So How Did Your "Please Take 1" Candy Bowl Work Out Tonight?

Really Jo W? As an adult you would ROB someone blind? To prove that being a nice person is an idiotic idea? Wow. Just wow.

I won't put out a bowl ever, because you are just buying a whole bag of candy for one dishonest kid.

I had a lot of candy last night, and I had the tray sitting out on a table in front of me. When the children would come up, I'd say, "You may take a braclet (glow in the dark) and a piece of candy." I kid you not, some kids would grab 6 braclets and a handful of candy and walk away. I was flabergasted!
What upset me last night was the lack of manners in children and even some of the parents. Some of the kids wouldn't even say anything at all, no Trick or Treat or even a thank you. When I would wave and smile at the parents, they would just ignore me and continue playing on their cell phones. It made me feel sad.
But, my kids had a good time, and I guess that is all I should worry about!

I have never understood the logic of putting out a bowl with a note. Really I am 43 and I would rob you blind just to prove the idiocy of the idea but I am silly and really like candy.

Having said that might I suggest you don't put a note saying you are out TTing, what ever the heck that might be, and just leave your light off as the rest of us do if we are not ready to man the post as it is.

I didn't do the bowl but unfortunately there will always be a percentage of the population who take advantage of every situation. Then they will call you an idiot just to make themselves feel good. It happens at all ages and is probably passed from each generation. I think it is luck of the draw if your house isn't hit by someone in this population and it doesn't matter the neighborhood. It isn't candy but I once dropped some money in poverty ridden Haiti and the local guy behind me let me know instead of picking it up to keep for himself, but I'm sure some of the richest people in America have greedy candy syndrome.

It was nice of you to think about contributing to the candy distribution in the neighborhood.

We have 6 families on our block who all have little kids so we trick or treat and then one person has everyone over. We put a bowl out after a certain time, for the older kids who are out, and ours lasted the whole night. There was just a little bit left when I brought it inside. Our kids are pretty respectful around here I guess!

A few years ago we were invited to a Halloween party and I left a bowl on the front porch. I made a big sign that said, "please just take 1 and Lucky (our dog) is watching you."
My husband, kids and friends all made fun of me and said that the first kid that came by was going to dump that bowl in their sack and be gone! We came home and the bowl was still 1/2 full! ;)

started the night with about 400 pc of candy. have less than 50 left. loads of kids this year. loved it. all sweet little ones and polite bigger ones. it was a good halloween in our new neighborhood

.

Seems to be a common problem. But I've never really understood the point of putting a bowl out for kids to just grab it....part of the joy of trick or treating is going up to a house, knocking on the door, and yelling "trick or treat!!!" If everyone just put out a bowl of candy, I wouldn't even bother with the whole costume thing, I'd just buy a mixed bag at the store and call it a night. JMO.

Yeah, I was a little disappointed. In my old neighborhood, we had our little scarecrow "guard" the candy bowl with a little note to take 2. Last night, our first Halloween in this state. We're in a nice neighborhood, so I did the same thing. Little scarecrow, cutesy note, big bowl, FOUR HUNDRED candies. We were gone an hour, and came home to an EMPTY bowl.
EMPTY? In an hour?
But then again----400 candies, 3 each, that's 133 children....yeah, it's totally possible that 133 children came by in an hour. Maybe some of them took a handful instead, but I'm HOPING that lots of children got some candy instead of one child getting a bucket full. I'm not going to lose my faith in humanity.....there were a lot of kids out. It's possible that 133 kids came by while I was gone (about 15 came by in 20 minutes before we got out the door). Nex year, maybe I'll buy a little more.
While trick or treating last night we saw a few homes on a cul de sac where the adults combined their stuff and had a little party and the trick or treaters would just go under the little canopy to get the candy from each bowl. That actually looked fun, and we may visit that idea with our neighbors next year. We could take turns trick or treating (I'll go left with the boys, go up the street, and return and then husband can go right with the boys and up the street). We'll see. Neither of us want to miss out since the kids are so young and it's fun / cute. But we also don't want to be people who take our neighbor's candy and don't contribute to the fun. And had plenty of candy to pour back into the bowl and "regift" for the later trick or treaters. The boys still have plenty to eat on, even if mom and dad help out. :P
It was a good night though. Everyone was nice, polite, happy. :)

yes, mine is still in tact. I didn't put any signs out either. I live on a hill. Any one willing to walk it in my opinion can take as many pieces as they like.

My bowl lasted 5 minutes. Literally, I put it out, went back into the house to get my house key to take my daughter out, and by the time I got back out it was gone. I had over 100 pieces in it. I figured I must of had good candy because everyone else's bucket was till full around 7:30. It's normal in my neighborhood to leave a bucket and go out with kids or meet up with other adults for block parties.

Edit: For what it's worth, I've done this for 3 years and this is the first year this has happened. Usually, I have candy left over.

I didn't leave a note this year and we had leftovers. There wasn't a lot of kids like the 200+ we used to get. Maybe 50 kids or so. I only purchased about 5 bags of candy this year.

