Do You Still Get Many Trick r' Treaters Coming To Your Door?

[JamesG]

I have noticed, at least where I am, a drastic decline in Trick r' Treaters coming around on Halloween.

During the 1990s our door was always ringing non-stop.

By the early 2000s is when it started to get a bit slower. Now our door mostly rang non-stop during the evening.

Mid-2000s is when only the locals from the neighborhood were coming.

Last year there was not ONE Trick r' Treater. Nobody.


I'm curious to see if it is just me or is anyone else noticing a decline among Trick r' Treaters as well.

[catlover79]

Yeah, we still get quite a few in our area.

[JamesG]

Yeah, we still get quite a few in our area.

I get the feel where I am that now people are taking their kids to businesses; be it retail, banks, offices, schools...

We've asked around locally here and everyone says nobody comes to the houses anymore; the most I have heard one person get is 5 within the last couple of years.

[catlover79]

Yeah, a lot of places like churches and offices have Halloween alternative parties, where the kids can dress up, play games and get candy and prizes. Our church does. It's always fun whenever Halloween is actually on a Sunday - the kids can go to our afternoon party first and then go trick or treating that evening. :lol: Ahhhh - to be a kid again. :lol:

[JamesG]

Yeah, a lot of places like churches and offices have Halloween alternative parties, where the kids can dress up, play games and get candy and prizes. Our church does. It's always fun whenever Halloween is actually on a Sunday - the kids can go to our afternoon party first and then go trick or treating that evening. :lol: Ahhhh - to be a kid again. :lol:

I always like it when it falls on a Saturday (like this year). Means double the parties on Friday and Saturday night. NYC has lots of events.

[comedyfreak]

I got very few last year I was stuck with all this candy, it didn't take long to eat all of it and I may not buy much this year. I may go to a party this year.

[sara]

We don't get that many anymore. My dad usually gets alot though, he tends to go all out with decorating his house. Since it's on a Saturday this year he'll probably spend less time on it. It depends on when Michigan State plays.

[phoebe7165]

I usually get about 40-50 a year. This year with Halloween falling on a Sat., I anticipate double that, even though there are a few things going on in the area. Plus the fact that I decorate my house really well, that you can't help but come by. It's sad that in this day and age, going trick or treating isn't like it used to be. You never know what kind of people you're dealing with going door to door.

[treky]

we hardly ever get any. Maybe one every once in a while.

[Vito]

I stopped giving out Halloween candy a few years ago. Most of the trick-or-treaters are teenagers from the "bad" part of town, and they're the likely cause of the vandalism, graffiti, and thievery that hits my neighborhood every Halloween night.

This year I will give some kind of Halloween treat to my next-door-neighbor's little daughter, probably a gift card. Otherwise, bah humbug! :lol:

[Tweety]

There's definitely been a marked decline in the number of door-to-door trick or treaters in recent years. The little ones usually come around in the late afternoon, before it gets dark, and of course their parents walk around with them.

After it gets dark, we'll usually get a few sets of kids in the Middle School age range...and a few high schoolers as well. Seems like a lot of times, kids stop trick or treating once they get to high school, but there's always some groups of seniors who go out that one last time with their friends.

We live in a nice neighborhood, and around here, people who have treats available turn their outside lights on at night... the kids are supposed to know to go only to the homes with outside lights on, although it seems to me that a lot of kids ignore that and go to the "dark" homes as well, which probably doesn't make those homeowners happy.

The trend is more and more toward local churches having parties for the kids, letting them dress up, and having candy and games at the church.

Also, parents are encouraged to bring their kids to the mall here in town, and the stores there will have treats to pass out. The kids can dress up and go from store to store.

Safety, of course, is a big concern, which is what led to churches taking these actions and shopping malls opening themselves up as a safe place for kids to gather.

[Courtnee]

Definitely not as many as we used to get, but we have some.

[MickeyMac]

Cant say, I havent been home for the last few Halloweens. In my mothers neighborhood she gets lots of them. I should know since every year I get drafted into passing out candy, and I dont even live there. :D

[MrCleveland]

We don't get much since we live on a dead-end street and there's 15 houses on the street.

