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I actually understand why: from chatting with my US coworkers whenever they visit us, I found something that I find fascinating: grocery shopping is something t

by lagadu 9y ago

I actually understand why: from chatting with my US coworkers whenever they visit us, I found something that I find fascinating: grocery shopping is something that only happens at most once a week, usually less often. Because supermarkets are far away from offices and residential areas they only buy groceries very infrequently (compared to me, who does it maybe 4-5 times a week). It makes sense given the urban planning: you get to the office by car and go home by car, so grocery shopping isn't an opportunity that presents itself frequently. Compare it to me: I'll bicycle or take the metro every day and my route (and everyone's really) passes by more supermakets than I can easily count. It's more than a matter of habit or novelty, you can't get people to change unless you offer them an environment where that change is beneficial to them.

CydeWeys 9y ago
I'm a single person and I don't go to the grocery store very frequently, and can still easily carry a week's worth of food back to my apartment using a backpack. If you're willing to use a cart (and a lot of people do use them for shopping) you can bring back even more. I think the problem starts looming when you're trying to buy food for many people once a week. You either need all of those people to come with you to help bring back the food, a motorized vehicle, or a cargo bicycle.
- CalRobert 9y ago
  To be honest, I cheat a little bit - after having a kid I started getting groceries delivered. Regardless, though, I think a lot of my family (obviously a small sample size) just don't really think it's possible. They're so used to everything being a barren asphalt landscape that it just isn't possible to conceive of a practical place where you don't need to drive. I don't even blame them; I lived in it for 30 years and had a hard time imagining anything different myself (though when I did experience it, I desperately wanted to live in it and worked hard to make it happen).
  - CydeWeys 9y ago
    Getting groceries delivered isn't cheating at all. It's paying extra money to save time, which is often worth it for highly-compensated people. Additionally, if that is one of the main reasons you'd need to own a car, and getting groceries delivered allows you to not own a car (or to own fewer cars), then it ends up being a cost savings to you and better for the environment.
    - tmnvix 9y ago
      > which is often worth it for highly-compensated people You don't even have to be highly compensated for it to be well worthwhile. Where I live (in NZ) it costs less than 6USD to have groceries delivered. There are other major advantages other than the time and fuel savings. For example, if some non-perishable item is on special (say tinned tomatoes), you don't hesitate to buy a couple of dozen tins because, hey - you don't have to lug them about!
      - CydeWeys 9y ago
        Fair enough. Here Instacart costs a good deal more than that, but there are also cheaper alternatives. I will admit I've never used any of these services so I don't know what the prices look like, but if it's only costing you USD 6 to get groceries delivered but it's saving you a bunch of time and hassle, then it sounds like it'd be worth it for most people.

by lagadu 9y ago

CydeWeys 9y ago

I'm a single person and I don't go to the grocery store very frequently, and can still easily carry a week's worth of food back to my apartment using a backpack. If you're willing to use a cart (and a lot of people do use them for shopping) you can bring back even more. I think the problem starts looming when you're trying to buy food for many people once a week. You either need all of those people to come with you to help bring back the food, a motorized vehicle, or a cargo bicycle.

CalRobert 9y ago
To be honest, I cheat a little bit - after having a kid I started getting groceries delivered. Regardless, though, I think a lot of my family (obviously a small sample size) just don't really think it's possible. They're so used to everything being a barren asphalt landscape that it just isn't possible to conceive of a practical place where you don't need to drive. I don't even blame them; I lived in it for 30 years and had a hard time imagining anything different myself (though when I did experience it, I desperately wanted to live in it and worked hard to make it happen).
- CydeWeys 9y ago
  Getting groceries delivered isn't cheating at all. It's paying extra money to save time, which is often worth it for highly-compensated people. Additionally, if that is one of the main reasons you'd need to own a car, and getting groceries delivered allows you to not own a car (or to own fewer cars), then it ends up being a cost savings to you and better for the environment.
  - tmnvix 9y ago
    > which is often worth it for highly-compensated people You don't even have to be highly compensated for it to be well worthwhile. Where I live (in NZ) it costs less than 6USD to have groceries delivered. There are other major advantages other than the time and fuel savings. For example, if some non-perishable item is on special (say tinned tomatoes), you don't hesitate to buy a couple of dozen tins because, hey - you don't have to lug them about!
    - CydeWeys 9y ago
      Fair enough. Here Instacart costs a good deal more than that, but there are also cheaper alternatives. I will admit I've never used any of these services so I don't know what the prices look like, but if it's only costing you USD 6 to get groceries delivered but it's saving you a bunch of time and hassle, then it sounds like it'd be worth it for most people.