We put out candy while we went to a neighborhood party. We checked in every now and then on our candle lit jack o lanterns and decorations and all was well. We love handing out candy but also want to go as a family to trick or treat. Soooo, some get the bowl and some get to see our mugs.

Good luck and best wishes!

Mine was empty when I got home, but that was after 1.5 hours. And I saw several bowls out around my neighborhood with varying amounts in them, so it seems like we're an honor system neighborhood :)

Friend said it worked at his house, but I've rarely seen it work and I certainly wouldn't use a bowl I didn't want to lose. People are just greedy and rude. Even at the mall, where I took my DD, if they let her take candy I made her take ONE and say trick or treat and thank you. There was one store where she tried to grab gobs and I cut her off. Where the bowl doesn't work 1) the kids are not attended and 2) they have greedy parents, too.

Just wait til TODAY and all that candy will be 50% off at the store. Buy your own.

i dont know.........i put out bags of cookies with a sign saying "please take 1 bag" in spanish and english.........an hour and a half later the bucket and sign were on the ground.

I hope at least some youngins got to it before the "too old to be trick or treating" teens.

It worked fine for us. I'm sure some took more than one, but I think most children are honest. I guess I never thought of it being idiotic, but that's just me.

Last year same thing happen to us at least they didn't take the bowl because the neighbor down the street said they took the bowl too and it was a antique. Anyhow, this year we didn't put take one, just put a small bowl with candy and did are part. It was obviously gone so I guess the sign doesn't matter for the young kids who are probably not the issue the culpurts... I suspect its the people that don't live in our neighborhood who trick or treat since we have a quite active neighborhood and safe area to trick or treat in.

I only put the bowl out when it was time to put my kids to bed and didn't want to answer the foor anymore. I decided to put it all out, thinking that even if they did take the whole thing at least we wouldn't have any leftovers. I could hear one group of kids (they must be at least pre-teen, out at 8:30 without parents) joyous that we had Sour Patch Kids, which I have come to know as the Good Stuff. Then 5 minutes later I hear a pouding on the door and I knew the bowl was empty. Oh well, lucky kids.

I would NEVER allow my kids to do that. It's not fair or right...taking all of it when there is more than enough for everyone is crappy. And to steal is awful. Having said that, my bowl stayed inside until my hubby got home. It was filled and by the door, so all he had to do was grab it and sit on the porch. He refilled it once, and then left some stuff inside when he saw it was only the too old for tting crowd out.

We didn't do it but at our 3rd house we stopped at the lady said not only did they take all the candy but took her bowl.

We put a bucket out without a sign and after visiting the grandparents (kids are young) and kids were in bed I brought in the candy bowl. The bowl still had some candy in it!

Ours worked out fine, but we were only out from 4-5 trick or treating, and almost all the kids had parents with them. It was only as we were returning home that a few stray alone kids were out.

Mind you, the kids I saw would have taken the whole bowl. I put my sons pumpkin down near the sidewalk for my hubby to grab as I had to run inside, and the boy was about ready to take it! My hubby was only about 15 feet from the bowl, with my son. I'm sure the kid thought someone "lost it."

We gave out 22 bags of candy this year. I finally had to turn off my porch light and inside lights at 8:45 p.m. The kids really got into handing out candy this year and they were overly generous. I told them just to give a small handful out to everyone, but their idea of a handful was way more than mine. But they had a great time doing it. They had more fun giving out candy than going door to door earlier in the night. They only lasted about an hour.

I just realized it's 6:45 and we haven't had one trick or treater. That bowl would've been safe on our porch. The porch light is even on. I don't think there are any kids left in my neighborhood. We're all either seniors or new families with toddlers.

I didn't put a sign on it, even though my husband suggested it. When we got home about 2 hours later, there were 2 pieces left in the bowl. So I added a little bit more candy, and brought the bowl back in about an hour later and it was empty. We don't get many kids here, so I know they must have been grabbing handfuls. But honestly, I am SO glad it was emptied... I didn't want to be stuck with all that candy, especially since my kids got plenty themselves!

We used to do that all the time out in the country and people were very respectful, maybe they just didn't like our candy and didn't think it was worth the effort to prove that we were idiots.
Hubby handed out the candy this year and we had more than half left over, by the time the kids and I got home at 7. The weather was decent i'm not sure why we didn't have more kids or why he didn't start giving out handfuls like i would have.
What i find odd about your story is that there were teens out that early, usually they are the last ones out in the last 2 places we have lived.
Oh well, maybe they will share with their brothers and sisters at home that couldn't go out because they were _fake_"cough, cough" sick. or maybe they will eat it all and karma will cause them to puke it all up.
Hope your kids had a great time!!

My mom has got this figured out!! We always go trick or treating with my parents in their neighborhood. She brings the bowl with her and passes it out while trick or treating. I realize that wouldnt work out for you while you were feeding the kids, but while your trick or treating you could pass out candy!

I think its genius!

And yeah, very rude to take all the candy. Some kids just dont have good manners!