NRF: St. Patrick’s Day spending expected to be flat Print
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Wednesday, 05 March 2014 04:51 PM America/New_York

Abbey-ToBeIrishTumblerSt. Patrick’s Day will see 133 million celebrants this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) consumer survey. They’ll be spending $4.8 billion on the day’s festivities, which is essentially flat with last year.

Conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics, the NRF survey shows that the average person will spend approximately $35 for the holiday, increasing traffic for stores and restaurants selling all things green.

Although spending on St. Patrick’s is small in comparison with other holidays, it is still “a social event in communities across the country and an important day for the retail industry,” writes Kathy Grannis in the NRF blog.

Grannis said it a popular holiday for millennials with 77% of 18-24 year-olds planning to celebrate and 90% of them wearing something green. Eight in 10 Americans celebrating the holiday said they will don green apparel, and another one in five will decorate their home or office with St. Patrick’s Day decor.