The BIG question? How much candy?

    If I had one wish, it would be that no one would ever ask me this question. That is the most unrealistic wish that I could ever have but it such hard one to answer. We want to so badly to be a great resource for candy buffets, which we are, but this is one question that I can only give advice on.
    How can this so complicated? There are just so many factors to consider.

• Number of guests
• Type of container you will be providing, if any
• Length of your event
• Other foods and sweets that will be available
•  Length of your event
• Number of children at your event
• Number of varieties of candy

    As you can see there is no easy formula to use to figure out how much candy you need.So I will walk you through some of the tips that I give to customers in store.
    A basic rule that many "experts" recommend is to buy 10-20 pounds of each variety of candy. While this is a good rule of thumb for a wedding, it doesn't really apply to other events which may be smaller in size and shorter in length.
    If you are giving your guests take home containers of a certain size, you will want to make sure that you have enough candy for each guest to fill their containers. However, you also need to keep in mind that they will be eating candy at the event as well.
    Obviously, the more varieties of candy on your candy buffet, the less in poundage that you need of each kind. However, what you do have to keep in mind is that some things are going to be more popular with your guests. So far, I have seen that wrapped high quality chocolates are a particular favorite with guests, and ladies in particular.
    Kids! This can be where things get tricky. Are you going to have someone "work" your candy buffet? The Dime Store can send an associate to set up, serve, and tear down your candy buffet for a small fee. You can also designate a family friend to do this.  Serving can also just mean reminding kids (and others) to use the scoops and spoons instead of their fingers. No one wants to take the jelly beans that someone just had their fingers all over! What you want to keep in mind are the candies that kinds enjoy. Kids love gummies, sour candies and taffy. They are not usually as fond of hot cinnamon and licorice flavors. A recent bride in the store chose a few candies that she knew the children at her event would love and will be putting those in jars that are easily accessible to smaller ones! What a great and thoughtful idea!

   Another tip is to use sugar, brown sugar or even chocolate chips in the bottom of the jars in order to decrease the amount of candy that is needed to make the jars full. The best way to make sure that your candy buffet is attractive is to be sure that your jars will be full. The problem is that some of the jars that are so gorgeous are so tall that it is nearly impossible to get the candy from the bottom. Raising the candy level a bit makes the display look attractive and saves you money because it uses so much less candy.  Sugar can also be used to hold suckers in place.