A Mall Halloween

New York: The Garden State Plaza Mall is expecting some pretty scary guests this week. Some report that an approximate 12,000 ghosts, goblins, ghouls and assorted superheroes are expected as visitors, and management is scrambling to accommodate them by extending Halloween for three nights.

Trick-or-treaters wandering through the 200-store complex will be greeted by actors dressed as Batman, Joker and Cat Woman, costing management about $25,000. Candies, holiday stickers and prizes that will be given out. The mall experience is intended to replace the traditional house-to-house, door-to-door parade of children through Bergen County communities.

The advantage to the mall, of course, is that parents do not have to worry about traffic dangers, dark streets and treats that are poisoned, or tainted with razor blades. Because of these incidents, people have been gravitating more to malls and household parties anyway.

Children will still have the option of going from store to store, since some merchants will have additional goodies. Last year, organizers of the event spent $18,000 on candy alone — 125,000 pieces. This year they expect to hand out 140,000 pieces of candy.

Because of its popularity, the event has taken root at the Westfield concern’s six other malls, and similar indoor events are being sponsored by other malls in the region.