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UK is a very different situation: online grocery shopping is very well established and very competitive, with most major supermarket chains offering delivery an

UK is a very different situation: online grocery shopping is very well established and very competitive, with most major supermarket chains offering delivery and supposedly 3 in 10 people buying their groceries online [1]. [1]: http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Business-News/UK-is-biggest-online-grocery-market-after-China http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Business-News/UK-is-biggest...

puranjay 11y ago
I don't know if this is a factor, but isn't parking a big problem in big UK cities? If you wanted to make a grocery store run, you'd have to fret about parking and traffic. Most American cities don't really have this problem
- infinite8s 11y ago
  Correction - most American suburbs don't have this problem. Grocery stores in most major American metropolises (NYC, SF, Boston, DC) can't afford the real estate for parking lots.
  - massysett 11y ago
    Most Americans do not live in cities anything like NYC, SF, Boston, or DC. Even in DC, the District of Columbia is is a relatively small jurisdiction of (generously) 700,000 people in a region of over 5 million. Even District grocery stores generally have on-site parking--perhaps over or under the store--and it is often free. So, no correction is in order and it is perfectly accurate to say "Most American cities don't really have this problem."
- cnorthwood 11y ago
  Most UK supermarkets have large out-of-town retail parks for exactly this reason - although the public appetite for this is declining.
noir_lord 11y ago
Used to buy mine online but I got so sick of dealing with the websites (Tesco was by far the worst, ASDA a close second) I went back to doing a weekly shop and grabbing a taxi to get home. Now since I work in town I use the local market for all the fresh stuff (meat, fish, veg) and a variety of smaller shops for household supplies, it's actually cheaper (less waste since I mostly buy on the day of use and the market is way cheaper for most stuff than supermarkets with better quality).

puranjay 11y ago

I don't know if this is a factor, but isn't parking a big problem in big UK cities? If you wanted to make a grocery store run, you'd have to fret about parking and traffic. Most American cities don't really have this problem

infinite8s 11y ago
Correction - most American suburbs don't have this problem. Grocery stores in most major American metropolises (NYC, SF, Boston, DC) can't afford the real estate for parking lots.
- massysett 11y ago
  Most Americans do not live in cities anything like NYC, SF, Boston, or DC. Even in DC, the District of Columbia is is a relatively small jurisdiction of (generously) 700,000 people in a region of over 5 million. Even District grocery stores generally have on-site parking--perhaps over or under the store--and it is often free. So, no correction is in order and it is perfectly accurate to say "Most American cities don't really have this problem."
cnorthwood 11y ago
Most UK supermarkets have large out-of-town retail parks for exactly this reason - although the public appetite for this is declining.

noir_lord 11y ago

Used to buy mine online but I got so sick of dealing with the websites (Tesco was by far the worst, ASDA a close second) I went back to doing a weekly shop and grabbing a taxi to get home. Now since I work in town I use the local market for all the fresh stuff (meat, fish, veg) and a variety of smaller shops for household supplies, it's actually cheaper (less waste since I mostly buy on the day of use and the market is way cheaper for most stuff than supermarkets with better quality).