Retailers sack fans’ wallets during Super Bowl fever

by Linnea Kirgan, January 30th, 2008, 6:16 am

I don’t know who’s more excited for the Super Bowl next Sunday between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants — the fans or the retailers.  

While you send out your Evites and place those final bets, retailers are betting that you’ll go the extra mile to make your Super Bowl party a blow out — with loads of snacks, beverages, and maybe even a brand new flatscreen HDTV. In fact, the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) expects this year’s Super Bowl to ring up nearly $10 billion in sales.

Even if you’re not a football fan, you can’t miss the signs everywhere that the big game is this weekend. Walk into a supermarket, like I did last night, and bump into can’t-miss displays — like my local market’s chest-high stacks of Miller Light and Heineken cases, a blow-up recliner, and a Tostitos football player balloon floating overhead. 

So, what will this year’s planners spend their bucks on?

A new big flat-screen HDTV: Costs anywhere from $1,000 at the low-end on up. RAMA estimates that nearly 4 million consumers plan to buy a new TV before the game. Expect the TV displays at your Best Buys, Wal-Marts, and Costcos to be busy this week.  Here are some shopping guides. Upping the stakes, Circuit City guarantees that customers who buy their TV by Wednesday can have the set installed by its firedog technical staff by kickoff. Furniture to seat your guests is also a popular seller, with 2.5 million people planning to buy a piece before Sunday. La-Z-Boy has an “armchair quarterback” promotion going on, pushing discounted recliners and giving away a new media room.

Beer and munchies: You know what you and your friends like — buy lots of it. Grocery stores make big bucks off veggie and deli trays this time of year. So do local and national pizza places — if you don’t feel like messing up the kitchen.

Decorations: From yard signs to megaphones to referee shirt trays, there’s still time to order up before the game. Plus, don’t forget to wear your team colors — RAMA estimates that consumers will spend $60 on Super Bowl-related merchandise. Here’s a site with lots of decorating tips. Readers send in their suggestions here, including the importance of having foam bricks on hand for those inevitable questionable calls. (Don’t want to break that brand new TV!)

Adding up the above, you could spend thousands on a bash if you go all out.  Or, you could just skip the new TV, strap on a heart rate monitor, grip the arms of your recliner, and watch the game without the crowd. Whatever your viewing preference, the game looks to be a good one.