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submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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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[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I have several grocery stores of different chains in my vicinity, in a 3km radius I could probably choose between 10+ locations (I just checked after posting: There are at least 18 grocery stores within that range and some options like farmer markets not listed). I only go to the closest ones (~500m) by foot, for most things further away I take my bike.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

About 10 to 15 minutes walk depending on where you want to shop

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

700m for one and 1000 for another one. I ususally choose just based in my mood. They are basically the same

[-] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

In your situation I would probably order my weekly groceries online, if that was an option. I would still visit the grocery store occasionally, in which case I would walk and/or go by bus. Well, in reality I would probably own a bike, but that also depends on your infrastructure over there. I’ve never lived that far from the nearest grocery store, though. There are many options here within that radius, the nearest ones being basically next door.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

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.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

I have several stores I frequently visit here, from 300 to 1500 meters away. If I need something from further away I just jump into the car or on my bike. It's not the distance that keeps me from it, I walk about 10 kilometers a day with my dogs and friends. I just don't want to walk an hour to get groceries, that's boring as hell.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I have a bunch of medium and small shops very close to my house, a market, and a few supermarkets about 30-40 minutes away.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

2 miles. I drive it. There are shops nearby but they're a bit pricey

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

My nearest grocery store is 0.4km away point to point on gmaps, it's an 8 min walk in one direction, entirely via pedestrian only areas with no road crossings on flat road. I consider this to actually be a bit far, as in the previous city I lived in I had a convenience store 3 min walk away.

I think your friend is messing with you.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

3km is kinda far, even with a bicycle, I have a small shop down the stairs and a medium supermarket at 5 min walk

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

500 meters give or take.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

1600 metres, but I’m not walking to do the weekly shop. Or 900 metres if I want to pay extortionate amounts of money for probably out of date items.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

In a 300-meter radius I have two large stores that I visit often, one super large 1 km away, and lots of small ones. Plus there are plenty of fast-food places all around. If I'm cooking something and realize I don't have an ingredient it takes like 7 minutes on foot to get it and be back in my kitchen. So I have never felt the need to have a car.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

It is 2.4km to my nearest shop (and most of that to reach a bus stop, as it happens). I have walked there from time to time, but I wouldn't do an actual grocery shop there anyway: we have the weekly groceries delivered.

I have brought a full grocery shop home in a large rucksack that kind of distance, and more, in the past when on holiday, but I wouldn't want to do it regularly.

I have also known a couple of other people who do that kind of distance with a huge rucksack for a monthly top up of specific things that their local shops don't carry, but they are both weird in several ways other ways. Good weird, but still weird. This is not something that the majority of people that I have known would even consider.

[-] [email protected] 11 points 2 days ago

Even fairly rural Europeans will consider that to be at least cycling distance.

I have four supermarkets in a radius of about 500 metres. Not only do I regularly walk, I pretty much buy only what I need for a few days, safe in the knowledge that if I need something now, I can be out & back in under half an hour, also knowing that most supermarkets here are reliably stocked with just what I need.

[-] [email protected] 9 points 3 days ago

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.

[-] [email protected] 8 points 3 days ago

I live in a very small town, the closest one is 300m, it's a rather small grocery store good enough for daily stuff. Once a week or two I take the car to a bigger store 10km away for stuff that I can't find in the small store or is cheaper there.

I draw the line of the unladen (not for leisure) walking distance at 25 minutes. That can be reevaluated in case of necessity.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago

3 km sounds like too much to me. I don't think most people here would walk that far to do their shopping, especially in 30°C heat, mostly because we usually have small supermarkets all around.

I currently walk 500 m to my small neighbourhood supermarket when I just need to buy a few things and I don't recall ever living further away from some small supermaket. When I am running out of provisions, I take my car and go to a big hypermarket 7 km away. There are other hypermarkets closer by, even within walking distance (2.3 km), but that farther one is the one I like for doing a big shopping.

Of course, distance isn't the only factor. It's not the same 500 m in London or Amsterdam which are mostly flat than in the city where I live now, where the 500 m to my supermarket have gradients of up to 15 %.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

210m for the medium sized store, 650 for the farther store. I wouldn't walk more than that, its either car or bus for bigger ones.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

NYC. I walk a round trip of 3k for groceries twice a week. Not unusual to walk 5k per day.

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[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

I live in Los Angeles and just happen to have a grocery store within easy walking distance. Like 0.5 km. But I don't, because the old nice little convenience store got turned into stupid Whole Foods. Or Mold Foods, as we started calling it after trying some of their groceries. Now I drive a mile to where I can get fresher produce and dairy, and paper towels that don't disintegrate with the first touch of liquid. Or we get our groceries delivered.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

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.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

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).

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this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2025
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