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Do you really go out of your way to shop in a large supermarket that isn’t local to you?

Posted by petrastales@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 98 comments

If so, why? How long is the journey there compared to your largest local?

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98 Comments

Calm-Vacation-5195@reddit

Occasionally for specific items I can’t get in my regular store. But I often try to group those runs with other events or errands. There’s a large international grocery store about an hour and a half from me, and I go there 3-4 times a years to stock up on things I either can’t get locally or that are significantly cheaper there. But we also normally include an IKEA run and other local specialty stores.
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Quix66@reddit

My mother does. She just went to Sam’s today.
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SeveralAwareness9946@reddit

Like some one already said most towns have have at leat two of the major supermarkets. My town has 3 of the big names. All within a mile of each other. Its a very big competition over here.
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halliwell_me@reddit

I've got a large Tesco and Sainsburys under a mile from home, and I get main shop from ASDA delivery (delivery pass). I do price compare first and will head to one of those stores if a better saving than ASDA. I don't drive though, so heavy stuff always comes from ASDA. Not seen Morrisons anywhere near me.
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Confident-Bus-3778@reddit

there's a lidl about 5 mins from me but I choose to go to the one 15 mins way. i prefer the layout, they actually have stock, there's usually less people who smell like weed, and the car parking is easier
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WoodenEggplant4624@reddit

We shop at Aldi, Lidl and sometimes Tesco, all within 3 miles. Also get deliveries from ocado a out every 3 weeks.
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SaintBridgetsBath@reddit

Occasionally do an extra one mile in each direction to Morrisons to get things that my local Waitrose doesn’t have such as frozen smoked haddock, well frozen fish in general really, and cheaper tinned beans. Maybe once a month. 
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twirling_daemon@reddit

Yes because my locals are all a 10-15 minute drive anyway and are standard/medium sized Morrisons, Aldi & Lidl Sometimes I want the choice and the mooching about Probs furthest I go as standard is 35-45 minutes but that’s usually because I’m going for something specific or making a bit of a trip of it or both
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No_Beautiful_8647@reddit

If I can save fifty dollars by burning four dollars on gas and twenty minutes more, why not do that?
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MacaroonSad8860@reddit

Yes because my only locals are a crappy Tesco, a Sainsbury local, and a small Coop.
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MidasToad@reddit

I don't often shop in the little high street supermarkets because they are more expensive and have poor variety. Discounting those, and without a car, I am limited to 2 medium sized supermarkets, and I shop 90% of the time at the nearer, larger Sainsburys. I like going round a supermarket looking at all the options and selecting nice things - which is why I don't get deliveries. I don't think the slightly increased selection of a bigger superstore would counteract the inconvenience of travelling there. I suspect everyone has their own balance of preference/convenience.
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MuttonDressedAsGoose@reddit

Well, my town only has Aldi, Iceland and Asda. Aldi is cool but doesn't have all the things. Iceland is just sad. And Asda is crap. So, sometimes I take the tram to a nice Sainsbury. Usually I just get Tesco delivery.
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fleurmadelaine@reddit

We have a Sainsbury’s, a Tesco, an aldi and a Lidl within 5 mins drive. We drive 15 mins to another Sainsbury’s because it’s right by a b&q and we are always doing diy so we can do shopping and pick up parts in one trip.
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evelynsmee@reddit

I go out of my way to avoid supermarkets generally. Butcher, greengrocer, fishmonger, local veg delivery. Otherwise I go to the local ones.
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Matchaparrot@reddit

I used to go to Tesco Extra about once a month for a big store cupboard shop. Half an hour on the bus, then I stock up on unusual food ingredients there. They have a much bigger frozen and fresh meat section and fruit and veg than my local supermarkets. Recently I've changed to Tesco delivery. The same amount of choice and no lugging heavy bags. I'm disabled so it's much easier for me to get delivery more frequently and I now only go into a smaller supermarket for bread and milk
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El_Scot@reddit

I would do this as a student. Pay for a delivery that included tins, pasta, toilet paper etc every couple of months, then just top up with fresh stuff at the local Lidl in-between.
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Spottyjamie@reddit

Ish As a treat ive got a booths 20 miles and a waitrose 35 miles i go for easter/xmas treat shops Normally though i go to m&s food hall if i just need a few bits as its 5 min walk. Anything like a big shop ill drive to a sainsbury 4 miles away I rarely go to tesco extra 10 miles away but thats not to say i dont
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JCDU@reddit

