I came across this article on treehugger yesterday, and I don’t know about you, but I’d sure like stores to get rid of the impulse buying candy rack. The article suggests how irresponsible it is to keep sugar laden treats at kids’ eye level in the checkout lines. I remember when my kids were little, I dreaded the checkout line for that exact reason. Like the author, I could and did say “no,” but keeping vigilant in an over-indulgent world is a pain in the derriere.
The article acknowledges that the product placement is money driven–and it is probably proven. Who hasn’t been starving while waiting in line and caved to an impulse Snicker’s bar? I know I have. But, imagine for the briefest moment a world where healthy options lined the checkout line. That way, the stores could make their money and adults and kids alike could throw in a quick snack without the looming threat of diabetes. {Even better would be nothing at all at the checkout, but we are a consumer driven world, and in the end, stores will try to sell you on that idea no matter what.}
The article made the point that we have to teach our kids {and ourselves} to resist the temptation. And, I agree, we have to be able to make good choices in the face of potentially bad temptations, but in their are plenty of bad temptations to steer around. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was one less to contend with?
What do you think, would you like to see the candy racks at checkout disappear?
~Mavis
Paula says
The candy racks at the checkout never bothered me half as much as the covers of Cosmo, with the (what I would call) fairly explicit titles to their endless array of articles about sex. Some stores (thank you, Albertons!) display only the title but others (Barnes and Noble!) are brazen, and their managers look at you like you’re a crazy person if you complain about them being displayed at child height.
So, no. I don’t care about the candy; I do care about racy magazine covers.
Paula says
Oh, I meant to say, this became an issue for me when my youngest daughter turned out to be a fluent reader at age 4. Those were some interesting check-out line conversations.
Dianna says
I hate those magazines too!
Catherine says
I agree completely.
judy says
Paula I completely agree…children and adults both alike, are exposed to to much trash! Kids especially dont need to be standing in line looking at that trash.
Mavis Butterfield says
I know, the magazines make me crazy too. I wish they would just get rid of the ones with trash covers.
Tisha says
I find the biggest deterrent the price under the candy. I often have a bigger problem from a health perspective with the sodas in the check out line. When I lived in California, there was one store that had a lane labelled as having no candy which I thought was nice but my kids are more enamored with flash lights, little speakers, etc. in the aisles any way.
Wendy Steele says
ALL my eyes could focus on were those candies–we don’t have those kinds in New Jersey!!! What’s a Big Hunk?–What’s an Abba-Zabba? What’s a LOOK????????? Oh, man–just made me wanna try & get my hands on those regional candies we don’t have here in the Northeast!!! Which I guess is sorta the point of the whole post. teee heee!!!
Mavis Butterfield says
They sell the candies at our local pharmacy.
PattyB says
These were the candies that were available when I was a kid (50’s and 60’s). They were everywhere. Now you only see them in tourist novelty candy stores and some establishments. I think that they are gaining more popularity. I know I can’t resist them!
Kayla Eason says
I have a 4 year old and know all too well the stress you feel when walking towards the checkout line. While I don’t particularly mind the racks being there, I would love if they were replaced with healthier options. I think some baskets of fruit like apples and bananas would actually do really well. Sometimes you’re not going straight home and need a quick snack. I’ve also been at the store with one more than one person that was diabetic and needed something right then and there. Bring on the fruit and healthy snacks!
Ruth Ward says
Most definitely.
Jenifer says
Where I live they actually have a nice mix of candy , roasted nuts and fruit.
Honestly though, if we keep taking away “temptations” how ever will we learn to resist them.
I have been prone to pick up that over priced Snicker bar – about twice a year. Considering I go to the grocery store 3-4 times a week, I think my fighting temptation instincts are just fine with the over priced candy starring at me. 🙂
Dianna says
One of our local stores keeps apples and bananas in their checkout area along with the treats. I like it!
Mavis Butterfield says
I think that’s cool they offer produce. 🙂
Catherine says
I don’t think it’s necessary to remove candy from checkout aisles. We are grown. We can make decisions about what we eat and can make those same decisions for our children. Stores are businesses and will do what makes them money, which makes complete sense to me.
Diana says
I agree completely, Catherine.