[PlayOn]

We get a few. Not a lot. Like Phoebe said: you never know who's behind that door, so kids are probably at safer events or trick or treating at houses/neighborhoods they know.

[robyrob]

we don't get any, but I keep my gun handy just in case.

[Retro4Life]

When I was young, you actually KNEW everybody to whose house you went to for Trick or Treat so there wasn't that big a problem. And after I got too old to go out, (I quit at age 13) I stayed at home and gave out candy. My mom and dad and I used to count the candy and take an informal attendance count that way. I remember one year we had around 250 kids, but usually it was between 150-200.

Since I've moved (and my parents passed on) I don't give out candy. The town I live in now does it on Sunday afternoon and I'm usually doing something during that time.

But it would be nice to think that kids are still going house to house. I remember the last few years we gave out candy a lot of the kids were super small with their parents often CARRYING them and exhorting them to say "trick or treat". Geez, a little common sense, people; if the kid's too young to walk or understand what he's saying, keep him home until he can appreciate it and get him out of the cold.

And yeah, we did get the teenagers, usually with little or no costume. Acting stupid and trying to impress their buddies; always hated to give them anything but figured it was insurance against vandalism so I did.

[Number 9 Dream]

I've noticed the same trend in my area, JamesG. When I was a kid in the 80's (and even up until the early to mid 90's), we got LOADS of trick-or-treaters. The knocks on our door were going up until 9 PM, or even a little later sometimes. I think it started declining in the mid 2000's (maybe 2004 or 2005?). Now we barely get any trick-or-treaters...10-20 at best? Most of them are the really little kids, and they stop coming around dinnertime. After that, we barely get anyone. It kinda sucks. Halloween's my favorite holiday and it's always fun to hand out candy. I'm surprised more kids don't enjoy it. Hell, when I was a kid, we were allowed to stay out really late and go trick or treating. I think everyone is doing parties at their schools, as catlover79 mentioned. Such a shame. I mean, it's good they have those and everything, but I kinda wish Halloween was what it used to be.

[Schmoopie]

Usually my husband and I go to the movies on Halloween and leave a bowl of candy by the front door. Last year we didn't get out of the house until late, and we had a ton of trick or treaters. I think that was the most I'd ever seen.

[JamesG]

I stopped giving out Halloween candy a few years ago. Most of the trick-or-treaters are teenagers from the "bad" part of town, and they're the likely cause of the vandalism, graffiti, and thievery that hits my neighborhood every Halloween night.

I didn't think of it when I wrote it but since you mentioned the vandals I realized that they haven't been out either on Halloween around here. It's probably a good thing I guess.


I remember a decade ago around here Halloween was like a mini war-zone. There was constant egg throwing, shaving cream all over the streets, restaurants, stores, and banks hiring private security for the day to hang outside the place. Some were volunteer "security", like a neighborhood local agreeing to watch the place but the banks got real security detail.

The stores had them to prevents kids from going in and taking the snacks off the racks and running out; looting food pretty much.


There was also this thing in the 1990s of being afraid of gangs; like if you wear a red shirt you were going to get stabbed. Looking back on it now I think that was really blown out of proportion but it made kids and parents literally afraid of wearing anything red for a few years.


It's good that Halloween around here isn't like this anymore but you notice things changing around you; from both good and bad incidents.

[Janice]

I live in a condo complex. There are not too many kids here, but we still get a few. Some of them come to visit their aunts or grandmothers, who tells them who the friendly families are, and we're in that group. :)
I always make sure I have a couple of bags of candy on hand. I buy candy I don't like, so I won't be tempted, lol. For example, I hate dark chocolate and coconut, so I buy Mars Almond bars or whatever they're called.

[sara]

I live in a condo complex. There are not too many kids here, but we still get a few. Some of them come to visit their aunts or grandmothers, who tells them who the friendly families are, and we're in that group. :)
I always make sure I have a couple of bags of candy on hand. I buy candy I don't like, so I won't be tempted, lol. For example, I hate dark chocolate and coconut, so I buy Mars Almond bars or whatever they're called.
What's the fun in that. :crazy: Eating the leftover candy is best part. ;)

[Courtnee]

What's the fun in that. :crazy: Eating the leftover candy is best part. ;)
I wholeheartedly agree.

