I’ve heard most of the kids either say thank you or just be too excited to remember to say it (the little ones). We live in a neighborhood with lots of young families and most people sit out in their front porches or yards to give out candy. About 20 houses had “honor bowls” and those still had candy left at 7:30 tonight. Nobody stole the whole bowl... Trick or treating ends at 8 here, by custom and by police safety recommendation.
In the different places I have lived, it seems the ones with a higher percentage of families who have been American for longer seem to overall know the “rules” of Halloween a lot better. New immigrants and newish immigrant-descended families just haven’t been socialized into properly, so if that’s the bulk of the neighborhood they just don’t know or don’t care what to do. In one neighborhood almost NONE of the people even said trick or treat, and GROWN MEN were trick or treating without even having costumes on. I would answer the door and they would wave their pillow cases at me with a scowl on their faces. It was so weird. And then you just have the bratty kids with absent parents.
My son is two, and I said “thank you” for him most of the time. He mostly whispered “trick or treat” and then yelled “ThankYouByeGoodNight, don’t let the bed bugs bite!” after he got his candy.
We had an “honor bowl” out a couple of years ago while we went out with the kids.
We came home to no bowl.
This year we’re at Grandma’s house. Lots of cars following kids. Kids are wrong demographic for the neighborhood. Park and walk is too hard for the parents I guess.