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Every Friday, I post a series of unrelated questions meant to spark conversation in the comments. Answer one, answer all, respond to someone else’s reply, whatever you want. Very casual. On to this week’s topics of discussion…
1. “Would you like any M&M’s with that?”
I was buying cough medicine and an SD card. It was only natural the Walgreens cashier would ask.
More and more, retailers are trying to squeeze a few more dollars out of you at the register. Some of these efforts make sense. Batteries, for example. But others are a stretch. At a newsstand in the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Wednesday, I was asked if I needed a bottle of water to go with my gum. A big ad at the counter shows off the bottle, with the words “It’s Resealable!” doing their best to convince me. What’s the weirdest item you’ve been marketed during checkout?
2. Growing up, we lived near a guy who was really nice, but a bit too into the neighborhood kids for our parents’ comfort. (Two unrelated tangents: The first time we met him, the first words out of his mouth were, “Please don’t tell me who won the Red Sox-Blue Jays game. I taped it.” He also liked to dunk a mini-basketball in our 8-foot hoop when he didn’t think anyone was home.) On Halloween, he would invite the kids he recognized into his kitchen, where he was keeping the good candy—a full size Snickers bar and an ice-cold Coke. For the next few months, he would reference his generosity every time we interacted. We were all a little relieved when he moved.
That little anecdote doesn’t lead nicely into any particular question, so I’ll ask this one: What’s the strangest thing you ever received while trick-or-treating?
3. What’s something you’d really like to be good at, but know you’ll never put in the necessary time/effort? I am not very musical, but I’d love to play the harmonica. Seems like that would be a useful talent. Hearing people say, “Wow, I didn’t know you could play the harmonica!” would never get old.
That’s all for today. Happy Halloween!
[See all the previous Friday Happy Hour transcripts.]
Comments (67)
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1. There’s a little stationery store/smoke shop in my town that must not be doing very well. I buy greeting cards there, and the woman behind the counter will pitch you anything and everything during checkout. “You should slip a few scratch off tickets in the card,” she told me once. “You know what people like besides cards? Cigars!” Not sure my 9-year-old niece is ready for cigars.
2. Our neighbor gave out golf balls every year. No explanation. No “I know this a bit unorthodox.” Just “here’s your golf ball, kid!”
3. Golf!
posted by Devon on 10-30-2009 at 11:13 am
2. My friend’s parents give out little rubber duckies in halloween costumes. Apparently they’re a neighborhood hit every year. They’re super cute, though…they have a little duckie devil, a duckie vampire, etc.
3. I want to be Bob Ross, but if it’s not flawless in 30 minutes, I’m done with it.
posted by Nicole on 10-30-2009 at 11:17 am
2. In college I lived off campus we forgot about the trick or treaters. When the doorbell started ringing we handed out pennies. When the pennies ran out we gave away bullion cubes. If the kids looked “old enough” we gave them cigarettes. It was the 80s, so times were different then.
3. ukelele
posted by TBV on 10-30-2009 at 11:23 am
1. Once I was buying ink at Office Depot (or Office Max, I forget) and the cashier tried to get me to buy a new printer.
2. We had a suspicion that one of our neighbors was redistributing his kids’ candy from the previous year. I don’t think we had any proof.
3. Every year I say I’m going to learn Chinese and then go to China. It’s probably never gonna happen.
posted by kathleen on 10-30-2009 at 11:25 am
1. Ordered fries at a McDonald’s and was asked if I \wanted fries with that?\
2. One neighbor gave us the choice between a mini-candy bar and a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli
3. Piano
posted by KC on 10-30-2009 at 11:32 am
3. I can attest to the harmonica comment. I taught myself a song or two one summer while at college and it was definitely appreciated when people proclaimed, “I didn’t know you played!”
My harmonica put aside, I have always wanted to be able to write well enough to be a movie/TV critic.
posted by Derek on 10-30-2009 at 11:33 am
1. Walgreens drives me crazy with the upsell attempts at the register. Last month I’m there for kleenex, a digital thermometer and aspirin, looking and feeling like crap warmed over, and the clerk wants to know if I want a jumbo caramel something-or-other with my pharmacy aisle purchases.
