Should a sweet shop give away sweets for free at Halloween?

[Balletcab]

I wanted to pose a question and see what your thoughts are on this.
If you were taking you child out trick or treating today, would you march into a small independent sweet/ice cream shop that you have never been into before and demand that the owner high fives your child and then gives your child free sweets? And then when the owner explains they are a small business and giving sweets away for free isn’t a very affordable thing for a small business to do, would you get angry and berate the owner for not giving sweets to your child for free?
I am the small business and margins are very tight. I can’t afford to give away sweets to every child who comes in dressed up at Halloween.
This happened today and the parent made me feel awful for not handing out free stuff. Would they approach Tesco and ask the same? Would they give away things from their work or business for free if I marched up to them dressed as a pumpkin?
What do you think?

I’d be happier if the confectionery mania imposed on Halloween were seriously curtailed, rather than encouraged.

You are in the US so how do you think you can diagnose a problem with British business when you don’t live here?

Halloween is a much bigger thing in the US than it (thankfully) is here.

Not in the UK..it's a wee sweetie shop the op runs.

They’re bonkers. Ignore them.

Imagine the amount of kids who'd turn up😂

I don't think that parent was thinking straight.
Shop products are for making money not for freebies.

Parent is insane.

The OP needs to look at her business model and ask herself if she would generate business by getting into the spirit of Hallowe'en.

Where have people been buying the sweets they give away if not from her? She should have some extra stock for this holiday, she should have some idea of who her customers are, and she should understand that Hallowe'en is a big event for them.

If she's not making money at Hallowe'en, something is very wrong here. Giving away free candy clearly feels counter intuitive to many on this thread, but it can generate positive feelings toward the business and that can translate into return customers.

in my parents in laws’ local village, a small local cafe used to open for trick and treating. The lady decorated beautifully and baked things specially and it went on for years. After a few years of social media she had to stop because word spread and so many people from outside the village came. She had to stop altogether.

Halloween - the trick or treating - is all about the free candy.

She should be making a lot of her income selling it ahead of Halloween and she should be giving away a Halloween selection of candy to generate interest in her shop.

They shouldn't expect it or be rude about not getting anything but...... Giving them some grace could they have recently moved from somewhere this is a 'thing?'. Where I live all the stores from small independent to big chain give out treats at Halloween.

Yes in the USA
However traditionally Bonfire night was much bigger here and we had Halloween parties and did apple bobbing etc.

You really haven't a clue !!once again the UK is Different from America for a whole host of reasons.

In the USA
The Op is in the Uk though .

Supermarkets most likely. Most people here buy multipacks of gummies and chocolates for trick or treaters, not from independent sweet shops because it’d be more expensive and some people are not comfortable with their children receiving loose unwrapped sweets.

Lol.

You think the UK is so special, or peculiar, or whatever that no lessons or business practices from anywhere else can apply...

Since when has trick or treating been a right?!

Obviously yanbu and the person who demanded free sweets from a business is ridiculous.

YANBU. This parent behaved like a stupid, crazy, awful person. People have no shame anymore.

The poster didnt say that
Just the the UK isnt the same as the USA..

I was telling my dd (in her 20s) about apple bopping and barmbrack etc this morning.

No theh should be told to sling their hook pronto 🤣

Small businesses are really doing it tough right now. Why on earth would you expect them to give out their stock for free? A sweet shop probably really relies on Halloween to keep its head above water.

It’s almost like expecting a florist to give out free flowers on Valentine’s Day.

🙄 cultural differences mean things work differently in different countries. It’s not the norm here in the UK.

I run a small gift shop, and worry about the lack of education in this country. Shops sell things for profit - that is their entire reason for existing!

We sponsor an art prize in the town, and I give out a free post card to small children who come in with parents - but actually giving away free stock items that I have paid for? Not going to happen.

No I wouldn’t expect it however if you happen to be in mablethorpe tonight the icecream place there puts on entertainment and gives a free ice cream to every child. Crumble counter is open to playing adults.

It’s a great advertisement tbh.

I'm in the US and in fairness those community/business halloween walks work because they are organised by city hall or local business circles for a particular date and time. you wouldn't find the library or shops or banks handing out sweets to random kids in costume outside of that event. None of them are handing out sweets today.

The woman who went into OP was a CF. I feel for anyone running a small business these days.