Well it's 5 minutes to Asda or 10 minutes to Sainsburys.
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thehonestchild@reddit

Yes. 100%
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Mysterious_County154@reddit

Yeah I go to Asda in the nearest city (about 25-30 minute journey vs 5 to morrisons). People complain about ASDA a lot but I always get what I need, quality is fine and it's so much cheaper even with the longer journey. They also still sell games and stuff I like having a look through The biggest supermarket in my town is Morrisons and it's crap. It's always low on stock or fridges and freezers faulty. It's also insanely expensive, something about the lighting in morrisons makes me feel depressed too We also have
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br0wn0ni0n@reddit

Sounds very familiar. East Kent by any chance?
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Mysterious_County154@reddit

Nope, im in the east midlands
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Quirky-Clock1208@reddit

Yes I will happily go any distance to go to a decent butcher and greengrocer, to avoid buying cheap nasty food from budget supermarkets. I don't understand why people buy such poor quality mass produced food from supermarkets, when locally produced food is so much better for the earth and doesn't put money in foreign billionaires pockets!
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Shannoonuns@reddit

Abattoir's are few and far between though, so unless the farm, abattoir and butchers are actually close to eachother then there isn't really much less of a carbon footprint compared to British produced supermarket meat.
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Shannoonuns@reddit

My town has 1 big tescos, 1 medium tesco, 2 Sainsbury's, an Asda, a big iceland, an m&s food hall, an aldi and a lidl on the way. But I do still sometimes go to the big Tesco in the next town over because the carpark is better and the roads leading to it are less congested 😬
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idreaminlowercase@reddit

I’ve since moved but a few months back I lived in a small town. In a town nearby there was a medium size tesco. Just food no clothes or decor. This was about a 15 min drive from my town however if I drove 30-45 mins I went to the city and was able to go to big stores like Sainsburys and big tesco so I did that
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DaPome@reddit

I do the complete opposite. There’s a massive Asda about.. 20 mins from me but I hate shopping there. It’s way way way too big and it’s hard to find what you need. I much prefer my local Lidl or local Asda instead. Much more reasonable sized
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NotAnotherThing@reddit

No, I get home delivery
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jac_ogg@reddit

Sometimes, for a bit of variety. Most are within a 30 min drive though
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New_Line4049@reddit

Suppose it depends what you mean by local. I could walk to a Tesco in the city center, but it has no parking (think it was formerly a Tesco metro) so its a pain if Im doing a large shop.... Ive only got so many hands to carry stuff home and Im only so strong. Ill instead drive to the Tesco Extra about 15-20 minutes drive away. I can park up and load straight from trolley to the car. I also find they have a better selection of stuff so am more likely to find exactly what I want. Theres other shops even closer than the city center Tesco, but they are much smaller with much less selection and regularly dont have what I want. Id rather travel a bit further and get everything I need in one place than run round half a dozen closer shops to find everything.
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Outrageous_Shirt_737@reddit

I live spitting distance from Morrisons but I get my shopping from Sainsbury’s a couple of miles away. If I had to physically go I would still go to Sainsbury’s as it’s a bigger store and they have a better selection of the types of things I buy, but I’ll pop to Morrisons midweek for bread etc
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Known_Confusion9879@reddit

Local supermarket typical shopping is £30-45. Next town, 7 miles, £80-90, next town 14 miles, £80-120, next city £120-180, next city 45 miles then I can hit £260. Partly it is down to stocking up from shops that sell the items that closer shops do not, particularly ranges in tea, coffee, bread, frozen and particularly fresh food that I can't get in the stores near to me. All stores from the same chain but it also applies to other supermarkets.
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Character_Life840@reddit

Nearest Sainsbury's is 8 miles away, quite small and a bit crap. Asda, Tesco and Aldi are 15 miles away. The food shop takes all bloody night, but that's rural life for you.
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Equality-7-2-5-2-1@reddit

No. Lidl is 2.8 miles away and Tesco is 2.9 miles away. That's where I go.
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Ranger_1302@reddit

When there are savings of almost £5 on peanut butter alone between Sainsbury’s and the Aldi a bit further away, then, yes, I will choose Aldi.
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OCraig8705@reddit

