Many of us enjoyed solo excursions to the corner store, the mall, or the vending machine. According to an American survey done by Albany State University, 46% of parents said their children used a credit or debit card without permission and spent a mean of over $500. That shows how much less supervision children had.
It implies a more pervasive culture of availability buying. As far back as the 1980s and 1990s, so many products that kids bought then would make eyebrows pop now. Independent buying was the way.
Here are 13 things kids used to buy on their own, without any adult confirmation.
Candy & gum
Most kids in the 1980s and 1990s walked into the local corner store with change in their pockets and bought candy or gum without checking with any adult. That kind of impulse buy was so ingrained. Candy bars, a piece of gum, maybe a little bauble—they paid with cash and were off.
Nowadays, access may be more limited or accompanied by a card swipe, and parents may oversee spending differently. It’s a small cost, but one that encouraged independence at an early stage.
Comic books
Comic books once enticed kids in droves. The 1990s comic-book craze saw frenzied activity and speculation in America. Kids would visit newsstands or comic book shops to buy comics without any adult supervision. They would flip through issues and discover stories, characters, and covers, all on their own dime.
Comics are digital now, or kids can rely on parents to click “buy”, so the age of single-buying appears different.
Trading cards
The U.S. trading-card market recently reached multi-billion-dollar status and is projected to reach USD 11.8 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 7.9%, according to a 2025 Yahoo Finance report, underscoring just how big it has become. Kids bought packs of cards, swapped cards with their friends, kept valuable ones—without grown-ups breathing down their necks.
It built collector communities and peer-to-peer trading. The experience of selecting your own pack and getting your heart pounding for a rare card made buying fun and independent.
Soda
Kids running to soda machines in malls or schools and buying a bottle or can with their own money was common. According to a CDC report, nearly two-thirds of children and teenagers aged 2–19 consumed at least one sugar-sweetened beverage per day in 2011–2014.
That alone does not guarantee unsupervised shopping, but during the 1990s, nearly all kids bought sodas from machines without any adult supervision. It was just there. With tighter restrictions, improved food options, and more parental monitoring nowadays, that type of independent shopping is less widespread than it once was.
Toys from vending machines
Kids inserted money, turned a knob, and out came a little toy or gumball. This purchase was made without a parent’s oversight, very often.
The low price, instant gratification, and self-service nature created an accessible treat. No parental permission was needed. It provided children with a short-lived moment of control and excitement. The machines were all over the landscape and weren’t always closely monitored.
Ice cream truck treats
Remember hearing the jingle of the ice-cream truck on your block? Many kids grabbed walking money and ran out to meet it alone. According to one account, 72% of Baby Boomers and Gen X recall buying ice cream from neighbourhood trucks on their own.
That sense of independence—running out, choosing your treat, handing over cash, coming back to the porch—is something many adults remember with a smile. Today, parents also worry more about sweets and timing, yet memories of personal ice-cream shopping excursions remain vivid.
School supplies
Kids also shopped separately for pens, erasers, notebooks, or other school supplies from school vending stands or neighborhood stores. It was choices like style, colour, and brand that belonged to the child. They had their own gear and even set up a status among their friends (“look at my nice pen”).
Nowadays, some schools bulk purchase or have parents order online. But back then, walking down the aisle and picking your own gear was becoming adult.
Stickers & stationery
The 1980s-90s witnessed a sticker-collecting boom; kids bought packets of stickers in book fairs, gift stores, or school vending zones. It was cheap, fun was maximum, and no grown-up intervention was needed.
Stickers, hip pads, stationery, wall decals—it was all about self-expression. Kids decided for themselves: how many to buy, which designs to choose, and whether to trade with friends. Those small expenditures turned into identity, social play, and peer-to-peer interaction.
Instant noodles & snacks
Many kids in America and elsewhere entered kiosks or corner stores. They bought instant noodles or snack packs on their own. A market report had shown the size of the U.S. instant-noodle snack market. The convenience of choosing a snack and paying without parental aid also stimulated child-led buying behavior.
Having dinner at home or grabbing something from school, the solo nature of the purchase was the norm. Now, the snack options can be controlled or better options offered, but the memory of those impulse purchases remains.
Arcade tokens
In the 1980s and 1990s, arcades were filled with kids paying cash for tokens, choosing games, and placing their bets—all without a parent. In industry analysis, it is stated that arcades thrived, and kids had total control over their money in most cases. It was interactive: you put in the tokens, played games, and maybe won tickets and prizes.
That coin-slot independence gave children a sense of their own budget, risk, and reward cycles. Nowadays, spaces where arcades operate are diminishing, and money is different, so a solo token-purchasing experience seems quaint.
Bubble-gum cigarettes
These novelty candy sticks, cigarette-like with a candy “ash” tip, were freely available for purchase by children in the 1970s and 1980s. Children bought them unsupervised by parents, typically for fun or peer influence.
While today such items would be eyebrow-raising or prohibited, back then, they were found in the toy-candy hybrid area. They provide insight into how consumer habits and what is considered the norm have changed.
Magazines
Teen magazines such as Tiger Beat were commonly purchased by children alone at newsstands or grocery-store magazine stands. This meant that children made choices regarding what they read, whose stars they would follow, and when to purchase.
The autonomy supported their interests and voice. Subscription and digital forms are prevalent today, so solo purchases are less apparent.
In-app game purchases
More recent than the others on this list, children making purchases within the games without tracking their parents’ attention has become a high-priority issue. In a U.S. survey, 46% of parents found their children secretly spending money using their credit or debit cards.
Another report found that 12% of adolescents aged 11-18 years admitted to making in-app purchases by accident, and 37% reported spending money.
These figures prove that online buying is also part of the universe of unattended buying. Apps make it so easy, and kids do not realize how much money it actually is. Parental controls and monitoring are the solution now.
Key takeaway
Kids used to spend a wide range of products with little or no adult supervision—candy and stickers, as well as magazines and arcade tokens. That sense of independence shaped purchase habits, peer culture, and small-stakes economic choices. In the process, shopping environments changed: online shopping arrived, stricter laws and parental gating came into play, and cultural norms shifted.
Understanding this evolution provides insight into children’s purchasing habits then—and what remains the same today (like in-app purchasing). Comprehending both nostalgia and transition enables us to understand how habit-forming consumer behavior transcends generations.
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Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
Disclosure: This article was developed with the assistance of AI and was subsequently reviewed, revised, and approved by our editorial team.
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