3. I’ve always wanted to know how to tap-dance really well.
posted by deeje on 10-30-2009 at 11:33 am
There is a long list of things I would like to be good at but don’t want to spend the time. Here are a few:
0. Languages, particularly ones for restaurants I frequent [Asian, Hindi, Spanish]
1. Bass guitar
2. Maker-craft…. you know, building stuff. Like the Mythbusters.
3. Juggling
4. Strategy games, especially go and chess
5. Dancing
6. Drawing
7. Finding clever ways of ending lists
posted by Eduardo on 10-30-2009 at 11:45 am
1. Walgreens is by far the worst for pushing crap at the register. I was getting cold medicines and kleenex and I was told to look at their sale rack right by the register incase I forgot something. It had condoms, some weird snack cakes and lighters. Which were they thinking I forgot?
2. We had a neighbor who invited you in for homemade donuts and cider. It was the perfect pitstop half way thru trick or treating!
3. I’ve always wanted to learn to play the banjo!
posted by Courtney on 10-30-2009 at 11:51 am
1. I was buying a pen and was asked if I wanted a giant sized Toblerone, and when I said no to that, they tried to sell me a Terry’s Chocolate Orange (neither is that unusual, but to try twice was a new one for me)
2. A neighbour used to give us dimes taped to a paper pumpkin, and our dentist gave us popcorn balls and toothpaste
3. SO many things – languages and mastering a musical instrument (something with strings, but I’m not sure what yet) are the first two that come to mind
posted by KateBob on 10-30-2009 at 11:56 am
1. I too was at Walgreens last week and was asked if I wanted M&ms at the checkout. Totally annoyed me. I don’t even like chocolate!
2.I haven’t been trick or treating in years but I think it’s so strange when people decide to hand out health foods to kids.I understand it is important kids eat healthy…but on Halloween?Halloween is about candy not whole grain bars.
3. Two things:
I know I would be really good at surfing ( realized this when I went to a surfing camp for a week), but I can’t put in the extra effort because I live in Wisconsin. I also would be really good as a German professor because I speak German fluently and I would love to teach it to college students but I don’t feel like going back to school for a couple more years right now and spending time on a dissertation.
posted by Emma on 10-30-2009 at 12:05 pm
1. What’s the weirdest item you’ve been marketed during checkout?
Not at checkout, but last weekend I took my kids to a Hot Air Balloon festival at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The League City Police Department was there handing out reflective Trick or Treat Bags, glow in the dark stickers, etc.
When I took the kids to get the bag the officer said, “Would you like a trigger lock for your gun?”
You know you are in Texas when…
3. What’s something you’d really like to be good at, but know you’ll never put in the necessary time/effort?
I would love to know Spanish if I didn’t have to go through the process of learning it.
posted by Witty Nickname on 10-30-2009 at 12:11 pm
1. I was returning a defective iPod at Best Buy and the cashier, as she was completing the return, asked if I would be interested in iTunes gift cards…
2. I think we were the weird house one year when my mom gave out cans of pop (wait for it…) with a flyer for my ballet company’s holiday recital wrapped around it.
3. I would love to be able to DJ. Not that I would ever play publicly, just to be able to make remixes for my own enjoyment.
posted by ab on 10-30-2009 at 12:29 pm
2. When I was in high school I went trick-or-treating in a substantially wealthy part of town. For the most part I was disappointed…a good number of the homes were dark, and for a wealthy neighborhood the treats were pretty lame. By the end of the night, I reached one house that had a bowl of quarters as treats. Needless to say I took a handful and threw it at the window. Of course, those were the days I didn’t have to pay to do my laundry.
3. I’d really like to learn how to play the banjo. But I have no means of going about it. So I guess we’ll just stick that on the list.
posted by Teresa on 10-30-2009 at 12:37 pm
2. There’s this whole church group that gives out mini bibles and lollipops with scripture written on them to trick or treaters. It’s quite odd and my father gets angry about it every year.
posted by Meghan on 10-30-2009 at 12:42 pm
1. Every time I go to Toys R Us and pick up an action figure for one of my boys.. they always ask if I need batteries with that. I know they have to ask.. but with an action figure?