Jen says
I agree as well. Our government is on a rampage to force people to be healthy by making laws for corporations about how they must do things. This is crazy to me. We are in a free country with freedom to choose. It is more important to teach our children at home so they can properly make their OWN decisions in the grocery store and elsewhere.
lynne says
your chipped front tooth is identical to mine! I almost wanted to take a pic & send it to you…never fear, mine has been this way for many a year now, and will probably stay that way for many more. my parents paid dearly for my smile before the chip (braces, headgear, retainers), and that’s good enuf I guess.
Candy at the checkout…not as much of a temptation for me as it once was, still love my chocolate, but I opt for a local chocolate artisan (is that a real phrase-“chocolate artisan??) who hand makes all her chocolates…let me tell ya’ the pecan caramel turtles are to die for! Special treat, and after having them, the ol’ snickers does not satisfy.
Rochelle says
The store I shop at, Raley’s, has family friendly check out lanes that are well marked. Those lanes have healthy snack selections in place of candy, family friendly magazines, bananas, and a wider lane for strollers.
Jen says
Luckily my kids have never really noticed all the goodies there… the candy free aisle is much much worse for us…. its stocked with great coloring books and painting sets that are EXPENSIVE! I agreed to buy something one day and almost fell over when I realized I spent $10 on a coloring book!!
Aileen says
Hi, here in Ireland our major supermarkets have designated sweet free checkouts so you can opt in or out of queuing in ‘temptation’!!!
JoAnn says
I agree with the magazines, they offend me more than the candy. I also agree with…where is that candy? I love abba zabba…it is white nougat with a peanut butter center….I live in the North East and used to live in Calif. when I saw those last. Would love another!!!! in moderation of course.
Jane says
While I’d love it if everyone stopped buying from them so stores would find it not worth having them there, it definitely needs to be something consumer driven and not legislative. It is something parents need to train their kids because temptation will ALWAYS be around, and it’s better they learn how to manage in the world with it.
I, like others, am definitely MORE bothered by the magazines all over the rack than any of the other products there!
Cecily says
No, I don’t think it should be removed. I think it presents a great opportunity for parents to teach their children about discipline and self control.
Lisa says
No I don’t! I think parents need to grow some… and learn to say “no” even if it disappoints little Suzie or Billy. Unless Mommy and Daddy Dearest have always given in, kids don’t expect to get a candy bar on every grocery shopping trip.
It doesn’t matter to me if it’s stocked with healthier items or not. If I tell my kids “no” then that’s it.
As far as teaching our kids to resist temptation, candy bars in the grocery store are not that important! Besides, it isn’t the kids learning to resist, it’s the parents learning to say “no.” Practice parents… “No, not this trip.”
Charles Sifers says
That stuff is there because people want to buy it. Too many busy bodies out there trying to “save us from ourselves”.
If people want to buy something, there is nothing wrong with a store selling it.
That’s actually the point.
I’m in Indiana, and our check-out lines include a wide variety of items from candy to fresh fruit, along with the soft-core porn for women mentioned previously.
Even my local gas station sells fresh fruit and locally made items.
I’m a father and grandfather, and I never had a problem saying no, either to my kids or myself, and if I want a Snickers I buy one without guilt. I’m a lot more put out by someone else trying to make decisions for me.
It’s called personal responsibility, and I’m thinking that’s a trait that we should all be promoting instead of some fascist temperance philosophy.
Tamara says
AMEN!!!
julia mortensen says
I agree! I get that we need to teach our kids to resist temptation and all that but it so hard when, they go to school where their teachers give them candy for good work, then go to specials (music, art, etc) where they get candy for good behavior, then they go to lunch where their friends share their candy, heaven forbid there be a birthday or holiday that day, then they just get pumped full of cupcakes and candy! then after school we go places like the bank where the teller gives them more candy. Add to that a trip to the grocery store when they’ve basically had an IV drip of sugar all day, and I am guaranteed a melt down in the checkout lane. I do say no almost all the time, but their not learning anything other than that i’m a mean mom! I especially love the one at my local joann’s. there is a whole wall of candy at checkout, that you can’t avoid, there have been times that the candy is literally more expensive than the fabric i’m buying. or it’s the most expensive thing i buy and have to apply a 40% off coupon to that!
Joye says
I’d rather see a tabloid free aisle. My kids faces are barraged with trash every time.
