Where do children like to shop best? Convenience stores rank at the top of children’s shopping lists because they sell a lot of snack food and other products children like and because their neighborhood locations are easily accessible. In fact, most children will make their first independent purchases at convenience stores. As children reach ages 8 to 10 years, they prefer mass merchandisers because of the breadth of products in the toy, snack foods, clothing, and school supplies categories.