Try Again Next Year

[BeagleMommy]

Last night there was a knock on our front door.  DH opened the door to discover a 14-year-old boy who lives about 4 blocks away standing on the doorstep.  When DH asked what he wanted the boy said:  "Don't you have any leftover candy?"  DH looked at him quizzically and the boy continued "You know, leftover from Halloween.".

Um, Halloween was last week.  DH responded that we didn't and the boy left.  This was true, all the Halloween candy had been handed out on Halloween night.  We get a lot of kids out trick or treating.

DH feels this boy was rude.  I thought it was unusual, but not rude.  He left when he got a negative response and didn't cause any problems.

[rashea]

I think we suspend the rules about going around begging for Halloween. It's not okay to try and stretch that. Why should he think he should get your leftovers. I like the leftover candy too.

[NyaChan]

Rude.  Halloween night is the one night that makes it okay to ring a stranger's door and ask for food.  Any other time?  Nope.  I love Thanksgiving food, but I don't go around the neighborhood the next day asking for leftovers.

[TootsNYC]

I think he was rude on several counts.

Rude to even try.
Rude in his delivery/request.

It might be one thing if the kid lived right next door to you and you have a relationship with him that has ever involved you treating him. And if maybe you were, oh, unloading groceries, and he said, "Hi, Mrs. BeagleMommy!" And exchange a pleasantry, and you said something about trick-or-treating. And then if he'd said, sort of hopefully, "Do you have any leftover candy?" It might be kinda cute, inside the right relationship.

But I have sort of a relationship like that w/ our bldg superintendent's cute kids, and I'd be a bit taken aback if they brought it up out of the blue.

[Sharnita]

The only way I can really see it might be if you knew him and you were complaining that you had a lot fewer trick or treaters this year or something.

[Jones]

I can see it if he were collecting for a charity. There are some organizations that send leftover candy to soldiers, or put it with Thanksgiving bundles, or other causes. If you'd opened the door and gotten a spiel about how he's collecting for such-and-such charity, that's one thing, but "Do you have any leftover candy?" sounds like he's asking for himself, and in a rather rude way.

[sweetonsno]

It occurs to me that this kid may not be a greedy candy monger. There are a number of charities that collect leftover candy and send it to troops overseas. Some shelters also accept it to give to their guests. Some nursing homes do. Ditto hospitals. I wonder if he was going around trying to collect candy for charity and simply botched his delivery. (Obviously, in this case, it would have been better to explain his purpose--briefly--before making the request.)

ETA: Jones beat me to it!

[Acadianna]

For a 5-year-old, still learning etiquette -- not rude.

For a 14-year-old (well old enough to know better) -- rude.

[bopper]

Maybe he heard that Halloween in New Jersey was last night (due to the hurricane) and he was trying to see if it would work locally?