2. The oddest thing I’ve ever sen in a trick or treat bag? Well… it happens every year here. There is this VERY RELIGIOUS Jehovah’s witness family down the street.. and even though they always give out candy… they also MAKE SURE to give everyone some literature that says we’re all going to hell because we’re celebrating a pagan holiday.
posted by Mindy on 10-30-2009 at 12:44 pm
1)Nothing immediately comes to mind, but I did cave in to several aisle-end impulse buys at Trader Joes this past weekend.
2)Pennies
3)I’d like to learn Russian, but will most likely go through the whole process of learning German and French (or Italian) first because of where my academic interests will take me. Russian would just be icing on the international cake. . .
posted by Andrea on 10-30-2009 at 12:46 pm
I worked at Victoria’s Secret Catalogue in college and we had a weekly list of incentive items we HAD to offer with each call. Sometimes it made sense – someone ordered a bra and you could offer the matching panty or ordered pjs and you could offer a robe. However, most of the time you ended up awkwardly pushing a sweater on someone ordering perfume. I just hated sales.
There is a family in our neighborhood that gives out fortune cookies. They are both attorneys who were born and raised in Michigan so I have yet to figure out their motivation for that treat. Last night three families in our neighborhood handed out full size candy bars. We had over 200 kids come to our house so that was really generous.
I would love to play the piano or guitar. Even if I would be willing to commit the time my short stubby fingers would still be an obstacle. That and the fact that even after playing the flute in band for 7 years I still can’t read music to save my life.
posted by bev on 10-30-2009 at 12:56 pm
1 – I know it’s not what the question is asking for, but it made me think of the pro-lifers who stand outside the abortion clinic in town and always ask me if I’m going in for an abortion when I walk by. One day, I’ll say yes just to get them riled up.
2 – I’ve found religious propaganda in my Halloween bag a few times. I could never figure out who was giving it out though…
3 – origami – I make cranes and frogs for friends, but would love to be able to make more intricate designs, like a 3-D “arrow through a heart” design I saw in a book (made from one single piece of paper!)
posted by Ranger J on 10-30-2009 at 1:26 pm
Bev,
You already had trick-or-treaters? I don’t get that. People go out all week now, which in my mind is a huge halloween party foul. What’s the logic behind it?
posted by Nicole on 10-30-2009 at 1:29 pm
@ bev – the attorneys that give out the fortune cookies, did you ever think that maybe they collected those all year round to give out as Halloween treats so they didn’t have to buy candy. That is genius….I am totally doing that next year. ;)
3. I already speak fluent German, and I have always said that I wanted to learn at least one more language before I turned 30…2 more years to go, and I still have no clue how to even begin.
posted by J-me on 10-30-2009 at 1:43 pm
@ Nicole – In our area it depends on what night of the week Halloween falls. Trick-or-treat is never held on a weekend and Friday nights are strictly for High School football so it was moved to Thursday this year.
posted by bev on 10-30-2009 at 1:52 pm
1. We have charity sales that the top sellers win prizes, so we ask everyone!
2. We ran out of candy one year and my parents ended up giving out walnuts. And got mad when we were TP’d.
3. I’d love to be able to sew well. Can’t find something to wear for a special occasion? Just make exactly what you want.
posted by Kathy on 10-30-2009 at 1:54 pm
Still off topic, but the answers above made me think of the time I walked out of a store with tampons and a plunger and the teller said “Have a nice day!” – Really… I’ll try!
posted by Ranger J on 10-30-2009 at 2:01 pm
3. My unfulfilled dream is to be a dancer on the Carol Burnett Show. She used to have the “Ernest Flatt Dancers” perform on her variety show back in the day and I thought (and still do) that would be the coolest thing ever. But I have never taken a dance class in my life and don’t intend to start now.
posted by Hyacinth on 10-30-2009 at 2:04 pm
I love reading all these posts. Flossers are a hoot!
posted by Hyacinth on 10-30-2009 at 2:13 pm
2. An apple was the worst thing I ever got. The best was the Fire Dept would drive around in their trucks giving out king size candy bars.
