Despite President Trump’s threatened tariffs and fears of a recession, Americans plan to welcome the Easter Bunny with the same enthusiasm they celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas.
A survey by the National Retail Federation showed consumers planning to spend $23.6 billion to celebrate the holiday, up from $22.4 billion last year, with 92% of respondents saying they’ll buy candy; 89%, food; 65%, gifts; 51%, decorations, and 49%, clothing.
On average, U.S. adults plan to spend $189.26 each on the Easter holiday this year.
“During this time of economic uncertainty, consumers are prioritizing their Easter celebrations, and retailers are ready to help them enjoy this special occasion,” said Katherine Cullen, NRF VP of industry and consumer insights.
This year’s Easter celebrations are complicated by high egg prices.
Conspicuously absent from Walmart’s $42.68 bargain meal kit were eggs. Last year’s included 18 brown eggs among the 15 items in the kit, for an average cost of $8 per person. The 2025 kit boasts 9 items at an average $6 per person.
“The items in the (2025) basket are based on some of the most popular Easter meal items. This year we did not include ingredients that are typically already found in one’s pantry like salt, pepper, butter, milk and eggs,” Tricia Moriarty, a Walmart spokesperson, told Reuters.
The April 4 USDA report showed egg prices edging up again at the wholesale level to $3.26 a dozen while prices at the retail level creeped lower to $3.77. Supplies at grocery stores improved as consumers balked at prices that soared as high as $10 a dozen.
NRF said more than half of the consumers surveyed said they planned to cook a holiday meal, and 54% of families with children said they were planning an Easter egg hunt at home.
The survey of 7,970 adult consumers conducted March 3-7 also indicated Americans mindful of their pocketbooks planned to head to discount stores and take advantage of holiday-related sales to stock up.
NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz noted the projected spending comes on the heals of steady retail sales in March as tax refunds began hitting bank accounts. Sales were up 4% from last year, Census Bureau data showed.
“While sales were mixed, several factors supported retail sales including an early Easter holiday, slightly larger 2023 tax refunds and stronger payroll growth over the last three months,” Kleinhenz said.
“Nonetheless, the increasing share of consumer spending going to services as prices for services rise remains a stubborn problem because it leaves less household income available to spend on retail goods.”
The Food Institute Podcast
This Episode is Sponsored by: RSM
It’s tariff time, and companies the world over are working to better understand how their operations will be impacted. Jodi Ader from RSM US LLP joined The Food Institute Podcast to discuss which products and inputs are currently subject to tariffs, and how to best mitigate supply chain risks.