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AshlynM's avatar

How do you carry your shopping or grocery bags home if you don’t drive?

Asked by AshlynM (10684points) January 7th, 2019

The grocery store where I live is very walkable.

Walking to there is not a problem but coming back home when your arms are loaded with grocery bags, especially heavy ones is a challenge. Especially since I don’t drive.
I’ve tried many things, backpack, portable shopping cart, reusuable bags.
Backpacks and reusable bags can get heavy. Portable shopping cart is fine but it’s a bit awkward rolling it up and down stairs.

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28 Answers

Jeruba's avatar

I always used to take a taxi home. I considered it part of the price of the groceries.

rebbel's avatar

Bicycle.
Usually one bag (held in one hand, steering with the other).
About a 2 kilometer ride.

I’m so used to ride a bicycle that I can transport a dining table from here to there.

longgone's avatar

I use a large backpack. Yup, it can get quite heavy, but I consider that exercise. When I’m buying lots of heavy stuff, I combine the backpack with a bike.

ragingloli's avatar

A backpack.
You just have to go shopping in shorter intervals, and not buy a month’s worth of food at once.

canidmajor's avatar

My neighbor uses a large rolling backpack.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Maybe suitcase of sorts? You could manage to ditch the plastic at the same time.

ucme's avatar

We have staff for that.

Patty_Melt's avatar

I used to have the same situation. I took two belts with me. I could loop one belt through the handles of four bags, and hang them over my shoulders, two in front, two behind. That makes front and back even. One belt over each shoulder makes eight bags. That leaves my hands for eggs and bread, lightweight stuff we don’t want smushed.
Wide belts don’t dig in.
It looks unusual, but several people consider the method genius, and start using it themselves.
Let the laughing ones pay for their cab rides.

AshlynM's avatar

I have thought of taking a carryon size suitcase but thought maybe that would look too weird. Just today, I saw someone using an uncovered utility cart in the store to hold their groceries, so maybe it’s not so weird.

Dutchess_lll's avatar

Be a trend setter girl!

canidmajor's avatar

@AshlynM: There are a number of residential areas near our supermarket, and lots of walkers. We see all sorts of carry methods now, I think most people think they are more ingenious than weird.

LadyMarissa's avatar

It’s been over 40 years since I’ve had this problem; but at the time, I had a 1 mile walk from the closest grocery store. I was lucky that the bus stopped at the grocery store & also in front of my house. I usually only bought enough for 1 day worth of eating at a time & then caught the bus home. When I needed to stock up on other items, I took a cab home & tipped the driver extra for getting the bags to my front stoop. The taxi was only required about once a month or every other month. The other thing that helped was that I was only 21/22 y/o at the time!!!

Unofficial_Member's avatar

If I can still carry them with my hands then I’ll do it while walking home. If I buy too much or if they’re too heavy for me to carry on my own and there’s nobody that can lend me an extra hand then I can call for a pedicab (it’s common a and cheap here) to deliver me and the stuff to my house.

zenvelo's avatar

I never buy more than two bags worth of stuff. I live just under a half mile from the market, and the heaviest I had was right before thanksgiving when I had a 16 lb bird in one bag, and three or four cans in the other, plus milk and mineral water,

It was a struggle, but I made it home okay.

Pinguidchance's avatar

Shop with a friend, delegate someone else to do it, get home delivery, become an inventor.

Take a shopping cart and change the wheels to the one’s used in stair climb trolleys for furniture delivery.

When you make the big bux from the invention deliver me.

YARNLADY's avatar

I use a folding shopping cart. When I lived on the second floor, I made a separate trip with two bags at a time. It was great exercise.

Dutchess_lll's avatar

Well there ya go @Ashlym. A folding cart. I did not know they made them.

jonsblond's avatar

We do have a car but since we live just a 5 minute walk from a grocery store I try to walk as much as possible. I only buy things needed for a day or two and alternate heavier items. For example, I don’t buy a gallon of milk and laundry detergent on the same day. I keep my shopping list minimal so I’m not carrying more than 2 bags.

Dutchess_lll's avatar

When I used to do my family grocery shopping I made lists, and did about a week’s worth at a time.

jonsblond's avatar

@Dutchess_lll I had to do that when it took me 20 minutes to drive to the store. There’s no sense in driving that distance every day or every other day. Living within walking distance is very convenient.

Dutchess_III's avatar

The drive didn’t bother me. Loading and unloading herds of kids did.
One time my ex had our minivan and I was without a vehicle. I needed something from the grocery store. It wasn’t even a mile away. Maybe ½ a mile? I had to take the kids because they were just 6 and 4. We got ¾ths of the way there when my son, who was 4, abruptly sat down and said, “Don’t know know my feet can’t walk this long?!”

jonsblond's avatar

^um, why are you using two accounts to answer? I’m so confused. Did I miss something?

Dutchess_lll's avatar

I was unable to login to my normal account on my phone. I think it got hung up on the “lll” part. So I just made a new account that I only use when I’m on my phone.

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