Going to and from the Grocery Store by foot.

[mike in brooklyn]

Good for you - walking to the store !

I walk to shop for groceries all the time - I have one of those folding
carts. It is 2 1/4 miles each way and I get my exercise and
shopping done at the same time.
You could also bike to the store if walking is a problem.

 

[Callisto in NC]

Y'all are making me miss the days where I could walk to the store. The closest store here is down a major highway and it is very dangerous, no one walks along the road. It's also over 5 miles away.

 

[Claire]

When the roads turn to ice or we have car troubles, we do walk to the grocery store (3/4 mile). Last year was the worst, and twice people screamed at me from their cars to get on the sidewalk. I was appalled at the rudeness from a town where usually when I walk people stop and offer me a ride! It is impossible to walk the sidewalks in icy conditions because half the streets don't have them on both sides of the streets, in spite of city codes many don't adequately shovel, and even when they do, the snow plows shove 3+ foot snowbanks to climb over at every intersection. Grrrr. Sorry for the venting, I just get frustrated with people who refuse to give walkers respect.

But my big thing is that if you're doing daily walking to the grocery store (rather than every few days), a really good backpack works best. Pack it yourself (a good idea even with the pull-along baskets, which we used in other communities where walking to the grocery store was an option). That way you make sure your heavy stuff winds up under your fresh veggies, bread, chips, etc. If there are two compartments to your backpack, you can separate glass items so they don't rub or clang.

I haven't used one of the carts shown in ages, but in retrospect, I'd buy a liner that you can with some or rig one, and not use the grocery bags at all. When hubby used to do it, he trained the bag guys to put two paper bags in the bottom, load the heavy items into them, close them, then two more paper bags and fill with all the lighter weight items, then any crush-able items on top.

One thing folk don't get is that I like this lifestyle. Everytime a business moves from town to the new 'burbs is one more time I consider moving, as much as I love this community.

Good backpack, which you'll use for other things in the future. If you think it is going to be a way of life, one of those carts. Pack the groceries yourself, or develop a relationship with the personnel at the store. Heavy on bottom, light on top. Glass separated.

 

[Sonne]

For two years I was carless and had to work a full time job and went to school part time. The whole time I was bicycling except the morning commuter bus ride because I got off work late. It was not fun biking late at night with a 20 lb+ backpack (had to carry a laptop for school). Some folks do not know how a simple 5-10 mph wind can really ruin the experience of a bicyclist. Not even mentioning the rainy nights, cold nights etc. Then years later I was carless again because of a DUI and preferred to walk 6 hours (2 miles) a night to avoid the bicycle again. It was not bad except the rainy nights. I really hate the honkers, yellers, and even had a bottle thrown at me once (didn't hit me).

I have walked from elementary school all through up high school. I could have taken the bus but in my childhood kids were cruel so I avoided them. (Make sure your kids are not cruel). I once walked 20 miles one day for gaming dice, boy not wearing sunscreen taught me a lesson for weeks, lol.

Friday night I walked to the store twice. Well two different stores but they were right next to each other. Talked to the produce guy and learned deliveries were usually Thursday and Saturday so made the trip again on Saturday. So that was good. Plus I want to make a presence known cause I get paranoid with a backpack on. Comes from a misbehaved childhood of stealing and stalking store managers.

I got bread which I carried by hand while the rest of the stuff was in the pack. It's interesting how much produce can fit in a backpack. The only other challenging item I haven't got to yet in my culinary self-learning are eggs. Which if and when I do will be carried as well most likely. Sorry not going to be carting any time soon. Maybe when I find a woman to procreate with I'll look into the stroller idea.

What I am trying to grind in my wimpy brain is that going to the store by foot is not a difficult task, but used to get discouraging which resulted in ordering junk delivery (pizza or greasy sandwiches). I'm not really trying to start a revolution here, just curious if others on here go to the store by foot whether it is because they have to or because they want to.

