Easter Sunday 2026 arrives with a record on paper. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics, Americans are expected to spend $24.9 billion on the holiday — a new high, topping the previous record of $24 billion set in 2023. Per-person, that's $195.59, also a record.
But read past the headline and a more complicated picture comes into view: this is, in meaningful ways, a discount story.
Where the Money Is Going — and Where It's Going To
Fifty-five percent of Easter celebrants this year plan to shop at discount stores, up from prior years. Club membership retailers like Costco are seeing a 5-percentage-point increase in Easter shoppers compared to 2025, according to CivicScience tracking. Department stores and specialty food shops, meanwhile, are falling further down the preference stack.
The shift reflects what's happened to prices. The Food Institute reports that Easter basket costs have jumped nearly 60% since 2021. A bag of M&M's for the kids' baskets now exceeds $5. Lindt bunnies clear $6. A traditional Easter dinner for ten will run upwards of $125. With gas at $3.98 a gallon, even getting to grandma's house costs more than it did two years ago.
So when consumers say they're spending $195 on Easter, many are simply paying 2026 prices for what used to cost $130. The record is partly a reflection of how expensive everything has become, not just how much families want to celebrate.
Tradition Is Winning, Even If Margins Aren't
Here's the striking data point from the NRF survey: 58% of consumers cite tradition as their primary motivation for Easter spending. Sales and promotions come in second at 36%. In an era of consumer pullback, economic anxiety, and brand-loyalty erosion — tradition is showing up as a genuine anchor.
That's important context for grocers and confectioners. People will spend on Easter candy and a big family meal because it's what they've always done. The question is whether they'll trade down on the brand or the retailer. This year, the evidence says: mostly the retailer.
Food spending is expected to reach $7.5 billion, the top category. Gifts follow at $3.9 billion, clothing at $3.7 billion, candy at $3.5 billion, and flowers at $2.2 billion. eMarketer notes that this record number comes despite ongoing inflationary pressure — a point that underscores how deeply embedded holiday spending habits are.
What Retailers Should Actually Take From This
The Easter data fits a pattern we've been tracking all year: consumers are not stopping spending, but they are ruthlessly optimizing where they spend. Discount stores and club retailers aren't winning because they're better at Easter marketing. They're winning because they've positioned themselves as the rational choice in a high-price environment.
For traditional grocery chains still operating on legacy pricing models, this Easter is a stress test. US retailers had been eyeing an Easter boost with sales projections hitting $24.9 billion — but a sale divided between Costco, Aldi, and Walmart looks very different from one anchored at the regional grocer.
Eighty percent of consumers are celebrating Easter today. They're cooking meals, hunting eggs, and visiting family. They're just doing it with a Kirkland-branded ham and a Walmart floral arrangement instead of the specialty shop version.
For retailers, the lesson isn't that consumers are pulling back. It's that they've become very good at spending a lot of money in the cheapest place they can find.