Bribery...Great Parenting Trick or Horrible Mistake??

We use bribery a lot in our house.  If you go potty on the potty chair, you get a piece of candy.  If you get your pjs on quickly without complaining, you can have a bowl of blueberries.  If you don't fight all day with your brother, you can watch a movie while Mommy makes dinner.  If you get in the car after a fun day at the fountain without any monster tantrums, you can have a cookie on the ride home.  You get the idea...

I've justified this with the thought that the boys are able to make decisions based on a reward system...that is, we reward good behavior.  But, I'm starting to wonder if we're overdoing it.  Shouldn't my kids want to obey because they know that they need to obey their parents and not always be expecting some sort of reward?  Have I resorted to this method simply out of frustration and laziness?  It's not worth the battle to try to get them to do what I want without treats, so we reward good behavior.  But, I'm wondering, is this a better way to raise a puppy than a boy?  Our boys associate going to Target with getting some sort of treat.  Almost every time we are out and about, Gavin announces, "I wanna go to Tah-get and get a treat."  Even if I tell him we're going to the park, fountain, friend's house, etc, he still whines that he wants to go to Tah-get first.  It really gets under my skin, but I do realize that this is the monster I helped to create.  I don't want my kids to grow up, however, and ask their boss what special bonus they get just for performing the basic functions of their job.  Can you imagine??

So, I'm going to try to reverse some of the damage.  There will still rewards for good behavior, but I'm hoping to make them more natural.  For example, if you get your pjs on fast without complaining, we'll have more time and we'll be able to read 2 stories before bedtime!  If you leave the fountain without throwing a fit, we'll be able to come back next week and have another fun time.  There will also be times when the boys are expected to obey just because I'm the Mommy and God put me in charge.  Granted, this is going to be more work for me and require me to think much more creatively.  But, I think it will help my children to grow up to have better work ethics and ultimately be better citizens.