Fewer fans are splurging on Super Bowl bashes

Allen Channel's house is usually party central on Super Bowl Sunday.

Not this year.

With a new baby and a worsening economy, the 39-year-old office manager decided to cancel the get-together he has put on for friends and family for the last eight years.

He'll still watch as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals fight for the Super Bowl title -- but not at his Fullerton home. He'll be at his brother's house in Oceanside, where the bash will double as his birthday party. It's quite a change from the up to $500 he used to spend on food and drinks for game day.

"We're trying to squeeze every cent that we can out of this," said Channel, who works for a small real estate company in Santa Monica. "Usually I go all out for the Super Bowl, but I don't think I can afford that this year."

With the economy in recession and unemployment on the rise, many Americans will party less hearty for this year's Super Bowl. One measure of that might be called the Guacamole Index. The California Avocado Commission says Americans will consume 46 million pounds of avocados this weekend, down from nearly 50 million pounds last year.

Beverage retailers are also seeing a downturn. At Mr. Kegs in Huntington Beach, pre-order sales are off at least 20%. "The whole gamut's down, not necessarily the premium beers more than the domestics," said company owner Jim Schaffer. "Kegs are a luxury for everybody these days."

Big-screen TVs? Same story. In a good season, Ken Crane's can sell 500 televisions the week before the game, which usually matches Christmas as the hottest sales period, said Executive Vice President Pam Crane.

"In this economy, there's not a lot moving the needle, so the past week was not as good as other Super Bowl weeks of yore," said Crane, whose company has 10 Southland locations. "Business isn't booming as it usually would."

Also taking a hard hit are the seasonal party goods stores, which usually start carrying "#1" signs and football-shaped candies in anticipation of a sales spike.

"Super Bowl is a big deal," said Don Morgan, executive director of the Party Club of America, a buying coalition for 300 party goods stores. "It's become quite an event, with a staggering amount of stuff offered."