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?

No shops should not. Perhaps make it clear at the entrance.

Who the heck takes their kids to treat or treat at shops - thats just weird

I wonder if you own Diddlydoos near me @Balletcab?

The neighbouring town trick or treat event today was very grabby and they might have seen you as an extension to the highstreet?

Our town has a small business trick or treat trail along the highstreet. Very popular.

Most of your posts seem to involve shitting all over the UK and telling us how much better things are in the US, even if not in those exact words. I’ve been here 20 years and that’s what I most associate you with. It’s been the same spiel for as long as I can remember. It’s rather tedious. And I have nothing against the US. It has its faults and its positives like any other country but no I do not believe that they do everything better than the UK.(Or vice versa)

No. I don’t think YABU. You are a business. You could possibly attract if you gave a small concession and people spent more. But that might be a bit unlikely.

I think most would come in for the free sweets and leave.

No good parent would even think about doing that.
In our neighborhood children only knock in doors where it is clear the household is doing Halloween or there is a pumpkin or decorations in the window certainly not a shop demanding free sweets!

Are you crackers? You demand your new diamond and a high five to go with it! 😀

I'd tell them to fuck off go to Sainsburys.

Sweets (and toys) are all about good feelings. You're not selling upholstery fabric or spanners here.

True
But don't forget the shopkeeper has had to buy the stock.

Its dark and cold where I live at the moment so I'm off to the airport to demand that BA give me a free return business class flight to the Maldives. If they do.then I'll totally buy another of their flights one day actually I won't but it'll be too late for them to do anything about it. Such is the way of the CF.

Demand first class
Its your right.

Right, like Easter with chocolate eggs , Christmas for many with selection boxes, coins and chocolate oranges, Diwali with mithai, etc

people are so grabby even when they aren’t benefitting they want to hear of people getting free stuff. If the kid wanted sweets the parent buys them it’s not the ops responsibility

You can’t trick or treat a shop! That is absolutely the height of entitlement.

My post was bitey.

I clearly stated that my gun comment was a deliberate "sweeping generalisation" in response to your assertion that there is a lack of community here in the UK, which I found not only a bit cheeky but, in my experience, totally untrue.

I'm surprised you're digging your heels in with your marketing strategy instead of taking a more balanced "well, it's just a suggestion" type approach. You're not really practicing the cosy, friendly values you've been doggedly preaching on this thread - you're just pissing people off.

It is isn't it? Because I'm worth it, to quote the L’Oréal ad.
And being the generous soul that I am I'll even forgo the high five.

That along with the extra number of chancers customers my grifting influencing would bring them means that really they should be thanking ME.

Why?

Clearly the parent was insane. The only reasonable response is to laugh at them and tell the child they have a lovely costume and good luck with their trick or treating, as you open the door for them to leave.

When I used to take my small children trick or treating it never occurred to me to me to visit shops (even if decorated for Halloween) I always assumed this was a private house only festival, and even then we only went to houses that had pumpkins out (I clearly missed a trick with some businesses taking part- pun intend ) So the level of entitlement that woman showed is mind blowing 😬

YANBU

parent was a CF

Yes! Historically folk used to carve faces into turnips, before the americans started using softer pumpkins. I Googled the turnip version - absolutely terrifying 😂

This.

Forget about it CF behaviour.
X

YANBU

thats ridiculous.

They were rude, greedy and obnoxious. Don't give them a second thought. Of course you can't give sweets away free, this is your livelihood. I'd also like to give you a massive 👏 👏 👏. Our shop keepers are having it really tough atm and people don't realise how hard it is and how little profit there often is.

It isn’t a bad idea in itself. Free samples are a thing in many shops with good reason but it’s the insistence that it absolutely will work and it’s foolish not to do it that puzzles me. There can be many reasons why a marketing technique or an alteration works for one business but not another and I’m sure that the OP is able to determine that for herself.