Manilife peanut butter is currently £2.75 at Sainsbury’s. You’re not gonna get a better peanut butter at Aldi.
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Ranger_1302@reddit

For how much peanut butter, and is it free of palm oil?
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OCraig8705@reddit

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/manilife-deep-roast-smooth-peanut-butter-275g
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Ranger_1302@reddit

I appreciate the effort, but it’s £1.79 for a kilogram at Aldi.
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petrastales@reddit (OP)

Sainsbury’s finest one has no palm oil. It’s just peanuts
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Ranger_1302@reddit

And it’s a shit ton more expensive, too.
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OCraig8705@reddit

It’s £1.95?! Are you actually looking at these prices or just pulling them out of your arse?
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petrastales@reddit (OP)

Some of there stuff in the finest range is basically the same price as higher end branded goods, but this particular one is not one of those. When I saw the ingredient list I was sold and decided to skip the branded one which had palm oil
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Ranger_1302@reddit

Oh, yeah, definitely. As opposed to actually comparing the price per the same amount of product. It couldn’t be that I just went to Aldi a few hours ago and bought a kilogram tub of peanut butter for £1.79 while the one linked is £5.74 per kilogram. It couldn’t be that. Clearly I am the one who doesn’t know what he is talking about.
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Ranger_1302@reddit

Mate, calm down. You have to compare the price per the amount of product. The one you listed is £5.74 per kilogram. And, yes, I also buy it by the kilogram.
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OCraig8705@reddit

Do you have a link for that? I highly doubt 1kg of peanut butter is £1.79 considering it’s £1.59 for 340g at Aldi.
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Johnny_Vernacular@reddit

Almost £4.21?
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ThatBandicoot4769@reddit

Very occasionally I treat myself to a trip to Waitrose. God they have some nice stuff. But you need the budget. It's only about a 20 minute drive, but there's loads of supermarkets closer. But it's a whole universe away in many senses. Clearly I don't do a full shop there. That would mean bankruptcy. Just a few choice treats.
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pijjp@reddit

1/2hour. M and s is next to majestic wines which works really well for us
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PopOk1604@reddit

I get everything delivered. Some people are going to get the same from a fancier store. Some people are not organised enough and shop every day after work or almost live off takeout. Some people shop around. Many do shop local as a point of principle. Some can't afford that and some don't care. It's a complex picture and individual consumer habits can't be generalised that way imo.
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CatCafffffe@reddit

I only shop in local shops for local people.
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Virtuous-Patience@reddit

Yes, 20 mins to Sainsbury’s not 10 mins to Waitrose or M&S. Because I object to a pound on every item in waitrose for a marginal increase in quality and realistically can’t do an extra £1.20 on every item in M&S although I do accept the quality increase is worth it on luxury items…
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Fibro-Mite@reddit

I go out of my way to sit on my couch and add things to my delivery order.
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EatingCoooolo@reddit

I shop at the closest one.
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smellyfeet25@reddit

I just go to the next stop on the train. I live in a village so i do use the local shops for a lot of things but for bigger shop i go to a supermarket which are not in my village.
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Reaganson@reddit

I have 3 Costco’s in my area that are about 20 minutes or less from my home.
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Darrowby_385@reddit

Occasionally, I'll got to Waitrose (for a wee treat) either a longish but pleasant walk, or a bus ride. They do particularly good, crunchy apples, and a wider range of Charlie Bighams than those near to me.
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Alternative-Emu2000@reddit

Yes. The nearest supermarket is about 25 miles away, which takes around an hour to drive. The only 'local' shop is a petrol station, about 2 miles away which has a much smaller range of food products and much higher prices.
View on Reddit #79721762

clovenheart1066@reddit

My grandparents live withjn 10 minutes of an asda, tescos and a smallish morrisons. They drive 30 mins to a big morrisons... gramps is 90, he shouldnt really be driving that far anymore, but nana enjoys the drive out.
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ShopLife907@reddit

I have to go to the bigger supermarkets because I’ve food allergies and the smaller ones don’t carry the free from range or if they do, it’s tiny and might not have what I want.
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OCraig8705@reddit

No, I get it delivered to my house.
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that-T-shirtguy@reddit

I go about half an hour out of my way to drive to Costco because it's just so much more value than a normal supermarket and cheap petrol makes up for the extra distance, also it's an excuse for a giant pizza
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DepthVisible2425@reddit