3. Different language
posted by Chris on 10-30-2009 at 2:27 pm
3. I wish I knew how to read and write Chinese. I understand it pretty well (my parents both speak Chinese to me) but my speaking isn’t so hot. I considered taking Chinese class now that I’m in college, but the courses here are super intense and I didn’t want to feel stupid. I know I’m going to regret not taking those classes someday.
posted by Jessica on 10-30-2009 at 2:54 pm
1. Walgreens again (do they know how to pimp or what?). I’m buying cough SYRUP, a can of chicken broth and a magazine when the clerk asks me if I would be interested in picking up a seven day pill organizer. I wasn’t purchasing ANY pills, let alone a significant amount of pills that would necessitate a device to organize them.
2. Saltines, entire sleeves of them.
3. I would love to get really good at brewing my own beer, but frankly can not imagine dedicating the needed time and money when there are so many ridiculously good craft beers already available on the market.
posted by EMStoveken on 10-30-2009 at 3:11 pm
@EMStoveken –
Meanwhile, I would love to have gotten a sleeve of Saltines on Halloween when I was little!
posted by Nicole on 10-30-2009 at 3:50 pm
There was a house that gave hot apple cider on Halloween. My friends and I always made sure to get there every year… trick or treating in Maine it can get pretty chilly!
posted by Squirrelgirl on 10-30-2009 at 3:52 pm
#2. Two years ago we came across a lady that was giving out popcycles. She had run out of candy and dug them out of the freezer. Living in Florida, they were greatly appreciated.
#2 again. A friend of mine gives out juice boxes. Also welcome on those hot Halloween nights.
posted by Rissa on 10-30-2009 at 4:03 pm
#1. This week I was offered candy bars and toothbrushes at the same time.
#3. Cake decorating and jewelry making.
posted by jodie on 10-30-2009 at 4:31 pm
I told this story on Reddit already, but…
There was a guy in the neighborhood who gave out comic books with no covers on them. The one I got was about some half robot guy trying to sleep with a girl to repopulate the earth after everyone else died.
I still scratch my head over that one.
posted by NotThatGuy on 10-30-2009 at 4:38 pm
2. those glowstick necklaces and fake police badges…it wasn’t candy, so wasn’t happy.
3. mandolin. for my own listening pleasure.
posted by Kate on 10-30-2009 at 5:19 pm
I remember as a kid, my next door neighbor would dress up as a cow to distribute candy. Every single year, the same costume. He would sit on the back of his decorated pick up truck and give out candy. It was weird because he had this really scraggly beard and glasses, and his face just looked strange coming out of the cow get-up.
I’m sure I got weird things, but nothing in particular stands out in my memory. I do remember, however, the last year I went trick-or-treating (a dying art! Last year we had a grand total of maybe twenty kids come by, but when I was a kid, there were probably at least three times that many, if not more. Maybe the neighborhood just grew up?), I was about fifteen and one house was giving away these plastic light-up toys. My friends got some sort of bouncy-ball hybrid, but mine was a keychain, which I used for my first car keys until the chain broke and I lost the little light up part.
As for things I want to learn, I’d really love to learn how to swing dance. The problem is, I can’t really dance in the first place and I don’t have a partner. This really isn’t a long list, since I’m actually pretty good at going for what I am interested in!
posted by Jenny on 10-30-2009 at 5:32 pm
@EMStoveken–
I have a friend who makes homebrew beer. It’s really not that expensive–maybe the hops, but other than that it’s basically just water and yeast. Most of the work of brewing actually requires making sure your environment is very, very clean.
posted by Jenny on 10-30-2009 at 5:36 pm
1. I used to work at Barnes and Noble and you always had to offer the customer the Barnes and Noble card. Now on some purchases, like over $100 ones, it was worth it to mention it since it would save them some money. But I remember we had to do it for everyone, even ask the person who was just in to buy a bookmark. I always hated asking people.
