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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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.
I’m not really a European but I’m close enough I guess (Turkish). The closest supermarket to me is less than a hundred meters away, with 3 others available in a 250m radius around my home.
3km walk in this weather sounds like hell to be honest. You could use a grocery delivery service though if you have one available in your country.
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
1km, 12 minutes walking
The closest supermarket is 6km away. I either walk or cycle 1k to the bus stop or all the way by ebike. The way home is super steep, otherwise i would probably take the normal bike. It’s nice, because i can go all the way without touching an asphalt road.
In Norway. Technically in a city, but it’s very rural. About 30 minutes of walking with a descent of ~150 meters. Carrying groceries back up that hill is a big test of stamina, so we very rarely do it. We mostly drive to the store.
Your friend is full of shit. 3km is a very long distance for walking to get groceries, and I can imagine that you have to deprioritize heavier groceries all the time due to that distance. I’d recommend getting a bike or electic scooter or something to cover that distance. Basically no one in Norway would have 3km to their nearest store with walking as their only option.
I’m in Vienna, Austria. I have 5 supermarkets and 3 pharmacys in a 10 minute walking radius.
My usual place is 250m from my home, or around 3 minutes walking. There’s like another 5 supermarkets, 5 bakeries, 4 greengrocers and 3 butchers about 500 meters away (off the top of my head, there could be more).
That’s cycling distance. A nice bike ride to pickup shopping.
My closest supermarket is 400m away, and the next supermarket over is 1.1km. I walk there daily, sometimes multiple times a day. 3km is quite far and I would not consider that walking distance.
It’s certainly possible to walk that distance once every (couple of) months, if I did not have my bike available for whatever reason? But I would consider regularly walking 40 minutes one way every other day to be far too much. That distance is cycling distance, not walking distance.
On a side-note. Did you just say that the bus arrives only once every four hours? My lord… It might as well basically not exist at that point.
I lived in NYC and now in Canada. Your distances seem about accurate with my limits, though NYers are infamous for walking everywhere, including up and down 6 flights of stairs. It’s certainly not the norm in the US.
Did you just say that the bus arrives only once every four hours? My lord… It might as well basically not exist at that point.
This is a great time to introduce you to the American public transit system.
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.
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.
About the same here, just a bit longer to the larger store
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.
My day to day shopping is 600-800m away.
My specialty store is 1.1km.
3km is a bit too far for me.
The most I’ve ever willing walked for groceries is 1.5km
About 1km one-way. I usually walk
6km, I drive …