In my experience Costco is only cheaper if you buy in bulk and are comparing to buying the same brand individually. Sure a 4L tub of heinz ketchup is cheaper than 8x 500ml tubs, but also unbranded aldi ketchup is about 1/4 of the cost of heinz. The only things I get from Costco are tissues, toilet roll, washing powder etc. Perhaps some of the meat is cheaper if you can freeze it, but I haven't really found Costco to be worthwhile unless you only buy branded goods.
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that-T-shirtguy@reddit

I have a lot of freezer space so bulk buying meat and freezing it is great value compared to the supermarkets. Cheese and butter are also much cheaper and Kirkland stuff is normally good value while being better quality than most shops own brand stuff. Plus the household stuff you mentioned is worth it if you have the space to store it. 
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DepthVisible2425@reddit

Fair enough. Our freezer is tiny which doesn't help!
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SarahL1990@reddit

How giant is giant?
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that-T-shirtguy@reddit

18 inches of very chunky pizza, I think a whole pizza clears 4000 calories 
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SarahL1990@reddit

Wow. That's a lot of calories lol
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that-T-shirtguy@reddit

Yeah it's definitely a sharer 
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Dependent-Panic-9457@reddit

I go to the big Sainsbury’s sometimes when there’s a perfectly good little Waitrose almost opposite my house. It adds about 3 minutes. Each way
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REDDEV1L_MUFC7@reddit

Most people won’t as for most people they probably live no more than 20 minutes from a couple of large supermarkets. Obviously that isn’t the case for everyone. For me for example within 20 minutes I can get to like every major supermarket, most of them there are multiple of within that distance. Obviously for those who live rural it’s a different story.
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RaveyDave666@reddit

Yea same, thought I don’t go to one regularly, I like to alternate between Asda, Tesco and Waitrose, the Waitrose is 5+ miles I’d shop there regularly if it was closer.
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seajay26@reddit

I work between a Lidl, Aldi and Sainsbury’s, drive home past a Morrisons, Tesco and another Lidl and I’ll still go 20 minutes out of my way to pick up cat food
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Fred_Blogs_2020@reddit

Absolutely. Tesco has a monopoly where I live but I’ll happily travel 15miles for an occasional trip to Morrisons.
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Orange_Codex@reddit

Nope. On holiday in Scotland, it's impractical because the nearest supermarket is three hours from the house. Down here, it's a two-minute walk to the village. Supermarkets (Waitrose and Morrisons) are a twenty minute drive.
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Iwantedalbino@reddit

Yes. Closest big Sainsbury’s is 15 mins away. The better one is 30 mins drive. Better range longer expiry dates.
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some_where_else@reddit

Brit in Portugal reporting: I have to go to the really really big supermarket (30mins bus/walk) to get actual decent beer, as the fairly big supermarket down the road just has the local crap and *maybe* Erdinger. However its wine section is as big as a whole Tesco Metro, which is ironic because any Tesco Metro, no matter how small, will have an at least adequate beer selection.
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Professional-Test239@reddit

You not on the Super Bock?
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some_where_else@reddit

Prefer it over Sagres, but still rather not. It was fine when I first got here, but I soon tired of it. Seems to go straight through me too - maybe too much sugar or something.
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PurpleTeapotOfDoom@reddit

I've taken over 2 hours each way to visit a large Asda - but only to go to the optician as they are much cheaper than anything I can find near me.
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MapOfIllHealth@reddit

In my hometown theres 4 giant supermarkets plus a couple of Aldi/Lidl, so it doesn’t matter what direction I go in I’m going to be within a reasonable distance of one or the other. And let’s face it, in the UK the distance between your local one and the one further away isn’t go to be more than a couple of miles unless your rural.
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blackcurrantcat@reddit

There’s a park with 4 different supermarkets on that’s a short uber from me. I enjoy doing the shopping so I treat it like a day out and just chill out while I do it.
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Professional-Test239@reddit

I live in rural Wales and the nearest Tesco of any size or description is an hour away. People make the trip every couple of weeks and stock up, the savings pay for the petrol.
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Space_Cowby@reddit

