support functions, including human resources, information technology (IT), finance, procurement, and property management. For example, there are 22 employees in the department that are identified as Chief Information Officers (CIOs). Having such a large number of CIOs creates redundancies throughout the Department when it comes to leadership on IT activities and services and results in unnecessary layering of leadership and direction. Therefore, mission support activities will be merged at the mission area level across USDA. Through these mergers, the mission areas will not only increase operational efficiencies, but also maximize collaboration between agencies that serve similar customers. This has happened in many of the support activities in mission areas already and is working well.
Focusing Nutrition Efforts
In order to better serve the nutritional needs of USDA customers, the new blueprint calls for merging the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) into the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). This makes sense because the two are closely intertwined and serve a similar mission. CNPP works to improve the health and well-being of Americans by developing and promoting dietary guidance that links scientific research to the nutrition needs of consumers. FNS seeks to end hunger and obesity through the administration of 15 Federal nutrition assistance programs, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Instead of having a politically-appointed administrator of CNPP, the agency will be headed by a career associate administrator. Incorporating CNPP into FNS will improve administrative efficiencies and allow closer integration of the work of these two agencies.
Engaging Customers
In an effort to create a consistent customer-focused outreach effort, the USDA will create an Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement by grouping the following offices together: the Office of Advocacy and Outreach; the Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships staff; the Office of Tribal Relations; and the Military Veterans Liaison. Each office will retain its own character and identity, and continue to communicate with its core constituency, but this realignment will ensure a more coordinated and consistent approach. This will result in improved service and enhanced engagement with USDA’s customers.
Realigning Pest Management
The new alignment moves the Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP) from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to the Office of the Chief Economist. OPMP coordinates the USDA role in the pesticide regulatory process and related interagency affairs. Its focus does not coincide with the mission of ARS and can be better situated in the Office of the Chief Economist.
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THE USED
Announce Upcoming Album
The Canyon
To Be Released October 27th
New Song and Music Video for
September 7th, 2017 - Los Angeles, CA - The Used have announced they will be releasing their seventh studio album titled, The Canyon due out October 27th on Hopeless Records. Produced by Ross Robinson (The Cure, At The Drive In), the 17-track album is the most raw, unadulterated and personal piece of art the band has ever released.
The Canyon will take fans on a lyrical journey through the intimate psyche of Bert McCracken. The intricate musical composition displayed presented itself to the band in a way it never has before. "I've learned as an artist that a great idea is such a gift. If I don't stop whatever it is I'm doing, even if while driving, if I don't pull over at that moment, then maybe I didn't deserve the idea to begin with. I learned to respect and worship the ideas in that way, that they are and will always be something sacred. Stopping in that moment was a brand new approach for us during this process" says McCracken.
Every musical note and vocal heard on the record was recorded entirely on tape without a click track at the legendary Valentine Studio with some songs featuring string arrangements and a choir. The process was unique and unlike anything the band has done before. They would hit record and play it as if they were on stage, without a backing track. Songs weren't played and recorded repeatedly until the magic was gone. What you are hearing is what really took place within the recording process. Every nuance was captured and with every listen you experience something new.
Over the last 15 years The Used have released a collection of albums that have shaped the space of the alternative rock scene. High energy live shows, gut wrenching relatable lyrics, and melodies that blended pop sensibility and hard rock creating the perfect combination to make an everlasting impression on fans globally. The band put everything into writing and recording The Canyon and from start to finish you are submerged into an inescapable visceral universe and McCracken leaves us with, "That's what this record is - it's a moment of silence for what's real." To pre-order, visit smarturl.it/theusedmerch.
The Canyon Tracklisting
1. For You
2. Cold War Telescreen
3. Broken Windows
4. Rise Up Lights
5. Vertigo Cave
6. Pretty Picture
7. Funeral Post
8. Upper Falls
9. The Divine Absence (This Is Water)
10. Selfies In Aleppo
11. Moving The Mountain (Odysseus Surrenders)
12. Over and Over Again
13. The Quiet War
14. Moon-Dream
15. The Nexus
16. About You (No Songs Left to Sing)
17. The Mouth Of The Canyon
Cover Art Download Here
The Used will be hitting the road this Fall with support from Glassjaw. This month-long tour will kick off in San Francisco on October 27th and wrap up on November 29th in Seattle. If you purchase a ticket to The Used's upcoming tour with Glassjaw, you will also receive a digital download of the new album, The Canyon, upon release date. For more info and to purchase tickets and VIP packages, visit theused.net.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
10/27 San Francisco, CA The Masonic
10/28 Los Angeles, CA Palladium
10/30 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
10/31 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theatre
11/2 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
11/3 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
11/5 Grand Rapids, MI 20 Monroe Live
11/7 Boston, MA House of Blues
11/8 New York, NY Terminal 5
11/10 Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore
11/12 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
11/14 Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore
11/15 Nashville, TN War Memorial Auditorium
11/17 San Antonio, TX The Vibes Event Center
11/18 Houston, TX Revention Music Center
11/19 Dallas, TX Southside Ballroom
11/21 Phoenix, AZ The Van Buren
11/24 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
11/25 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
11/28 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
11/29 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
Tour Admat Download Here
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The Used is Bert McCracken (vocals), Jeph Howard (bass), Dan Whitesides (drums), and Justin Shekoski (guitar).
Press Photo Download Here
For more information on The Used, please visit:
Website: www.TheUsed.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheUsed
Twitter: twitter.com/WeAreTheUsed
