Shopping for Halloween costumes and gifts, can be one of the more enjoyable shopping trips with children. Let them go for it in terms of their creative imagination and, with plenty of choice on the market, there is great value to be had. However, there are a few items to consider: safety, for example.

While we here in Irish Country Living laugh about the days when our parents used make our witch costumes out of decorated black bags, safety has been brought a little more to the fore in recent years.

Speaking to Irish Country Living, Áine Carroll from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) says the first thing to look out for in terms of safety is the CE mark.

“Certain products, including toys, sold in the EU, must comply with specific safety regulations. Toys must carry the CE mark, which shows that they meet the required safety standards and the product has undergone safety testing in the design and manufacture process.

“Children’s costumes are classified as toys, so you should look for the CE mark when you are buying them. All masks, wigs and other similar Halloween costume accessories should also have a visible CE mark.”

That’s not the only thing parents need to watch out for: get reading the safety instructions. It might be one of those things that you feel goes without saying, but with all the excitement, packaging may be ripped off in an excited frenzy and left behind in the trick-or-treat madness.

“Make sure the props and toys your child is using this Halloween are suitable. Some children – particularly those under the age of three – may be more vulnerable, particularly to choking due to the presence of small detachable parts, and some props may be unsuitable for them,” explains Áine.

“Check if there is a warning about an appropriate age group for the prop, and ask yourself if it is suitable for your child’s age.” Then a fashion show is necessary to make sure everything fits, to avoid trips and falls.

Burning issues

While there is always plenty of notice given coming up to the Christmas season in terms of turning off festive lights and decorations, the same message isn’t quite as clearly emphasised when it comes to those pumpkin parties.

Although the burning flames really set the scene and give your home that spooky ambience, they should really be avoided if possible. Áine says: “Avoid lighting candles for Halloween around your home. Open flames are a risk at any time of year, but particularly when your children are wearing costumes that might have long or flowing materials, like capes and fake beards.

“Plastic bin liners, which are sometimes used for Halloween costumes, can pose a fire risk. Look for battery-operated candles, instead of lit ones, for pumpkins.”

The sound of fireworks seems to go hand in hand with this spooky time of year, but Áine says it is important to emphasise that they are illegal. Just because they are easily accessible and everyone seems to be doing it doesn’t alter their legal status. CL

For more information, log onto www.ccpc.ie.

>> Spooky savings

Get creative

Halloween is a great time to get creative to save money. Making your own costumes can be really inexpensive, and there are lots of ideas available online. If you’re having a Halloween party, make your own decorations and props from items you have in your house. And if you’re having a Halloween party, steer clear of Halloween-themed food – you can find lots of ideas online for turning everyday food “spooky”.

Dodgy products

Think you’ve purchased a dodgy product? The CCPC is the Irish contact point for a Europe-wide rapid-alert system for unsafe products called RAPEX, a list of all product recalls in the EU. This means if an unsafe product is found anywhere in Europe, the CCPC – and similar agencies across Europe – will quickly know about it through RAPEX. You can get a list of recent product recalls on www.ccpc.ie.

Know your online rights

If you buy from online sellers, you have specific consumer rights. If an item arrives and you decide you don’t want it, you have 14 days from the date it is delivered to return it and get a full refund. If you cancel the order because you change your mind, you may have to pay for the cost of returning it. But, if the item is faulty, then you do not have to pay for the cost of returning it.

Online shopping made easier

It is the unspoken rule here in Irish Country Living that we can’t talk about Christmas shopping until the Halloween holidays are behind us. So, instead we’ll call it “festive shopping”.

Whether we like it or not, the season of festive shopping is nearly upon us with more and more consumers opting to ditch the dash around the shops, sit in the comfort of their homes and get their presents delivered to them.

That’s all well and good. However, a recent study by An Post found that 48% of adults in Ireland say they shop online at least once monthly, but when it comes to returning unsuitable goods, consumers are hesitant.

One third (32%) of respondents say they have failed to return unsuitable goods bought online because of difficulty getting the goods back to the retailer. Just one in four Irish adults say they will always return goods with which they are not 100% satisfied.

We’re assuming that some of this is down to laziness – but most of it is down to hassle and inconvenience. Life can be busy enough without trying to get to the post office before it closes.

So, to make online shopping easier, An Post has just launched a new service called ReturnPal. The app is free to download from the Apple Store and Google Play Store, and registration is also free.

Online shoppers can then have their unsuitable or unwanted goods collected by An Post from an address of their choosing and returned directly to the retailer from which the goods came.

There’s no need to be at home when the postperson calls to pick up a return; just fill in the details through the app.

Return parcels can be left in a safe place, such as the customer’s porch or their windowsill.

There is also no need to print a label, as the postperson will supply the return label from the details you provide through the app.

Great news for those of us with a wardrobe full of unreturned, ill-fitting clothes!