2. I remember when DVDs were just coming out and there was this guy who had to have everything that was top of the line in the neighborhood. Well he didn’t know what to do with his VHS’ so he gave them out at Halloween. I got some Disney ones so I was pretty stoked for a little kid.
3. I’ve been wanting to get back into crocheting for a while. Well it was my mom’s birthday last week and I didn’t know what to get her, so I used it as an excuse to crochet. I took a class and made her a beautiful scarf. I was so proud. Now if I could only find some time to learn how to landscape yards, I’d be all set.
posted by Colene on 10-30-2009 at 5:59 pm
1. I went to Walgreens (just like everybody else) and I was buying a pack of cigarettes and the clerk asked me if I wanted a bag of city-approved garbage bags (because where we live, we have to have special garbage bags).
2. When I was a kid, there was a guy in my grandparent’s neighborhood who would always give away bags of microwave popcorn.
3. I would actually like to learn how to play the accordion.
posted by Sam on 10-30-2009 at 8:48 pm
1. I was offered M&M’s at Walgreens, but they were some strange flavor like strawberry and peanut butter… mixed together. Gross. I asked the clerk if she’s tried them and she said they were pretty good… sorry, there is only one M&M for me… plain!
2. Can’t recall anything out of the ordinary.
3. I wish I could sing, but I don’t think any amount of time or effort could give me what God didn’t. So I’m thinking playing the piano or learning Spanish.
posted by Nurse Monica on 10-30-2009 at 11:49 pm
2. I didn’t really recieve it but there was this old couple that would take a picture of every group of people that came by. They gave us good candy though!
3. I’d really like to play the bass. Wether its the kind on rock bands or the jazz kind of bass. It just seems cool
posted by ufluffed on 10-31-2009 at 12:05 am
3. I’d like to be able to understand technical information, but I will settle for being able to swear fluently in many languages.
BTW – all you language learning wannabes:
Public libraries are FREE! If you want to learn a language, pick up some CDs and DVDs and start learning as you drive or take transit, or maybe while eating breakfast! Multitask! You can do it! At 44 I am learning French (one kid in French immersion) and ASL (one kid deaf as post).
Also – the comic books without covers were likely from a bookstore – you return covers from magazines in order to report them as unsold. If you sell coverless items, you are committing fraud to your distributor…
recaptcha: Neilson mucked – well sure it will, if you leave that Crispy Crunch bar on the dashboard!
posted by Marion on 10-31-2009 at 12:30 am
1. My local grocery does the charity donation thing AND the up-sell thing at checkout. Normally I just ignore both, but last October they wanted money for Diabetes research, and to sell me a 10 pound bag of chocolate.
Neither thing was too bizarre on it’s own, but together they broke my brain a little.
posted by Stormy on 10-31-2009 at 12:41 am
There was an old man that lived in a very small one room house in my town. He loved seeing the kids in costumes on Halloween, but he never had any candy. So he’d give us Hall’s losenges.
There are zillions of things I would like to be great at belly dancing, singing, languages, playing the bassoon, painting, and writing.
posted by Jean on 10-31-2009 at 4:07 am
1. I can’t think of anything really strange, but I know that I have NEVER been asked if I want fries with my order at McDonalds.
2. Aside from fresh fruit (what kid wants to get an apple for Halloween?) I never got anything truly odd. But we used to have a neighbor who worked at the local Pepsi bottling plant and they always gave out cans of soda. I would hit them up several times a night.
3. I’d like to become fluent in a foreign language. Three years of high school German was a long time ago…
posted by eric! on 10-31-2009 at 9:02 am
3- Sing, play guitar, play harmonica, draw’ learn a language.
