this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2025
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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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[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

If it is more than 1 km, I bike. Not that it is too much to walk but it is too much to carry heavy bags.

[–] x00z@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

500 meters to the more expensive one in my small "sister" village, and around 3km to the bigger ones in the main village (where I buy bulk every few weeks using the car).

[–] Wutchilli@feddit.org 3 points 5 days ago

About 1,5 km for daily things and for more i take the bike vor public transport

[–] Xande@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

I'm in the glorious position that I have to cross the road once to get to the baker that is a supermarket too, another road crossing and I'm at the butcher. From my door to the bakery, to the butcher and back home... 200m.

The next Aldi, Tedi and REWE is about a kilometer away.

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Right now I'm working on a medical repair to my Achilles, so a round trip with any of barber, family doctor, hospital(MRI), blood lab, groceries, dentist, pharmacy, pizza, home, is about 700m and includes way too many medical stops.

The metro is 40m the other direction if I need access to a big shopping center.

[–] Gsus4@mander.xyz 2 points 4 days ago

Hunter-gatherers used to forage in a radius up to 10k 😁

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

The nearest store is about 200 m away, or about 30–40 seconds away by bike. 🤷‍♂️

3 km is quite the distance to carry a big load of groceries in 30°C weather, yes indeed. That's not being lazy.

[–] Not_mikey@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 5 days ago

Usually walk once a week to a grocery store 2.25 km away to stock up, but I'll supplement that with a trip every other day to the smaller grocery store 0.5 km away. I don't own a car and walk/scooter most places and I'd say that's a decent trek. I mostly walk it instead of taking my scooter because I go with my girlfriend and we'll talk, also can carry more back, and it gets us our steps which we like to track.

If it was just me and it was 30C I'd probably just take my scooter or the bus which is decent for getting there most times.

[–] oktoberpaard@feddit.nl 3 points 5 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.

[–] leftzero@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 4 days ago

I live close to the central area of an ~80,000 population city.

Looking at Google maps I've got about 10 general stores within 300 meters, probably thrice that within 500m, plus plenty of smaller specialised stores.

300 to 600m seems like a reasonable distance to walk to and back with four to six bags of groceries.

For smaller more specialised shopping trips one or two kilometres would be fine too.

Three might be a bit much, though I've often walked that to go to the cinema.

[–] RamblingPanda@lemmynsfw.com 3 points 5 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.

[–] Green_Mouse@piefed.social 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 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.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 3 points 5 days ago

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

[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 2 points 4 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.

[–] khannie@lemmy.world 2 points 5 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).

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 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.

[–] LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 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.

[–] Ziggurat@jlai.lu 2 points 5 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

[–] rwdf@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

500 meters give or take.

[–] Codpiece@feddit.uk 2 points 5 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.

[–] erytau@programming.dev 2 points 5 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.

[–] GreyShuck@feddit.uk 2 points 5 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.

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