Who said anything about an “elaborate” costume? Anybody can put on some silly random clothes and a hat and be “in costume.”
Is it that the kids aren’t dressed up “enough,” or that they’re not dressed up at all?
My mom used to complain incessantly about outsiders coming into our ‘nice’ neighborhood. Every year, when I was in high school and too old for trick or treating, I’d listen to the complaints non-stop. “Now, anyone you don’t recognize gets only piece, the kids you know get 3…”
I guess part of it was the wide variations of trick or treaters we’d get from year to year. One year, the candy would be gone by 7:30, the next we’d have 5 bags left.
Oh, yes.
I do my Halloween thing as the Incarnation of Death in my front yard, which is across the street from the subdivision office. Cars pull in all evening and discharge hoards of kids that I know don’t live in our subdivision.
I checked with my spouse, and I have a different experience to report. I will describe in more detail later.
I never heard of this before, having been raised in a suburb, but I can see how it’d happen. Especially if you live in a nice part of town. In Chicago the businesses tend to give candy, like where I am, houses don’t but all up and down Milwaukee all the businesses give out candy. Even 7-11 they give the kids a “kiddy sized cup” and they can go to the slurpee machine and get their Halloween gift that way.
(And just cause I’m like this, I asked the clerk, what if an adult, not in costume wants one, she said "We give them to anyone) 
As for treats, at least when I was a kid word quickly got out if anyone one house was giving out thing like Snickers or Peanut Butter cups or other “good” candy.
But I used to manage to fill my pillow case (that’s what we used to haul the candy) up at least two sometimes three times a night. In my area the littlest kids would go out between 3:30pm and 5:30pm. I remember my sister would take me and my pals and once she wanted to go at 5pm and I was only 6 at the time but I definately was NOT going out at 5pm with “the BABIES.”
But 8:30pm we were pretty much in for the night and 9pm was the end of it in our area. We were helped to go in early by Mum’s rule that we couldn’t eat any candy till we were in for the night.
As for costumes, no one where I was use fancy things. Most of us threw a sheet over their head or I would throw some dirt on my and go as a hobo. My last year trick or treating I was 11 and my father died in Feb of that year, and I had Mum save his old suit and I put that on and went as a businessman
I cannot wait.
I’d say about 1/10 of our trick-or-treaters were teenagers with no costume whatsoever and a plastic bag from Food City. Misses the point, if you ask me; any kid ought to be able to throw something together. The impression you get from these kids is that they just couldn’t be bothered.
I still wouldn’t mind so much if most of them weren’t so rude. They don’t even say anything; they just walk up with their open bags and stare until you put something in it, then snicker as they walk away. Several of them tried to his us up twice.
We’ve thought about picking up some really shitty candy and saving it for them.
Holy crap, how many times did you go through the fun house?! 
As far as I can tell, the phenomenon of non-resident trick-or-treaters (of any race) has not happened in my neighborhood in the last few years. I have not paid careful attention, but I will try to look more carefully this year. I live in a wealthy neighborhood.
In the previous house, we used to get literally dozens of kids* from poorer neighbourhoods. They got exactly the same (if not more) candy than the local ragamuffins. Come on, candy is is cheap and it’s Halloween. I wish the older ones would put a bit more effort into their costumes, though - surly teen is not an ideal Halloween outfit. 
*the guy up the street had a great haunted house that attracted folks from miles around.
I agree “surly teen” isn’t an ideal costume, but I once had a philosophical argument over costuming with my then thirteen year old that resulted in an outfit that was barely above that. The year before he’d begged and pleaded for an expensive store-bought costume, promising to wear it at least a couple years in a row to justify the cost. Of course the next year he decided he couldn’t possibly use that and I refused to spend one dime on something else.
We compromised with him taking his own money to the dollar store and buying two multi-packs of cleaning sponges. He sewed the sponges all over an old t-shirt and carried a cheap hand-held mirror and went as a self-absorbed teenager, and I didn’t spend a thing. 
brazil perhaps it might help you to think of yourself as lucky to live in a decent neighborhood that attracts kids from worse off places. I never mind non-residents because I figure those kids deserve a great Halloween too, I’m just thrilled to be a part of it on the desirable side.
I don’t think you read my post.
To defend the sullen-but-good-Halloween-sports-anyway teen contingent, may I present my clan’s last Halloween? As you can see, the little ones and the dorky grownups did a Wizard of Oz theme, but the teens did their own thing: there’s a vampire victim, a Marilyn Monroe, an Ichigo, a Death and a Neo/Edward Scissorhands/Emo hybrid. (Ichigo and Dorothy are mine.) The vampire victim and the Emo kid spent less than $2 each, wearing mostly what they had already. I think Death spent about $5 for a curtain from the thrift store and fashioned it into a cloak and got makeup at the dollar store. Costumes can be done for cheap!
Sadly, I think it may have been the last dress-up Halloween for Ichigo for a while; usually he’s got it all planned out by July, but this year he has no ideas. I think I’ll mention the “self-absorbed teenager” and see if he wants to steal it. Don’t worry - if he won’t dress up, he won’t get the goods, even if he brings his little sister trick-or-treating!