2-Christian literature
1-I can not recall any odd items, but I always tell kids, who want to quit school, I will help them with their careers. I say “repeat after me, “do you want fries with that”?
posted by gus on 10-31-2009 at 9:03 am
2. One year I was at a Halloween party at a friend’s house and I was giving out candy to the kids who came by. There were a lot of kids in the neighborhood, and we quickly ran out of candy. I was giving each kid about five pieces rather than just one, which irked my friend. Anyway, we scrounged up things we could give the rest of the kids. Imagine seeing the faces of the little ones when they were asked, \We have batteries, bandaids, and cotton balls. Which would you like?\ \Ummmm…bandaids please?\ It was really funny!
posted by Lisa on 10-31-2009 at 9:41 am
Nurse Monica- Those M&M’s are pretty good, but you don’t really taste the strawberry.
posted by Sara in AL on 10-31-2009 at 1:19 pm
1. I can’t think of what the oddest thing is someone’s tried to sell me, but I would just love for someone at the Walgreens by me to acknowledge that customers exist! Last time I went in the girl at the checkout only stopped talking to her co-worker long enough to say what my total was.
3. Here’s part of my extensive list – I would love to relearn all the French I used to know, want to be able to salsa dance (or dance at all for that matter), and I hold onto this lingering belief that somewhere deep inside me is a naturally gifted musician of some sort (despite all evidence to the contrary)…
posted by Soonersnic on 10-31-2009 at 2:12 pm
Just thought of something similar to #1 – the ’suggestions’ that websites like YouTube make based on what you’ve recently watched often baffle me. I know it’s just a computer program generating them, but I don’t think anyone who just listened to ‘Beautifully Broken’ by Government Mule wants to follow that with ‘Beautifully Broken’ by Ashley Simpson…
posted by Soonersnic on 10-31-2009 at 2:17 pm
#2 I got a tiny copy of the new testament..SO small you couldn’t even read the print, they wanted to spread the word but make you strain your eyes at the same time!
posted by Beth on 10-31-2009 at 2:59 pm
#3 I want to be able to speak Mandarin I just like the way it sounds
posted by Beth on 10-31-2009 at 3:01 pm
1. I was at Kwik Trip (convenience store) buying cookies and a small coffee. First, she says, “The donuts are on sale, wouldn’t you like those instead?” I said no. Then she says, “You can get any size coffee for the same price, even large” I said no, thank you. THEN she says, “Would you like a breakfast a sandwich with that?” I was thinking… if she asks me if I have gasoline out there, I will leave. Without the cookies. Or the coffee.
posted by Bethany on 10-31-2009 at 3:35 pm
1. When I worked for an outdoor outfitter call center, we had to, “upsell” things the computer would suggest. Sometimes the suggestions were frustrating, because the caller would be a man who was ordering: shotgun shells, dog training supplies, hip waders, etc., and I’d have to say, “Would you like to order a woman’s fleece vest with that?” We had to do it, otherwise our computer screen would not clear. Customers would get so frustrated, so I would make a joke out of it, “I am sorry I have to ask, but would your dog like a…” LOL!
3. I’d like to be fluent in Spanish, French and Arabic.
posted by helenann on 10-31-2009 at 4:42 pm
1) I worked at Walgreens for about a year. We did have to try to sell the candy or other random items, but it was really pushed because we got a sort-of commission on them. If you were really good, asked everyone, and didn’t seem crazy, you could get an extra 8 or 9 bucks at least during a shift. I also worked in photo, where if you sold people 8×10s and stuff you could make an extra 30-45 bucks a shift. It’s annoying, but when you’re working for minimum wage, anything helps.
3) Speaking Romani and dancing. I’ve begun to do a little of both, but the difficulty level stops me about 1/16 of the way in every time.
posted by Sarah on 10-31-2009 at 5:44 pm
2. One of my neighbors gave out ramen. One year was the square packs that you have to cook in a pot, the next was chicken cup noodles. She was pretty awesome.
