The end of October is near, which means Halloween is approaching fast and final preparations must be made. Finding a Halloween costume on a student’s budget can be difficult, but luckily there are a variety of affordable options available in Davis.
If price is your biggest concern, you may want to check out Walmart in Woodland. Walmart offers costumes ranging from $19 up to $35. Men’s costumes, both simple and deluxe, cost $19, while women will need to spend $19 or $35, depending on the complexity.
Costume types vary from the classic to the more eccentric. Options include the standard nurse and doctor, nerd, gangster and devil attire, as well as the unique champagne bottle and dollar bill outfits. In addition to costumes, Walmart has generic Halloween accessories for as little as $3 and a large quantity of decorations and party goods.
Comparable in price to Walmart is Target, located on Second Street, carries adult and child costumes for reasonable prices. Adult costumes at Target run from $25 to $35, with wigs and masks costing around $10 each. Target’s selection is more limited than Walmart’s, with most of the costumes already gone. The usual fairy and flapper outfits are still present, but much of Target’s stock has already been bought out.
If a standard costume is all that is needed, Party and Vac, located on East Eighth Street next to Dollar Tree is worth a visit. While the majority of the store’s costume selection is geared towards women, prices are around $20 to $25. The type of costume available is fairly typical, with a few outstanding getups such as a Lady Gaga dress. While Party and Vac’s prices are reasonable, it is important to note that all Halloween sales are final.
When price is less of an option, Halloween City offers the most variety in Davis. Halloween City can be found in The Marketplace in north Davis off of West Covell Boulevard. Halloween City has costumes from every genre, time period and pop culture reference from a cowboys and pirates section to Jersey Shore-themed wigs.
“We pretty much make a character out of everyone who comes in,” said Sophia Chew, executive assistant at Halloween City.
While the selection is vast, prices start at $30, with the most expensive topping at $50. Most women’s costumes are at the least $35, whereas men’s tend to be $25 to $30. The store does offer what are known as “Instant Costumes,” costumes comprised of a few matched accessories and are priced anywhere from $5 to $8.
Despite the higher prices, Chew believes that Halloween City has something to offer that other stores cannot.
“Students can find the last bit of the costume that they need here – the missing part,” she said.
Halloween City has a wide selection of extra additions including fake mustaches and beards, rubber masks, hats, wigs and costume makeup. Masks cost $10 and accessories start at $8. Alongside all of the costumes, Halloween City offers the largest collection of Halloween decorations for sale in Davis.
If the selection in Davis is not quite enough for the average student, there are countless web sites online to purchase the perfect Halloween getup from. PartyCity.com has hundreds of options, with sale costumes starting at $30.
Students can also get creative and visit regular retail stores or even the Yolo County SPCA Thrift Store, located at 920 Third Street in Davis, to piece together clothing to create their own original costume.
Andrew Yeung, a junior managerial economics major is a strong advocate of costume creativity.
“You’d be amazed at what people can come up with using what they have,” he said. “You don’t necessarily have to spend money at all.”
However, most students question whether it is worth spending so much money for a creative costume. Amanda Veatch, a junior animal science major, thinks staying on budget is most important.
“If a costume I wanted was too expensive, I would rather just pick a different one,” she said.
Yeung disagrees, feeling that sometimes a costume is really worth it.
“If a costume isn’t too expensive, I don’t mind spending money on it because I can use it again for a lot of occasions and not just Halloween,” he said.
So whether it is needed for one night only or many events to come, finding an affordable costume in Davis is possible. Be it homemade or store-bought, looking good come Halloween night does not have to break the bank.
JENNIFER SCOFIELD can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
