Thread: How Do I Get TOT's?!?!?

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Last Halloween was our first in our new home. We decorated weeks ahead and had horror sounds playing out the windows. We got 3 TOT's
I need some practical ideas for upping the count this year and in the future.
Thanks!

Flyers, some kind of beacon, word of mouth ads, better candy...

What type of area do you live in? Subdivision, out in the boonies, middle of town but the last street in your neighborhood? It would help if we knew WHY you don't have any ToTs. That is really disappointing when you decorate and no one shows up. I hope you can find a way to increase that. I am putting a notice in our HOA newsletter this year and also asking them bring a Toys for Tots gift. I will also post on our HOA website and a few flyers around the other neighborhoods. We had about 350 people last year but I am hoping for an increase also.

Using the HOA as a resource is a great idea - thanks for the suggestion, JustWhisper!

Ride around in a van on Halloween night, written "Free Candy inside!"... might get more than kids, actually...

Kidding!

Put flyers maybe around or in the newspaper some advert.

Punch and pie, more people will come if they think you have punch and pie.

Originally Posted by JustWhisper

What type of area do you live in? Subdivision, out in the boonies, middle of town but the last street in your neighborhood? It would help if we knew WHY you don't have any ToTs. That is really disappointing when you decorate and no one shows up. I hope you can find a way to increase that. I am putting a notice in our HOA newsletter this year and also asking them bring a Toys for Tots gift. I will also post on our HOA website and a few flyers around the other neighborhoods. We had about 350 people last year but I am hoping for an increase also.

This is why I am baffled-we live in the middle of a residential suburb, population around 9,000 with 2 elementary schools! I wandered around early in the evening last halloween with my little ghost and we saw no more than 5 other kids. It was like all the kids in town were gone, but all the houses we went to had candy to hand out, like they were expecting TOTs as we were.

Let me tell you those 3 that did TOT at our house each got about 15 pieces of candy!

I like the beacon idea-now I need an easy how to.
Thanks!

Craigslist. It works like magic.

I have that problem too, but I know why...a lot of my neighbors don't celebrate Halloween or do trick-or-treating because of their religion, so there are not that many other people giving out candy in my neighborhood. That means the kids who do go trick or treating probably go to other neighborhoods where they can visit more houses at once.
I always make sure to have a lot of lights and things outside several weeks ahead of time so people will see it, but we still often only get a few kids and maybe a couple of bored teenagers who stop by.

Originally Posted by Eyegore

Flyers, some kind of beacon, word of mouth ads, better candy...

Eyegore took the words right out of my mouth! I agree 100%! try a local group or community gathering and pass out flyers cut out as bones! That would be a nice invitation.. Place the verbage "Post me on the fridge!"