I talked before about why I don’t own a car, and how my son and I get where we need to go. Here’s how we go grocery shopping without a car. Good news: it doesn’t involve pizza delivery, meal kits, or exorbitant grocery delivery fees! It involves delivery services and a lot of walking.
Typical Car Ownership and Driving Habits in the US
Many Americans may have trouble even imagining what it’s like not to own or share a car. The average household in the US has more than 2 cars. There are 0.8 cars per person, which may not sound like much until you realize that that figure includes children!
Among drivers, there are 1.2 cars per driver! (Side question: what do people do with their extra cars when they own more than one?). People drive about 7-14 miles per day.
These numbers are lower in certain dense urban areas on the East Coast like Boston and New York where public transportation is common and more convenient. For example, only about half of households in these cities have cars. But in many metropolitan areas, including the one in which I live, car ownership is near ubiquitous among households.
These figures imply that most people drive to get their groceries. Or, since about half of food dollars are spent on food prepared outside the home like at restaurants, people eat out. So how does my household get groceries?
Grocery Delivery
I use Walmart Plus InHome grocery delivery service. For a single annual fee, I get the following benefits.
- Groceries and everything else Walmart sells at in-store prices, with no mark-up for delivery services
- Free delivery on minimum orders of $35, with delivery windows of 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. or 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
- No need to tip the delivery person, who is a Walmart employee (not a third party driver as many delivery services use)
- Free shipping on many items with no minimum fee. Eligible items may include non-perishable grocery items (though a limited selection), clothing, electronics, and other non-grocery items
I find that Walmart has competitive prices on national brands, great prices on store brands, and a great selection of store brands, including many varieties and flavors analogous to what national brands offer.
Their produce is often good, though I regularly get bruised tomatoes and overripe bananas. Walmart occasionally makes mistakes in the orders, but they make it easy for me to ask for refunds.
Walking to Supermarkets
We’re lucky to live within 2 miles of 3 different supermarkets. Within 50-70 minutes, I can walk to a store, shop, and bring back a load of groceries.
A Local “International” Supermarket
Most of my fruits and vegetables come from a store that’s 1.25 miles away from my home. There are about 20 locations in my general area of the country. Fruit and vegetable prices are often half the price of standard supermarkets.
It’s a fun place to shop because prices can change daily. You never know what great deal you’ll find, like 2-lb bags of organic cauliflower florets for $1.49 a few weeks ago. That makes it ideal for walking because I can’t carry much, so it’s easier to go frequently anyway and only purchase a little at a time.
The store calls itself an “international marketplace.” Many of the customers are Armenian or Russian. It’s a great place to purchase things like kalamata or other specialty olives, Bulgarian or Greek feta, and similar foods that are common in the Mediterranean countries and terribly overpriced at major supermarkets. Breads like white and whole-wheat pita and lavash are delivered fresh daily.
This store is a great complementary option to Walmart. It fills in for fruits and vegetables that are lacking at Walmart. Conversely, it’s not the best place to buy standard packaged American items like oatmeal, peanut butter, and flour. It’s pricey and selection isn’t great.
Amazon Fresh Is Attractive
Amazon Fresh has a location less than a mile from me. I don’t normally shop there much (though I wrote about how I’m currently on a free 3-month trial for their delivery service and am loving it). As for shopping in the store myself, I do appreciate it being there.
It’s my go-to for a few things like fresh flowers when I need a gift for someone. It often has iceberg lettuce cheaper than at other places, and it does have some store-brand items and random other items at fabulous prices if you look hard enough.
Its real draw for me, though, is that it’s kid-friendly. That means I can walk there with my son (walking or biking). I get to take a walk, and my child is happy – that’s a true benefit! When we get there, my son gets to choose a free piece of fruit – he always chooses a banana from among the banana, tangerine, and apple offerings – and uses a kid-sized shopping cart. Sometimes, he gets a sheet of stickers. Whatever works!
Whenever we’re out with the car, I keep my eyes open for other grocery shopping opportunities. Ralphs (Kroger), Vons (Safeway), and Trader Joes are fun destinations, but they’re not regular for us. Still, every car load helps!
