Projo Biz Blog

Football fans gearing up for the Super Bowl apparently are feeling the pinch of a tight economy, according to a new survey conducted for the National Retail Federation.

An estimated 167 million adults will watch the big game this year, up from 158 million last year, the survey found. People tuned in to the annual NFL championship game each year tend to roll out all manner of culinary choices for smorgasbords to keep guests fueled up to the last hike. With every passing year, buffets have become bigger and more elaborate and purchases tied to the game larger and larger (think 60-inch plasma TVs.)

Probably not this year, according to the survey by BIGresearch. Though more people will be watching the game, the parties may be scaled back. Super Bowl viewers plan to spend an average of $57.27 on food, merchandise, team apparel and even furniture, less than the $59.90 they said they'd spend last year. In all, shoppers will spend $9.6 billion preparing for the game.

"With the economy on everyone's mind, most Super Bowl viewers will tone down their plans this year," Mike Gatti, an NRF spokesman, said.

Fewer people plan to buy electronics, apparel and furniture for the game, according to the survey. But people still gotta eat, so nearly three-quarters of consumers, 72.4 percent, will buy food and beverages for the evening, compared to 67.4 percent last year.

 Tags  economy football retail sports Super Bowl

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