Originally Posted by
NotaCriminal
Your supervisors/management allowed you to do so? No criticism here, just curious if you were allowed to do so or told to stop by management. It is a form of "thinking outside the box" and it doesn't seem like TSA appreciates that kind of thinking from ANY of us.
I wouldn't say that. Certainly, TSA has its rules, the SOP to follow, but I have always seen management encourage employees to "think outside the box". Heck, when I first showed up at SAT, I worked in T2, and a Terminal Manager kept a large bowl of candy on top of one of the x-rays. Sometimes passengers would ask for a piece, and we would give it to them, and of course, the kids. Any one could basically help themselves to it (I am sure some passengers wanted some, but were afraid to ask!).
Around Spring break, when lots of families travel, is a great time to keep some wrapped candy in your pocket to give out to kids, crying from being woken from their sleep or fighting with their brother or sister, or whatever. But as jkhuggings suggest above, I do not think it is seen as "bribing" children to comply with screening; its more of a distraction; despite the sugar your giving them, for a short time they mellow out and allow their parents time to prepare their carry-ons for x-ray screening.