Teaching children appropriate shopping behavior through parent training in the supermarket setting.

Three elementary boys and their parents went grocery shopping. Researchers taught the parents a simple package of praise, prompts, and points. They used a multiple-baseline design to see if the teaching worked.

All training happened in the real supermarket. No clinic, no role-play. The parents learned while pushing the cart.

Every boy’s appropriate shopping behavior jumped after his parent started the package. Parents also said they felt better about shopping.

Gains stayed high when the team came back later to check.

Sarber et al. (1983) did the same thing in restaurants. They got a 51% drop in pre-meal problem behavior. Both studies show parent training works in noisy public places.

Weiss et al. (2001) moved the idea to adults with disabilities. Staff, not parents, got the training. Shoppers still made more choices and paid faster. The 1977 parent model has grown into adult services.

Higgins et al. (2021) reviewed 20 later studies. They call the package Behavioral Skills Training. The 1977 paper is an early, real-world example of what BST now labels.

You can teach parents in the actual store, not your office. Pick one family, pick one routine trip, and coach on the spot. Use praise for staying close, prompts for gentle hands, and a point card at checkout. Start with one aisle, then grow. The 1977 team saw fast change with no extra staff once parents had the hang of it.