Out of Treat

Last night, I left work a little early than usual to take our daughter to a nearby mall for trick-or-treat, which was scheduled from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

By the time we got there, it was 5:00 pm and some kids were already on their way out. Apparently, the party was almost over. Most of the stores, which did participate, had nothing but an orange note on their doors “Sorry, Out Of Treats,” telling people don’t even bother to come in and ask for treat, unless you want to buy their stuff. For a handful of stores that still had treats, the candies were probably the cheapest you could find and some just gave kids store-name-bearing stickers bearing, a nice way to make you remember them.

Disappointed? Yes, a little, though my daughter was just happy to be there.

The stores made money from us every day throughout the year, yet they seemed unwilling to spend a penny more on candies for the once-a-year three-hour event! And how much could some candies add to the cost? One hundred? Two hundred? or five hundred? From the time they took to empty their pockets, it was a big number for sure.

When we left the mall at 6:30, the candies in my daughter’s pumpkin basket could barely cover the bottom. If the stores are willing to spend a little more on candies and make every kid happy, I am willing to spend more on their merchandises in return.