Thread: Candy Strategies to Prevent Running Out!

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I get less than 200 tots. So the last couple of years, I've handed out full size Snickers. I buy 200 of those, then a few bags of the fun size bars just in case.

Originally Posted by CobhamManor

Last year we bought a total of about 240 LARGE candy bars! It's the signature of our haunt. When all was said and done, we had about 70 bars left over! We overestimated just a little, but this year, I'm thinking we'll have a great deal more TOT's...

Yeah..when you get up in the 600ish range of full size bars needed, you start to reconsider the signature...

Due to rain, we "only" had about 500 ToT's last year.

tips for the "full size" givers:
Watch for coupons, candy bars typically have an expiration 10 months out, I've already started buying for Halloween...(have to hide them so I don't eat them.)

"BIG GRAB" bags of potato chips (the ones you see for $.99 in gas stations) run $.20-$.30, are BIGGER than full size bars, and just as popular with ToT's as chocolate. (strange kids these days, I think it's mostly the size that catches their eyes.)

Full Size Soda is similarly large and popular, and can get for $.24 ea and less if you watch for the sales.

As far as management, we always have a few bags of 'fun size' candy in reserve, I've only had to dive into once, our second year when we jumped from 170 ToT's to over 300. (planned on 250).

Well I feel like kind of stingy compared to some of you guys.

I try to balance out about half chocolate, half other stuff too. I try to always get a bag or 2 of just lollipops, so I'm not giving the really little kids something they can't eat.


3 pieces per TOT, handed out myself because I've actually had kids grab 2 handfuls before.

Keeping track of how many bags you bought/used last year helps too, in my opinion. I usually try to get one more bag of general other candy than the last year as a back-up emergency bag and in expectation of slightly more TOTs.


I can't offer any advice on not cracking a bag open for yourself though, because somehow one winds up open here every year.

last year I ran out and started giving out nutragrain bars and pop tarts and things. I think I may even have given out a couple packs of strawberries and cream oatmeal. lol i'm lucky I didn't get teepeed

Great suggestions everyone!

My haunt is generally on some kind of budget...so I think 1) Haunt materials and construction costs come first and 2) Candy budget comes second. Typically even the yard haunt is not done with expensive bells and whistles, so the candy is often inexpensive, too, but decent.

Quite often when I used to trick or treat as a kid, houses would hand out fairly cheap candies (small pieces of Bazooka bubble gum, etc.) and this was part of my experience, so I don't mind having some cheapies in there with the better brands. The idea, overall, is to evoke "the Traditional Halloween Experience" like the Halloweens I remember. As long as it stays authentic, it's all good.

If all goes well, the WHOLE EXPERIENCE of the haunt is overwhelming, the lights, the sound, the ghouls, and so on...and everyone is happy and pleased.

Just buy early and mix name brand with generics. Problem solved. Also add a toy or something so the kids can feel that they got something extra with their candy. This way you can give out less candy and not be loathed for it.

I wish running out of candy was a concer for me. I fixed up cute little skull hand packages with premium candy, stickers, erasers, glo bracelets, and little puzzles. I also bought extra candy in case I ran out of the packages. I had a total of 20 Toter's, so I ended up having leftover packages and loose candy.

We do a lot of different things. A couple of years we had the spider eggs (glow in the dark puffer balls) out by the pnuematic spider. When they were brave enough to grab one the spider would rear up and scare them. BUT, they got to keep the egg. Then they would come by for a grab of candy, usually a couple chocolate bars and a few other little candies.
The most kids we get are around 30-40 max.
Year before last, I bought 30 coffins and headstones from Michael's and stuffed them with small candy and then rubber banded a huge chew spider or snake from Michael's to that. Then they also got a handfull of small chocolate bars.
Last year, we had the spider eggs for the little ones (which are now all gone), handfulls of chocolate bars and misc. small candy. Unfortunately, we hit over 100 children which we were never expecting. Word must have gone out. Hubby had to make a mad dash to the store to buy a few more bags of candy.
Not sure what we are doing this year. The children really loved the idea of "grabbing" the spider eggs and being a part of the show. They just love interacting.