Sometimes. We have a few supermarkets Asda, Sainsbuty x 2, Morrisons x 2, Tesco x1 plus all the Aldis, Lidls and smaller big brands. I am trying to walk every street in my city so often convince wife to shop elsewhere and while she is shopping me and the dog go walk and track some streets. It does not always work tbh, the extra travel is small but a fun game to play
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BlackJackKetchum@reddit

Depends which one has a wine offer on.
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SoggyWotsits@reddit

My nearest supermarket is a 15 minute drive. If I want something different, then yes I’ll drive 40 minutes or more.
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Romana_Jane@reddit

Because the one nearest me does not have accessible tills, and rude staff who won't help! I go to the next town over, on a bus, in my wheelchair, just to be able to access the shelves and be able to pay! This is getting more and more of an issue, as more supermarkets replace all tills with self service and the second generation of self service tills are higher, and set further back, and not accessible for lots of wheelchair users who cannot raise their arms very high, or just aren't a six foot man in a manual wheelchair! It takes 4 times as long - it's 20 mins to the town centre, to Sainsbury's or the bus stop, and 20 mins on the bus to the next town over! (And that's not counting waiting times for bus, or having to wait 30 mins because there was already a wheelchair user on the bus!) But mostly, I go without, can't afford online shopping, you have to buy so much before you get delivery! Also, I have multiple allergies, and one Free From in one supermarket is not enough for everything, so would need to go to several (or go without) as most food for coeliacs will have oats, almonds, dairy, or coconut, all of which I am severely allergic too. Can't order online as often the allergy information is wrong or not provided. Shopping is an exhausting impossible task, with making places less accessible, it gets harder every bloody month! Takes me weeks bedbound to recover from each grocery shop. Love to go local, but ableism of locals makes it scary, before you get to the staff who won't help!
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Nick6819@reddit

I live in what has been a historically a working class town. We have a Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl and a small Asda. I’m not a big fan of Morrisons. 5 miles down the road is a very middle class town with a large Tesco which I prefer. They also have a Aldi and a new Lidl, in both you can find a slightly higher end selection in some areas compared to those nearest to me.
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fanacapoopan@reddit

I have 6 or 7 big supermarkets within walking distance. The biggest is a good 20minute walk away. I live in central Rome, Italy. I go to each of them just to change my daily schedule . I also change my 'local' bar I go to for a coffee or ginseng. I think I would have a mental breakdown if I went to the same supermarket/ bar everyday.
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LordAnchemis@reddit

Yes, smaller local supermarkets have higher prices
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I-Spot-Dalmatians@reddit

The closest supermarket to me is 30 minutes away, there’s Tescos, Aldi, Lidl and Sainsbury’s all in the same place so I’m spoilt for choice once I get there. Or there’s a fuel station about 3 miles away with a pretty big selection of essentials. Unfortunately everything there is about 3 times the price, so I only get something there if I really have to on the way home from work or something. Try my best to just get everything I’m gonna need when we do the shop at the weekend.
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bloomsburysquare@reddit

No, I actually didn't know that there are people who don't go to their nearest big one. I just go to sainsburys because it's closest.
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chewmypaws@reddit

Everything is a 30-40min drive away for me so it doesn't really make much difference.
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Karla_Darktiger@reddit

Only if what I want is cheaper. Generally the supermarkets near me (>5 minutes away) are fine but I'll sometimes go to a town 20 minutes away if I need a few things I know are cheaper there.
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harrietmjones@reddit

I do because, I live in a small town that has no large supermarkets but is about 5 minutes away from a large seaside town which, surprisingly given its size/population, only has two supermarkets, a Tesco and a Lidl. There’s some products that I can only get elsewhere, so I do sometimes go out of my way to go to either my nearest Sainsbury’s which is about 20/30 minutes away on the outskirts of my nearest city or about the same to my nearest Waitrose, on the outskirts of another nearby town.
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Sad_Cardiologist5388@reddit

For me its to get different products, usually international stuff. So I'll go to a big Tesco with a massive international food section or a non major supermarket that sells mainly international foods. I've done 30/45 minutes if its something i'm really interested in or need
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EyeAware3519@reddit

I grew up in a small Cotswold village. The nearest big supermarket was 40 minutes away, the local shops were rarely open and didn't sell a lot plus they were very expensive. So glad I moved away from there, now I have a choice of all the major supermarkets within 10 minutes.
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qualityvote2@reddit

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