Greedy parents are being blamed for ruining an Easter egg hunt by the candy maker Pez.
Pez vs Greedy Parents
The candy maker hosted its 3rd annual Easter egg hunt over the weekend. Over 9,000 eggs were hidden over three different fields for the estimated 1,000 participants. The three fields were designated for different age groups, and was supposed to take place in three stages. Some parents, however, rushed the fields before the event even began, ignoring staff and the age limit designation. Staff members were blown off as greedy parents cleaned out one field before the event even began. The event was eventually called off.
Pez released a statement to explain what happened:
Unfortunately people chose to enter the first field prior to anyone from PEZ staff starting the activity. The crowd moved to the 2nd field, waited for only a couple of minutes and proceeded to rush the field without being directed to do so and before the posted start time. The crowd then immediately moved to the 3rd field and took over and removed everything well before the activity was to even start.
Nicole Simmons, a mother of a 6-year old would-be participant, told the Hartford Courant, “…you could see the crowd of people almost like a swarm covering the field and just everywhere with no disregard that there were other people, children and cars around them.” The event had been canceled by the time she arrived.
Another parent described on Facebook how “The parents first of all were letting their uncontrolled children pick up eggs prior to the start. Then when the event started all the parents rushed in and we’re picking up the eggs.”
“Folks just rushed the field and took everything,” the Pez general manager Shawn Peterson told WFSB. “It was like locusts. Everybody just descended and left.” Peterson also said that children were knocked over and eggs were stolen from other people’s baskets.
Pez attempted to remedy the situation by handing out free candy, although some parents left because those lines were too long.