Remember to Stock Up on Toilet Paper and Eggs, Part I

Halloween is a mere 18 days away. I use the holiday as an excuse to overbuy the candy I favor, then spend November eating what's left. The hard part is not opening the bag before October 31, because once that bag is breached, it would take the thumbs of a dozen Dutch Boys to keep the rest of those treats from spilling out.

But I digress. A number of Halloween-based stories came out today, and I learned quite a lot from them.

First of all, more than half of all Americans will be handing out chocolate, according to a poll by the National Confectioners Association, followed by, in descending popularity, hard candy and lollipops, chewy or gummi candy, chewing or bubble gum, and caramel treats.

No mention of how many hand out a scattering of pennies, which I've experienced on a number of occasions. More important, the survey notes:

[F]our in ten adults admit that they purposely keep treats behind, instead of giving all the loot away to revelers. In fact, nearly one third (30 percent) of adults admit that they will pocket at least a handful or more of goodies from the treat bowl to savor for themselves.

So, at least I won't be alone in my gluttony. No word on how many parents will be swiping candy from their kids' stash, but I know it will be at least 50 percent of the parents in my house!
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