Not answering door on Halloween due to teens begging for money

[Fomm]

Besides I live in a first floor maisonette where the front door is on the ground

In some years I have been at work or out for non Halloween stuff. On the few occasions I have been at home on Halloween itself I switch off my doorbell- it has its own switch on the circuit board.

From posts on the various Spotted FB groups in previous years, teens go in groups of 4-6. Don’t dress up, ignore the unwritten rule of only go to properties that have a pumpkin/decorated. Then demand money.

Some even chuck eggs and flour at certain homes. Had this done at my previous home and it wasn’t nice removing dried egg from window glass.

It's not nice, is it? I don't mind the little kids dressed up, but teens demanding money should be reported.

Well I have never seen that happen in my area (and it’s certainly not a well off area) but if that’s what you want to do, then do it. Nobody can force you to open the door!

I enjoy giving out little bags of sweets but if a teen demanded money I’d slam the door in their face, I honestly don’t think this happens lots in real life maybe an odd incident.

Yep. They made our lives a misery at our previous house. The local shop stopped selling eggs a couple of days before Halloween because they were putting them through people's doors. We were on a new estate and had several gangs of 15 yr olds knocking. In the end we started going away this half term.

It's up to you whether or not you answer your door on any occasion, for any reason.

Not a thing here. We barely even get any kids coming for sweets these days. But anyway, of course you can answer your door or not as you see fit.

The supermarkets here allow sales of eggs to over 18s

I haven't seen this happening recently round here. If you don't put a pumpkin out you aren't participating is the generally accepted etiquette.

I'm sure it does happen though, and some teens can be complete PITAs. It's intimidating, but all you can do is not answer the door at all.

I've always found Halloween itself a total PITA anyway and was mighty relieved when my children finally grew out of it.

I used to participate but the greedy older kids put me off. One year I hadn't answered the door quick enough and found one of our pumpkins, which my kids had spent ages carving, upended and broken on the bonnet of my husband's van. Anyway, I have a little dog now, who goes a little crazy when the doorbell goes, so I keep everything dark on Halloween night now to keep him calm.

And this is why I go to the pub on Halloween...

Get a load of eggs to egg them back (make sure they are off)

Not a thing where I live but it's up to you whether you answer your door. Has someone suggested that you have to, I'm surprised it's a question, it's quite normal not to answer ime.

I can't remember where they come from but when my children were young enough to go round the houses there were posters you could print off to let people know you wouldn't be answering the door

Exactly.

My area is stark contrast, we have hundreds of people come (exaggerating a little but i think i have 40 odd ring doorbell notificationsfrom last year), but they are all dressed up, big groups of various ages, all accompanied by chaperone. Its an amazing time and I love it.

What’s your question? Surely no one thinks you should open your door?

Lights off, don't answer.
Luckily we haven't had any rude teens round here, but we did have a few groups who were really far too old to be out knocking on doors for sweets. It felt ridiculous handing out little bags of Haribo to a gang of lads towering over me. I'm still doing it this year, so will see what happens.

Apparently someone voted YABU, so at least one person does!

Exactly the same where I live. Get babies in prams to teenagers. They all get offered a bag of haribo no matter what age they are and have always been polite and I live in a shitty area. I love halloween but it would soon be stopped if people where throwing eggs

I don't care how old someone is if they knock on the door on Halloween or even if they are dressed up but they would be getting a door in their face if they demanded money. Sweets only.

We aren’t a popular street, too many older people. I’ve never answered the door in over 20 years. DH did one year and it was all teenagers looking for a quid.
about 5 years ago we had one year we had loads of kids knocking (but we had no sweets) and then since then nothing - people are more likely to take children to events now I think rather than trudging the streets for nothing, unless you have an area that does it.

We have so many people come of all ages that me and DD set up a decorated table with tubs of sweets, chocolate, haribo and lollies, we both dress up and have a hot chocolate, everyone behaves sorry you have some trouble makers around.

Our area has a strict "no pumpkin outside, no knocking" rule. We have no pumpkin

The problem with saying "Just don't answer your door" is that, sometimes, it can be like a protection racket.

The fact that teenagers are already going door to door to people they don't know, wanting money on a night when the people who have indicated that they are participating (let alone the ones who aren't) are expecting little children to be asking nicely for a few sweets, means that they obviously already feel entitled.

Hopefully, if there's no answer, they will accept it and move along; but they may well feel that you are depriving them of expected 'earnings' and do damage or other antisocial behaviour to make their displeasure well known to you.

Why automatically hand out sweets? There is a “trick” option. However I heard that this causes confusion and the callers don’t know what to do!

I don’t enjoy Halloween so like others, my lights are off, doorbell off, letterbox taped shut on inside and ignore everything.

Yeah I think ours is the same, no decorations or lights no knock

I think what you've seen on facey isn't representative of how most areas do Halloween.

The unwritten rule is no decorations, no knocking and besides that it's always fine to not answer your door for any reason anyway.