 

[Claire]

Oh, it just occurred to me, if you are walking in sub-freezing temps, have your fresh veggies (especially greens) put into a paper bag. Maybe two layers. I have had fresh flowers, plants, lettuce, etc freeze in the walk to the car if I go to Wal-Mart (my regular grocery store has drive up so they keep it inside until your car is there). When I walk in below freezing temps, I simply don't buy produce that is too fragile to take the temps.

 

[mjkemjke]

Bike it.

There are a few trips I do to the nearby stores on foot. Most trips are by bike though just because its more fun, faster and what the hell you keep in mind what you really want when you have a set number of bags already. I practically forgot i had 2 cars once I started biking walking for food. As to surviving without the car? He'll I'd say prosper, not survive.

As to those carts? Well I suppose they are nice if it works for you, but I think I would forget I had it while sipping coffee somewhere. Besides, you CAN take those carts home. Just ask. They'll want you to come back with it, so they'll say "go right ahead.." (I stopped someone once, mgr told me let em have the **** cart its return business.)

PS>thats' in the pacific northwest too for those of you afraid of little rain.

 

[Callisto in NC]

Not to be too off topic regarding shopping carts ~ it depends on the store and area. I lived in an apartment complex where dozens of shopping carts from the store next door ended up. At least once a month the police would come and give out tickets to anyone they found with a cart so it's not always "okay" to take the store shopping carts.

Sonne ~ have you decided what you are going to do? I still say the carts are great, I loved mine. I miss having a store within walking distance instead of everything being too far and unsafe to ride bikes.

 

[ChefJune]

^^^ I wouldn't get caught dead using one of those....

Then you're the fool. I can say that, because I also resisted buying one for YEARS, instead schlepping bags to and from the market. With a cart, you can buy more at a time, making your trips less frequent and more efficient, plus no matter what your age, it is not good for your back to carry heavy shopping bags like so many of us do.

A shopping cart makes marketing much less of a chore. You see them all around New York. Here, they come in several sizes. Some folks have such small ones that I laugh when I see them. Me? I have the largest one I can find. Sometimes I even carry home a case of wine along with the groceries.

 

[Sonne]

Sonne ~ have you decided what you are going to do?

I've already decided before my very first post. . I walk with a backpack. A cart would be a great idea if I needed to buy in bulk. Like if they had 24 pack of bottled water on sale buy one get one free would be crazy to carry but then again I never said I wasn't crazy. I'm a singly guy who lives alone so my shopping needs are not yet too extensive. Proper load balance will not cause any back injury, it's no different then people who jog with added weights. If I needed more than I could carry then I would make more trips, simple as that.

Plus when shopping with weight in mind it discourages impulse buying (which I was bad). When I use to go grocery shopping I would get mac and cheese, can soups, frozen pizzas as dinner and always ended up picking up sodas, ice cream, cookies. Now I can walk down those aisles and not even think of those. Plus having a list really does help. When shopping for produce I don't really look at the price per pound, or get the money saving 5lb stuff. I just get the quantity I intend to use.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

When the roads turn to ice or we have car troubles, we do walk to the grocery store (3/4 mile). Last year was the worst, and twice people screamed at me from their cars to get on the sidewalk.


It's the same here - neighbors don't shovel their walks and we are forced to walk in the street - with all that %&*** Salt that NYC uses on its'
streets - isn't it amazing how folks get angry when pedestrians walk in
the street - honk horns, act rude etc. - but they don't honk horns
at double parked cars or trucks ! Only in America

 

[mike in brooklyn]

For two years I was carless and had to work a full time job and went to school part time. The whole time I was bicycling except the morning commuter bus ride because I got off work late. It was not fun biking late at night with a 20 lb+ backpack (had to carry a laptop for school).

When I used to bike for groceries I would hang the bags off of
the handlebars- (mountain bike with straight handebars) I would balance the weight as equally as possible and managed quite well - had to be careful when making sharp turns

 

[babetoo]

for about a year, i used a cart. it was ok but really limited what i could buy. now the grocery store delivers to my door. i shop on line for a month and they bring it to me. it sure takes the hassle out for me. takes a bit of time to do the order but i like that part also. check it out