As a teen-ager I worked at an upscale department store at the candy counter. We had a whole shelf filled with chocolate-covered bugs. The entire time I worked there no one bought any.
I think you mentioned this was at Hudsons Dept. store in Detroit, Mi. I never knew this product was sold there, and I grew up in Detroit. Cass Tech was my high school.
Someone gave me a lollipop with a scorpion in it. I discovered that the lollipop is actually a very viscous liquid. The scorpion would gradually sink to the down side of the lollipop, which I would turn over every few months.
I wonder if I still have that lollipop...