Polytoners from Atlanta?

[Wittlich]

I've only used the delivery service a few times - mainly when I wanted to purchase 8 or so cases of Beer and Coke along with other bulk items and didn't feel like lugging them around myself.

However, for the most part, I too just jump into my car and zip to the store if I require a variety of smaller items.

[Colonâ„¢]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Hmmm, that's pretty small by American standards. Supermarkets here would be more like 50,000 - 60,000 square feet at minimum, so around 6000 m². Anything much smaller would not be a supermarket. (Whole Foods, for example, opens most of their 'large stores' at 65,000 ft² or so, and their 'small stores' in the 25,000 ft² to 35,000 ft² range, which is still bigger than your listed above stores - ft² to m² conversion is between 9 and 10).

Corner stores (stores with milk, bread, eggs, and such) usually are something like 5,000-10,000 ft², and drug stores (which carry small groceries like the above) are 10,000-15,000 ft² and up; those are usually very common, particularly in areas with fewer supermarkets.

Basically anything with self-service and shopping carts can be called a supermarket around here.

[DanS]

Originally posted by Colonâ„¢
The average size of a Delhaize supermarkt is about 2000 square m² and Colruyt 1400 m² (those 2 are of the big 3 in Belgium).

By way of comparison, Super Kroger is about 10,000 m^2.

I don't know why we need stores that big. It's probably just so that we can have enough shelf space for the 20 different brands of chocolate-coated frosted sugar bombs.

[snoopy369]

I live in an area with ONE supermarket, around 10,000 m², within a mile (it's a college area, so much more in the way of corner stores than usual) and survive fine... I walk to it (it's about 1/4 mi from my apartment) and take a cart if I need to carry much; and do a run by cab or rented car to Costco about once every 3 months for big bulk stuff (bulk toilet paper etc.)

(I have no car, and live in the middle of the city, probably in a similar but not identical situation to what you will be in, Pekka.)

[Pekka]

Yes I understand you'd want those cases of beer to be delivered. But grocery shopping is different. It's an actual human function. Why outsource that? I don't understand. It's good times, and you get to look around the different food thingies, choose and try them out, just spend time and come home and cook it well. Eat it. You can eat an hour or longer.

There's no point hopping into a car, driving to some megamarket, getting microwave food, getting back home, stuff it in fast and start watching television. I know it's a stereotype but it's true and you will all do this because you are American, just like you all have cars and no culture.

[DanS]

Originally posted by Pekka
I've never felt more European than today. You guys are impossible.

The culture shock will be delicious.

Your colleagues thought they were doing you a favor by arranging for all of this themselves.

Tell them to forget Buckhead and to put you up in a highrise condo in Midtown. That is, if you aren't afraid of heights.

[Wittlich]

Originally posted by Pekka
Yes I understand you'd want those cases of beer to be delivered. But grocery shopping is different. It's an actual human function. Why outsource that? I don't understand. It's good times, and you get to look around the different food thingies, choose and try them out, just spend time and come home and cook it well. Eat it. You can eat an hour or longer.

True, this is why I have only used it for bulk items. I tried doing regular shopping via internet - but what actually showed up and what I thought I was buying was way different. So I no longer use the service for my regular shopping.

There's no point hopping into a car, driving to some megamarket, getting microwave food, getting back home, stuff it in fast and start watching television. I know it's a stereotype but it's true and you will all do this because you are American, just like you all have cars and no culture.

Well, speaking for myself, I rarely "do" microwave food - except for possibly popcorn, but that's it. I enjoy preparing my meals from scratch.

[Pekka]

I don't like my collagues anyway. Well I do, but not the one in there. He's a douche. He doesn't like me either I guess, but we produce. Our hatred is productive. He's actually pretty accomplished martial artist himself, so I think we'll have a go one day, when we're both drunk and I'm less drunk. Perhaps this will go down in Atlanta. We'll both get arrested and deported for nude fighting drunk.

But you can't really call it a culture shock, in order for that you have to have one

[Ben Kenobi]

In the US it is assumed you have a car or easy access to one.

Just get a car Pekka. I know you think everything should be like Europe, but the population density is much less in most places in America, so you need a car to get around.

[Pekka]

Wittlich, yes but that's different because you seem like a good guy. You should sell your car by the way.

[Colonâ„¢]

Originally posted by DanS


By way of comparison, Super Kroger is about 10,000 m^2.

I don't know why we need stores that big. It's probably just so that we can have enough shelf space for the 20 different brands of chocolate-coated frosted sugar bombs.

I'm rather surprised at how many differents categories you guys seem to invent. I don't think I had heard of corner stores until now.

The basic question really was whether Pekka can purchase his daily necessities on foot, be it at the supermarket, the grocery, the corner store or whatever.

BTW, it should be noted that hopping into the car is actually fairly common in Europe as well.

[Pekka]

I don't want a car. It'll be a hassle anyway, I'll be there only for 6 months it seems like. Also, I don't lkie to BUY one and then sell it, I have other things to do plus I already have to dump my current place and get a new one in here when I get back from the states, move all my stuff from place to place and again, deal with visas, all kinds of stuff, work, fight my boss in a heated confrontation... to get into the bureaucracy of car things in the US is too much. Some idiot would say well you can't drive with your license but he's wrong, because I can. So a fight ensues and I get arrested. Is that what you want? It's a hassle, I don't need it.

Plus I'd need a parking space for it, someone might steal it, I'd have property in the states without SSN or a local bank account, all kidns of stuff. US is like SU, Oh look, it even mirrors perfectly! No. Just like Americans refuse to lose weight in Europe, I refuse to buy car in the US.

[Colonâ„¢]

Originally posted by Pekka
No. Just like Americans refuse to lose weight in Europe, I refuse to buy car in the US.

Damn straight.

[Pekka]

I think it's a really weird thing to me personally, that someone pushes me a car and says listen, make it easy for yourself. As in the easy thing is to purchase a car so you can buy food. That seems a bit... it doesn't seem very easy or functional. And then they argue it's actually very modern and the thing to do culturally.

It's just weird and stupid. I don't know what culture has to do with it. Or modern times. Seems like hut building to me.

[DanS]

Originally posted by Colonâ„¢
The basic question really was whether Pekka can purchase his daily necessities on foot, be it at the supermarket, the grocery, the corner store or whatever.

He'll have no problem finding his daily necessities on foot.

That means we'll not get to make fun of him for his BAMing about it.

But still he should be in Midtown, where there are buildings taller than 2 or 3 stories. Didn't we hit Buckhead when you were here? We definitely hit Midtown (the Bank of America Building), but I think several condo towers have been built in the area since then.