Also, we’ve had lots of neighbors ask if we wanted fruit off their trees along with candy. Mostly it was persimmons.
posted by Gee on 10-31-2009 at 6:13 pm
I always save those toys from drive thrus and from kids birthday parties to hand out for Halloween. My kids don’t need more junk in their room… :)
posted by Midgetpepper on 10-31-2009 at 6:15 pm
I’m learning uke now, but man alive would I love to be good at closeup magic! I also made it through 3/4 of the Hebrew alphabet before getting distracted by the birth of my baby, and now I’ve forgotten it all and have to start over. Nurr.
posted by Amy on 10-31-2009 at 6:36 pm
I was at Walgreens just yesterday,and among the items I purchased were three Snickers bars. And, you guessed it, when I got to the checkout, the woman at the register asked me if I would like to buy a Snickers.
The dentist that lived on our street gave out toothbrushes, and another family gave out cartons of orange drink.(Nice break after running house to house in a greed inspired frenzy)
posted by chris on 10-31-2009 at 6:51 pm
Walgreens sucks I miss Longs!
I don’t usually get the upsell for weird stuff but every time I get a coffee they ask if I want a pastry. No I do not want your lousy dried out stale pile of carbs Peets or Starbucks. I only want a mocha which is in fact why I only ordered said mocha!
I never got that much weird stuff at Halloween but I did work at the mall one Halloween. They were having one of those cheesy safe alternative trick or treating events for overprotective parents whose churches were not having some Ned Flanders-esque anti Halloween event. The candy offerings were pathetic, like one Brachs royal or one toostie roll. My store gave out pencils that we couldn’t sell. I ended up handing out reject pencils to depressed looking children and their hover moms. Best Halloween Ever–Not!
Guitar. Of course that means I would have to buy a guitar.
posted by SB on 10-31-2009 at 7:29 pm
There was a woman in my neighborhood who worked for the National Wildlife Federation. She had huge stacks of Ranger Rick magazines on her porch and would let us pick from back issues.
posted by Emily on 10-31-2009 at 7:49 pm
1. I got nothing.
2. My brother once got a card that had the Miranda rights printed on it. He was 6 and very confused.
3. I really, really want to learn how to surf, but I live in Missouri. I also would love to learn to skateboard, but I’m 38.
posted by grouchonacouch on 10-31-2009 at 9:39 pm
2. We give out glow bracelets. The kids love them and it helps make them more visible when crossing dark streets. Good for all ages, not bad for your teeth (we give out candy too) and diabetic kids can have them. And at $.10 each they’re not terribly expensive for the amount of trick or treaters we have come through each year.
3.I would love to learn ballet but at my age not a big chance.
posted by Angela on 10-31-2009 at 9:40 pm
1. I work retail right now and I am supposed to ask ALL of these questions once you get to the cash:
-Do you have a club card?
-Would you like to start one?
-Cards are Buy 3 Get 3 Free, would you like to try that?
-If you get two cards you can get that frame set for $9.99. Or the other frame set. Or this Waterford vase for $19.99. Or this bear or $19.99.
Luckily everyone is very polite, so I very rarely get angry customers. Contributing to the happy stereotype that Canadians are polite. =)
2. The only weird things I got in my neighbourhood were Chinese candies, but my neighbourhood is very Chinese so it wasn’t really that weird. It was still the kind of candy we begged our parents to buy in the supermarket.
3. Dance, guitar, Tagalog, French, but mostly medicine. I’m going to be a doctor, that’s my dream and I’m sticking with it!
posted by Kat on 11-1-2009 at 5:38 pm
Oh, and if someone bought a gift item we’re supposed to ask them if they want a bag. And wrapping paper. And ribbons. And a bow. And a tiny box. And a card- in which case cards are buy 3 ge….
*Exhales slowly.* I actually get a sore throat after long shifts.
posted by Kat on 11-1-2009 at 5:41 pm
@ EMStoveken who said, “I wasn’t purchasing ANY pills, let alone a significant amount of pills that would necessitate a device to organize them.”
Totally off subject but this reminded me of Wayne’s World when Wayne’s ex gives him the gun rack and he says, “A gun rack? I don’t even own a gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate a gun rack.”
posted by Kait on 11-2-2009 at 12:01 pm
One year I was trick or treating with a friend and at one house they had no candy, but gave us each like 20 records. Vinal records. Which we had to carry home. This was in 1992.
posted by Sheya on 11-2-2009 at 4:05 pm