Kim O. says
Amazing, I held tight on that while my three girls were young. Trust me I broke down on much worse than that, but that was a habit I never wanted to create, and because of my insistent “no’s” there was never much of an argument. I wish that could have been a lesson for bigger things:). Kids they have a way of breaking you down. Like anything in life, you have to pick your battles.
Mindy says
Funny, I’ve never thought twice about it. My kids have never gotten anything from the check-out aisle, and for that reason, they’ve never asked.
I could tear one of those Big Hunks up right about now, though. They are SO good.
Kristina says
I think it’s actually great for kids to learn a little self control in this area. Mine rarely ask for junk food, and when they do ask and I say no, it’s no big deal. And trust me, I don’t have what most people would call “easy” kids. We’ve just discussed (repeatedly) good vs. bad food choices, self control, etc.
Cecily says
Good job Kristina! I don’t have “easy” kids either ( one has ADHD and one has ADHD and Aspergers). I did, and still do, the same with my kids. It definitely takes honest, open and repeated discussion to train children right.
Tiffany says
I want a Big Hunk! I miss seeing them at stores!
athena says
There is a Rosauers store near me that actually does have fruit at the checkout. They routinely have apples and oranges sitting right there with the candy. I think they also have nuts and actually children’s books there too. I’d much rather impulse buy a kid a book than a candy bar!
Helen in Meridian says
My mom used to give Big Hunks for Trick or Treats. Those candies look like they are in a specialty candy store like our Powells that sells all olde fashioned candy and new fangled high prices.
Veronica says
When we lived in Portugal, there wasn’t anything at the registers or the lines there. It was quite pleasant.
LoraC says
No. I’m responsible for my choices and what goes into my kids mouths. It’s not a problem for me. We never buy our candy that way. Candy is something I buy in small serving sizes, stash out of reach, and hand out as I see fit.
JC says
“That way, the stores could make their money and adults and kids alike could throw in a quick snack without the looming threat of diabetes.”
I am so disappointed that you are perpetuating the myth that candy causes diabetes.
Julie Ann says
I agree with the folks that say it’s about the choices we make, not what’s taken away by the Nanny Govt. Taking away choices – good or bad – is why we are losing our personal freedoms a little at a time. *WE* have to be active in our choices and teach those wise choices to our children (and help our friends see those wise choices, too). My kids don’t ask for treats at the checkout – and rarely did when they were of the “tantrum age”. It’s all about self-control and sensibility. I loathe that they are there, too… but not because I just can’t help myself, but because I KNOW *They* are messing with our heads – and the constant advertisement and over abundance of choices makes me sick…the world is full of suckers! However, I think I loathe the “Rag Mags” more – HAHAHA!
Ann says
I don’t know…you keep referring to your crappy British teeth, but they look better than a lot of American teeth I’ve seen. I had a similarly jagged front tooth, and the dentist just polished down most of the chipping. There’s a fine line there so teeth are still even, but they can definitely make it look and feel smoother without major dentistry.
Deb says
No, while I agree with most of what you said, it is not the stores job to parent your children or make your job as a parent stress free.
Children also need to learn the what “NO” means. We have a lot of young people today who don’t seem to have heard it enough.
Shell says
I really don’t think grocery stores should be making all our decisions for us concerning junk food. I see a lot of adults loading up on beer and soda and highly sugared trail mix before they ever get to the check out. I even read that most packaged energy bars are not that great for us. I think we get into too much big brother when other people are making decisions for us. We just need to be informed consumers and teach our children. I drank milk for years until I found out about all the stuff that is in it and what it does to our bodies. It is still an animal protein that leaches the calcium from your body, just like too much red meat. There are ,however, people that love it, since they were brought up on it. They should decide for themselves.
When I was in the Bahamas in the late 80’s they allowed tourists to gamble, but they wouldn’t let the locals gamble. How fair is that? Apparently, the people governing were trying in some weird way to protect them. I don’t want to be protected from making my own choices.
Peggy Stenglein says
I see where you’re coming from Mavis, I’ve been there, and do wish there was less junk, but people buy that junk, otherwise it wouldn’t be there. We do so much mindless eating,…restaurant meals are way worse than a candy bar, and packaged mac and cheese with fake cheese…I see that as many people’s staple food for kids lunches and summer time. And ‘no’ means ‘no’. I agree that we need to stick to our guns, then maybe there wouldn’t be so much impulse buy items there in the first place.