What do you do when your kid throws tantrums coz you don’t buy him/her the toy being pointed at during shopping spree?

Yes, agree with Jamie. This is a good time to teach a child that screaming and crying will not be effective in getting the toy. If you have established a rule before going out that you will not be buying any toys during the outing, you can bring that point up. Teach him/her the proper way of asking for something after he/she has calmed down. When I was younger, my mother would ignore me and sometimes every leave (by walking away) me to cry or whine by myself. It is really effective (at least to me!) and I learn that I'll only be embarrassing myself and achieve nothing at the end of the session. She will usually explain (after we got home) how I should ask for something if I want it and then she would consider if she would get it for me. She would also emphasize that throwing a tantrum will definitely not get me anything. She was very consistent every time. Consistency was the key as well.