I was talking to a friend and complaining that the nearest grocery store is 3km from me, he says that Europeans consider that a reasonable distance to the store and I’m just being lazy.
I don’t have a car, I don’t have a bike, and the bus only comes by every four hours. Am I being unreasonable for not wanting to carry groceries 3km in 30C weather, or is my friend full of shit? Neither of us have been to Europe.
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If I walked 3km in any direction I would pass probably 8-10 grocery stores on the way. But I live in the middle of a small European city. I walk probably 300meters to the nearest one though.
I don’t live in Europe anymore, but it was about 2.5km one way. There was a closer one, but from a chain I absolutely hated, so there I’d only pick up heavy or bulky stuff, like drinks, toilet paper etc.
400m by foot only.
Or about 50m and 2 tram stops.
Does the tram allow cargo? My bus won’t let you take anything bigger than you can hold on your lap.
Sure, just hauled home an AC unit on a rolling board using the tram.
There are special areas for strollers, bikes and other bulky stuff.
Does it have cargo space, or do they just let you take up passenger space? Is the tram not full?
Edit: didn’t see the edit lol
I’ve been denied with luggage by a tram driver once. Moving a 2 person mattress was not allowed on the tram…
Sorry, I was too slow on the edit I guess.
There are special areas for strollers, bikes and other bulky stuff.
Is the tram not full?
Only during peak times. But even then, the frequency is 3.5 minutes, so skipping one or even two is an option.
Dang, that must be nice. The bus only comes by once every 4 hours for me, and it’s always standing-room only.
On the other hand, nothing wakes you up like standing on a bus going 80km/h on a bumpy road.
Every 4h standing room only sounds like you need to try and get the bus coming more often. But that makes too much sense, better add another lane to the highway.
For me it’s either 600m to a small corner shop or about 1.1km to a larger store.
I do 3km periodically for another store, but I wouldn’t do it in 30c weather. I’m barely willing to exercise in 25c weather.
About the same here, just a bit longer to the larger store
The next closest store is 16km away 😭
Good to know my friend is full of shit about this being the same for y’all.
I have three stores within 200 m, one of which is open 24/7, another of which has a massive selection in fresh cheese, meats, fish, and baking goods.
Sorry, but I was in the US last summer, and I really feel bad for you guys regarding the whole food and walk-/bikeability situation.
400m, or 500 in the other direction.
BUT: no one around here would walk 3km. Hell, most people won’t even walk the 500m.
Around 2.2km at the moment, according to google maps :3
Most places I lived before were significantly closer to the store tho… 3km is still walking distance for groceries I’d say, but anything further than that and I’d definitely be considering a different transport method, just cause of the bags
About 60m. 30 if I cut across the courtyard. It almost takes me longer taking the stairs down from 4th than walking the rest of the way.
I’m American. I regularly walk to the shop that’s 1.75 km, won’t drive it because it’s too close.
The closest Real Grocery is 2.5km, that I take electric bike. Same for the Whole Foods that’s much farther (5.5km) but that I consider an adventure ride and certainly not a walk. The groceries would melt by the time I got home if I walked.
All of these my husband drives to, and I think that’s more typical. I have hangups about driving short distances.
Depends how many you’re shopping for. My nearest supermarket is about a kilometre away and if I’m going there I’ll always walk. That’s a grand distance even with a heavy shop.
I’d do 3 if I was just buying for myself but it’s at the upper limit depending on weight, especially in 30C (I presume dry heat because fuck that shit otherwise).
I have shop few meters away from my home, but I only go there, when I forgot to buy something or just quickly needs snacks for a movie or it’s bad weather, but usually I just buy everything from other grocery store which is 2 km away, but has better food and cheaper prices. Sometimes I also walk to big supermarket which is 4 km away.
3 km doesn’t seem much for me or most of my friends,some of them even own a car and still walk 2-4 km to the grocery shop, instead of driving, but some people I know, would rather drive a car or take a bus.
80 meters lol. I’ve lived in cities, where it’s always been less than 700 meters.
I’ve lived in different places here, currently I have a couple of options in a 400m radius, in my previous house I used to have two options in a 100m radius. Before that I lived in another country and had a small market at around 600m and the nearest supermarket was at 1.5km, I almost never went to the big one and instead had them deliver to my house, but it wasn’t a chore going there, it was just boring and a waste of time when I could just order online.
A few years back I used to live in a small city and my options were 1km for a small market or 3km for a big one, you sort of get used to going the 3km to the big one when needed, but it’s not fun, and I would consistently put out going to the big one until it was absolutely necessary. I believe 3km is bike distance, sure you can walk that much, it’s not that far away, but it takes a long time and is exhausting carrying lots of groceries in summer for that long.
All of that being said, I was not born in Europe, so locals might have different opinions, although I think everyone I’ve talked to thinks that above 1km it becomes bike/scooter distance for routine things (you don’t need a bike if you’re going to the cinema at 1km, but grocery or other routine stuff it’s worth the investment just on the time you’ll save)
NYC. I walk a round trip of 3k for groceries twice a week. Not unusual to walk 5k per day.
right, but OP is 3k away, so 6k round trip just for the grocery store … is that typical?
3k is just under 2 miles. That’s not that far. That’s about what I walked here in the US before moving to a larger city where there’s a grocery store right across the street.
I live in the pedestrian zone of a semi large German city. There’s three grocery stores within pissing distance.
My last flat was a little more remote in comparison but still nowhere near 3km to the next store. I wouldn’t be willing to walk that far for groceries tbh. I enjoy taking walks but not with a shitload of food I have to haul all the way home. That’s a cycling or public transport route for me.
If I was you I’d take a large hiking backpack or rolling suitcase, walk to the store an hour ahead and then ride the bus back home.
500 meters. If the store were at 3km I’d bike there, not walk. I feel like 500m is still an okay walking distance, but at some point I regularly went to a store 800m away and I already preferred to bike there. Walking 3km is definitely a bit of a time investment
