Moms and Kids Talk Candy

By Brady Darvin

This month the conversation turns to channel preferences for candy and summertime candy consumption.

Where do you usually buy candy?
“I don’t go to a convenience store or gas station very often. I get my gas at Costco, and so I’m already at Costco. I don’t go to the grocery store that often because I am always at Costco, Wal-Mart, and Target, because I have a family of six. When my husband goes to 7-Eleven to get the girls a Slurpee after a good soccer practice, they also get a treat to go with it.”
—Laura (mom)

“I bring apple Jolly Ranchers with me to the movies because they don’t have them at the movie theater. Every time I look in the counter, they don’t have any. I also like going to 7-Eleven for the ICEEs.”
—Allie, 9

Usually we buy it at Sav-On because it’s too expensive at the movies. We also buy candy at Albertsons — it’s mostly the same as what they have at Sav-On. At the gas station they only have a little bit of candy and the packages are smaller and they have some candy I’ve never heard of. At Sav-On and Albertsons they have more.”
—Brooke, 9

“I get candy at Wal-Mart or Target. We buy it before we go to the movies because candy is more expensive at the movie theater because they have to buy it at the stores like Target and pay back the stores. We also like going to 7-Eleven because of the Slurpees. I usually get a cookie to go with my Slurpee because there are no Raisinettes at 7-Eleven. I like Target because they have really cute shoes as well as candy.”
Mikayla, 12

“I usually buy candy at a smaller drug store like CVS. I do sometimes buy candy in the grocery store for the candy dish. But if I’m going to just buy a candy bar, I’ll go to a drug store — it just seems like a smaller place to grab and go. When you go to the drug store, all the candy is right there, but at the grocery store, they have some kinds at one checkout, some at other checkouts, then other things down the aisle.
“We never go inside the gas station stores — when I go to the gas station I don’t feel like I’m parking my car to leave it — I don’t want to leave my kids in the car or to take them all in. The convenience store for me is the CVS, because it’s right by my house.”
—Dawn (mom)

“We buy candy mostly at Target when we’re there. If we’re gonna go to the movies, we’ll stop at the Chevron and run in there and get Mike & Ike’s. We have also gone to Candy Castle — it’s one of those bulk candy places. The kids each get a bag and take two to three of whatever they want — chewy or sour things mostly cuz they’re not really into the chocolate.
“We’ll let them get about $1.50’s-worth. We’ve also gone to Rite-Aid. It’s just because I’m at Target more often that we get candy more often there; it’s just when we’re in a hurry that we’d go into a gas station store.”
—Jennifer (mom)

“I eat Sno-Caps at my house when we’re watching movies. Sometimes I take them to the movie theater in my purse. It’s too expensive to buy at the movie theater. My mom usually buys the candy; I don’t really know where we buy it. I guess at Ralphs or Target or something. Once in a while I’ll ask my mom if I can buy something with my own money, usually just at the grocery store. Last weekend I bought M&Ms, gum, and a Kit Kat at a burrito/liquor store that we go to to get burritos. Most people just buy candy at the grocery store. I don’t think most people would go out of their way to get candy because candy is not that important because people don’t need candy to live.”
—Allison, 12

We usually get candy at Target or Albertsons. There’s not really a gas station or anyplace I can walk to like that. Overall, I like shopping in Target cuz they have a large variety of things and there are a lot of Targets nearby.”
—Matt, 13

“I buy JuJu Fruits at Target on my way to the movies because it’s cheaper. We also buy Red Vines, too. We almost never go into the store in the gas station because I just run my card through the pump.”  
—Elizabeth (mom)

At the grocery store, I ask my mom to get me some Skittles. Sometimes she says yes, and sometimes she says no. I also get ICEEs at the 7-Eleven. They have more varieties of candy at the grocery store.”
—Marissa, 11

“I mostly eat candy at the movie theater or when we’re watching a movie at home. I bring candy with me to the theater; I don’t buy it there. We buy it at Target or the grocery store, and maybe at CVS. We never go out just to buy candy, but we always have some at home.  
“I really don’t buy any at the gas station or 7-Eleven because we don’t eat candy like that — I don’t eat candy as an everyday thing. I buy boxes at Target and keep them in the cupboard. I don’t even know how much candy costs at the movies anymore because we don’t buy it there. I keep it in the kitchen and then grab some candy and a water bottle and put it in my purse.”
—Lisa (mom)

We get Hershey’s at the grocery store, and I usually get Skittles at the movie theater.”
—Brian, 8


Brady Darvin is Senior Director, Consumer Insights, for Strottman International Inc., a full-service agency that creates and manufacturers custom novelty items, interactive packaging and in-pack premiums for the candy, packaged goods and foodservice industries. For more information on Strottman, contact him at 949.623.7929 or darvin@strottman.com.