In Brooklyn it’s gotten totally out of hand so that Mortdechai and Esther wouldn’t know that what’s going on is shaloch monos. For stores to have hundreds of varieties of sugary candies and for people to load shopping carts with nosh is not what it’s about.
I assume the current practice is endorsed by the American Dental Society. If Bloomberg saw shaloch monos being givenm out he’d outlaw that instead of large soft drinks.
Stick to bottles of wine or scotch both of which are beneficial to health.