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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is it reasonable to walk 2.2 miles to the supermarket

97 replies

HyperactivePineapple · 05/04/2020 12:29

When I have a small shop very close?

The nearest supermarket (Tesco) is 2.2 miles away, and the next nearest one (Lidl) is 3.5 miles away.

The nearby shop is expensive and has a limited range of products.

I haven't been to the supermarket since lockdown, but I am running out of things that I have in as standard and the local shop doesn't sell. But there is no guarantee that the supermarket would have them in stock either (although they do stock them as standard, but my list includes things like yeast and wholemeal bread flour which are hard to get just now).

I would treat it as my daily exercise too, if I was to go.

So mumsnet jury, should I stay or should I go?

OP posts:
okiedokieme · 05/04/2020 13:00

Most people have to go a similar distance to do a main shop. I don't have a corner shop option so drive 1.5 miles to the supermarket

AnnaMagnani · 05/04/2020 13:02

Chances that your big supermarket has flour will be less than your small shop as more people are going there and looking.If they do have flour, then you will just have to pick what is there - no guarantee of wholemeal, or any yeast for that matter.

Plus you get there after walking 2.2 miles and then have to stand in the queue to get in.

So fine to walk there, but be prepared to be disappointed and be very flexible about what you want.

The big Sainsbury's I shop at had a tiny amount of pasta which would have been gone by the end of elderly hour, none of which was typical pasta shapes and no flour at all yesterday. And a shortage of foil. Other than that most things were there but they had clearly cut a lot of lines.

TotesGodsWill · 05/04/2020 13:02

You’re allowed to go shopping for essentials like food so YANBU

AprilFloundering · 05/04/2020 13:02

It's fine.

Our closest shop is a coop, which has been fantastic to have. But it would be a major budget breaker for a lot of families as everything is considerably more expensive there, assuming you can get it.

JinglingHellsBells · 05/04/2020 13:03

An 'unnecessary journey' would be driving to see a friend 50 miles away to shout at them from a distance of 2 mtrs, then driving home again.

A journey to the shops for food is fine.

For wallpaper or compost, or something for your lounge, is not essential.

Scruffyoak · 05/04/2020 13:03

Who says there is no flour? No shortage here?

MitziK · 05/04/2020 13:04

That's a pretty normal distance for anybody living in a London suburb to get to a supermarket. I'd be doing it if I lived in my old flat in Zone 5.

JinglingHellsBells · 05/04/2020 13:05

As a BTW what are people doing with all this flour?

There is no shortage of bread, cakes or anything like that in supermarkets.

I was in one two weeks ago when I didn't get a delivery slot.

The shelves were full of bread and hot cross buns.

Seriously, why are people buying so much flour? It's not necessary or even essential to eat cake (though I know some would disagree).

ShadowLightning · 05/04/2020 13:08

Absolutely fine. There’s nothing stopping people going for a 5 mile walk or run as exercise. You’re just doubling up the exercise and essential shop all in one go.

daisypond · 05/04/2020 13:09

It’s fine to go to the supermarket. But be warned, we can’t get things like pasta, rice, flour or eggs at our supermarket. You need to be flexible. Potatoes instead of pasta or rice.

canyon2000 · 05/04/2020 13:12

I went to Sainsburys earlier. Plenty of eggs, flour, pasta, yeast, tinned toms etc. I would go to the supermarket if I were you.

daisypond · 05/04/2020 13:12

Depends on where you live. My Sainsbury’s is out of all of those.

LilacTree1 · 05/04/2020 13:12

Jingling “ For wallpaper or compost, or something for your lounge, is not essential.”

Compost needed if you grow your own veg.

KoalasandRabbit · 05/04/2020 13:14

It's fine - your are allowed out to shop for food / essentials and that's a very reasonable distance. We do click and collect when it's not our village supermarket but do occasionally need to go there. Easiest place to get flour here is the village pub. Confused

PurpleCrazyHorse · 05/04/2020 13:18

Check your local FB pages and see what others have put about availability of items at your local shop. Our big Tesco was out of quite a few things including eggs and 4pt/6pt milk, yet our corner shop had them.

However our food budget is taking a hammering as we would usually shop in Lidl. We've switched to Asda click and collect as it had loads of availability and the prices doesn't look too bad.

GREATAUNT1 · 05/04/2020 13:19

Go to the supermarket, a lot of people are going about their business as normal so I don't see why you can't shop at Tesco if you want to. I won't use my local shop as they buy from Lidl & sell at thrice the price. So I walk to Lidl once a week & take my chances. It's about a mile away, & I don't go anywhere else.

KoalasandRabbit · 05/04/2020 13:19

We did have bread shortages here though it was only for a couple of weeks when the elderly were told not to go out and since there's not too much of an issue. We are making cakes and it's essential in our house to eat cake. If people aren't eating cake they are eating something else so can't see what difference it makes, we aren't just buying flour, need to go to bigger supermarket to get toilet rolls too.

Original poster
HyperactivePineapple · 05/04/2020 13:20

I don't understand your dilemma @HyperactivePineapple**

It's entirely possible that having had to self-isolate due to having symptoms (pretty sure it wasn't covid-19) and not leaving the house or seeing another person for over a week has left me feeling like a hermit and thinking any human contact should only be undertaken if the alternative is severe malnourishment Grin

OP posts:
WhatWouldYouDoWhatWouldJesusDo · 05/04/2020 13:20

It's a very normal walk for me, takes about 40 minutes and I couldn't afford to use the local shops either so no choice. I have a backpack and did have a shopping trolley but I've given that to an elderly relative.

It's fine........would probably have a fair few people who rely on cars clutching their pearls thinking it's akin to a trek across the Sahara tho 😂😂😂🤦

KoalasandRabbit · 05/04/2020 13:23

Actually it's other way round with flour you can get it in our village supermarket and village pub now, but think its harder to find in town supermarket. But often no toilet rolls or soap in village. It's DH doing shopping.

zonkin · 05/04/2020 13:24

From what I have seen in my area, the main panic buying seems to be coming to an end. Still a few items unavailable or limited purchases by the supermarket but nowhere near as bad as 2 weeks ago.

And no flour shortage here. For the poster who asked about what people are doing with the flour, we are baking. WTF is wrong with that? We normally do it. I don't like eating crappy supermarket bread and cakes.

EustaciaPieface · 05/04/2020 13:25

I do something similar once a week OP.

Bee128 · 05/04/2020 13:34

Sounds fine to me! I have a local
Village shop it’s fine for odd bits but no way you could get much there and many of it is double the price or supermarkets so much so it’s still cheaper to drive 12 miles to the supermarket!

WhatWouldYouDoWhatWouldJesusDo · 05/04/2020 13:34

A lot of crafts are going on that involve flour.

Making kinetic sand, saltdough etc. Oh and panic hoarders.

Still can't get flour where I am, haven't seen a bag for weeks but apparently corner shops are the best places to try

lazyarse123 · 05/04/2020 13:37

Please don't ring and ask unless you're in a vulnerable position. I work in a convenience supermarket and we are stressed trying to keep up and don't have the staff or the time to wander off looking to see what's on shelves. Yanbu to go shopping.

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