[Chocoholic]

I've also noticed the decline in trick-or-treaters over the years. We live on a road that's considered a state highway and doesn't have sidewalks in all areas, so a lot of the families with younger children tend to stay on the side roads or where there's sidewalk. The few kids we do get tend to be middle and high school aged.

It doesn't bother me to see the older kids out trick-or-treating. I stopped at 12 and now wish I'd gone a few more years.

[Fleet]

I got 80-90 last year.

[Pitooey]

I get as many as 300-400 Trick or treaters every year. I live in a subdivision and I get so many at the end of the day I have to give them my pennies. This Halloween is on a Saturday so I'm coming home late.

[Vito]

I'm waiting for a new improved way of celebrating Halloween, something that involves people coming to my door and giving treats to me. ;)

[Chocoholic]

^ :lol:

[Scoobiedoo30]

no we Turn off our Light

[ekkostar]

Except for maybe one kid who has no clue that we're not giving out candy (WTF... the front lights are out and we have no decorations), we don't get any. Then again a lot of neighbors are really odd about their children these days and probably only send them to really close friends.

[PlayOn]

I'm waiting for a new improved way of celebrating Halloween, something that involves people coming to my door and giving treats to me. ;)

Let us know how that goes. lol.
;)

[Cactus Jack]

I'm waiting for a new improved way of celebrating Halloween, something that involves people coming to my door and giving treats to me. ;)
There's a member here(Chad Doody) who did (still does?) exactly that when trick or treating LOL

[Scoobiedoo30]

no because we Turned off our light On October 31

[JamesG]

I'm leaving in a little while to attend a party tonight but I've been listening for the door all day and so far nobody has come.

[Stuck In The '70's]

We had our Halloween on Thursday and I had a lot of trick or treaters coming to my door. It was probably the most in about 5 years.

[Number 9 Dream]

I think we got one person this year and he wasn't even in costume. Halloween just keeps going downhill every year :(

[LuLu Rogers]

We had 3 this year :/

[JamesG]

We had our Halloween on Thursday and I had a lot of trick or treaters coming to my door. It was probably the most in about 5 years.

Why on Thursday?

[JamesG]

I think we got one person this year and he wasn't even in costume. Halloween just keeps going downhill every year :(

Well that's one more than my zero.

[Fleet]

I got slightly less than last year... about 75.

I thought there would have been more because it is a weekend and the weather is warm.

[Schmoopie]

We had a TON of people in our neighborhood. We actually live on a street that is attached to two other neighborhoods, plus the one behind it. We just put out a big bowl of candy and left the house. We're staying in a hotel tonight!
My brother posted on his Facebook page that a trick or treater came to his door and he didn't have any candy so he gave them a can of Spagetti O's!!!! ROFLMAO!!!!! I can see him doing that, too!

[Sharop]

Last night we had no trick or treaters at all. We never have many, but we've usually had a couple of kids in the past. This year, though - zilch.

[phoebe7165]

I got slightly less than last year... about 75.

I thought there would have been more because it is a weekend and the weather is warm.

I thought the same thing!! I'm very disappointed. My night was a bust! I wish I had gotten 75!! I think I only got 30. Now I have all this candy left. My neighbor is in the same boat, he bought a bunch of candy, too.

As much as I love Halloween, I'm really getting discouraged anymore. It's certainly not the way it used to be. I know there were a few things going on in the area, but still, it was Sat. night!!

[Stuck In The '70's]

Why on Thursday?
I have no idea. Our town always celebrates Halloween on the last Thursday in October. I think it's crazy.

[Hollywood Rock Chic]

I received about a hundred

[LuLu Rogers]

I received about a hundred

Did Wayne stop by? ;)

[Hollywood Rock Chic]

Did Wayne stop by? ;)
No, sorry. If he did, I would definitely would had called you;)

[MickeyMac]

I was passing out candy at my mothers house and there were quite a few kids out last night.

[Crimson and Clover]

We didnt get any, which is odd cause we have a lot of kids on our street.

[Pitooey]

Usually I get like 300 trick or treaters. This year I got like 100 and they were all the smallest of children which surprised me.

[coffield3]

We got 6 :lol: That was at my sisters house.