Costco,sold small,cans of Pringles, I think 24 to a box. I offered full size chocolate bars (Costco, mixed variety) or the Pringles. Pringles went fast.
Thanks, @shellz. I was impressed by the little boy and his family for teaching him to ask about peanuts.
My sis has started offering a choice: candy, bottles of chilled water or chilled Capri sun juice bags. She’s surprised how many gratefully opt for water or the juice (walking in costume is thirsty work). She had 200 kids. We heard our neighborhood had about 40. We went to the mall and watched–tons of costumed kids of all ages and their costumed folks had a huge line around the inside of the enclosed mall and merchants passed out candy for 2 hours–5 to 7pm.
My brother in Maine ran out of candy one year and resorted to dog cookies. They were such a hit he still offers them!
Probably about a hundred kids this year, thanks to the multiple hayrides that came through the neighborhood. Kids tend to come in from outside the 'hood…there still aren’t nearly the amount of trick or treaters there were when all the “original kids” were young…
@rhododendron We had the Costco assortment of mini’s, and H commented how nobody seems to want the Milky Ways or Snickers anymore! We also had the non-chocolate assortment (Mike and Ike, Sour patch, Skittles, etc) and they were MUCH more popular than the chocolate variety. We see far fewer Trick or Treaters than we did when our kids were young, even though there are more young families in our township now. With so many Fall events happening, I don’t think people head out quite as far or as long as they used to (and we are not a destination type of neighborhood.) We have very middle schoolers these days - maybe just one group this year. But lots of thank you’s from our crowd of princesses and super heroes!
OP, that’s hilarious. I hang goody bags on a giant spider web for kids to pick. Young kids are wonderful. They LOVE picking treats off the spider web and pick only one bag each. If older kids come first and I don’t interfere, they clean out sometimes withing the first half hour. I stood guard yesterday until 7:30. Some late comers still cleaned out and the last group who came shortly before 8 didn’t get any. I can’t say kids these days are polite. What are they gonna do with so many candies anyway?
Overall the kids were very polite - an occasional kid who didn’t say a word or even smile at the door - couldn’t help but prompt them to say SOMETHING!!!
One thing we noted: many kids who said, “how many can I take?” - wow, I couldn’t imagine my kids being that bold - especially since I usually hold out the basket and say, “choose the one you like!”. One group of teen boys later said that to my son - “how many can we take?” - son held out the basket and said “zero”. 
He has some snark in him just like his mom! (of course he then said “just kidding!”)
We gave out bottled water in addition to candy - it was hot and the kids were grateful. Had less than half the kids we usually have and tons of candy left over 
Turn out for Halloween in our neighborhood is variable and usually, that leaves us with an excess of candy. Last night was light; about 20 kids total. I encouraged them to pick their favorites and if they asked how many is okay, the answer was a few and later, a bunch. They liked that and I am glad to have fewer left overs. Most said thank you, which is generally the case, regardless of the amount of candy.
It seems kids have been taught that asking how many is polite. It wasn’t freezing or raining here; great to actually see the costumes.
For those with leftover candy: I have a friend who lives in a Silicon Valley suburb, and last night he gave out 3,500 pieces of candy at his house. Yes, Thirty-Five Hundred. He has to hire a HS student to help pass it out at his front gate!
He also brings 10 cases of Napa’s Finest for the grownups.
He is a very good man an undoubtedly a good neighbor!
3,500 !? 
I only bought 150 pieces and that was still too much (and I was handing out multiple pieces).
“He also brings 10 cases of Napa’s Finest for the grownups.”
The route must be decided by the parents!
Thank goodness I bought those extra two bags. We gave out two small candy bars to all. I had bought five with a check of how many bars per bag (# servings x bars per serving- range was 16-21 in the store) and had less than a half bag left, including the few H and I took. So much for giving the extras away- only 6, a mere handful. We had a lot more kids this year and all but a few were definitely younger. The best Halloween night in a long time- here or in old house. So- next year I’ll probably have too much… Only had one grabber- the you may take/choose two had a boy around three grabbing so I gave him the two instead. Learning curve for kids. Oh- and I gave one each to two parents from the background since the kids were polite and the man was wearing a black head to toe, face covering bodysuit.
Brussel Sprouts!!! I love that, will have to try it next year. Last night I opened the door to 3 little boys, maybe 11, 10, and one little guy - in a spiderman costume - maybe 2 or 3? I drop 2 candies in the littlest guy’s bucket, and while I am placing candies in the older kids’ bags the little guy is reaching into my basket for more!! I laughed, took his hand out and told him to look in his bucket while his horrified brothers yelled at him, “NO! NO!” Totally cracked me up.
When my S was three, my husband took him trick or treating and waited at the street while my S went to the door with some friends. All of the other kids came back to the parents and my S was nowhere in sight. My husband ran up to the door, and there was my S inside drinking a glass of milk. The woman was so apologetic when she saw the panic in my husband’s face. What had happened was that she offered him some candy and he said: “No thank you. Can I please have a cup of milk?”
Our S just knocked, opened the door and walked in when he was “trick or treating.” He was 1 year old and yelling “trick or treat” was totally alien. Fortunately, it was was the neighborhood where I grew up and they were all amused.
We never get any trick or treaters. Last year we just gave up, turned out the lights and hid in the back of the house so I didn’t have to bother buying the candy.
This year my H was having a Men’s Bible study at the house so I knew I had to huy some candy because the lights would be on so i wanted to be prepared, just in case. Bought my favorite candy York Peppermint Patties so I could have the leftovers which I esrtimated would be 99% of the bag. I think 3 people came to the door. At the end of the evening I ran into living room to get my candy and those men had eaten them all up!! Dang it
You all must live in a much more civilized neighborhood than mine to be apologetic for grabbing 2-3 candies instead of one. Some kids who come to my door seem to think cleaning out is the way to go. I leave out 100 goody bags. Unless I stand guard, they’d be gone in the first half an hour. This year I stopped manning the post half an hour early with about 30 bags still left. A group of 3-4 kids came 10 minutes later and cleaned out.
What a sweet story @MJMAMA , and a reminder that Halloween is an opportunity to meet neighbors and socialize. My husband always accompanied our daughter and her friends around the neighborhood when they were little (with our dog). At that time we were the “young” family in a neighborhood of retirees. They never were able to visit many houses because so many people invited them inside to chat and admire the costumes. Now we are the old people and I am the one fawning over the cute little kids at the door!